WHITEHOUSE, Ohio — In a sport that requires you to shoot low, Anthony Wayne High School's Sophia Stanton is coming off an all-time high.
Not only did she claim first place on Wednesday but her team will be joining her at the state tournament for the first time in program history.
At Stone Ridge Golf Club in Bowling Green, the Division I Girls Northwest District Tournament teed off. With a pair of top ten finishes in the tournament already, the General junior set out to break through the leaderboard.
"It's good to have another win added to the bank," Stanton said. "I was nervous going into the round, but I felt good about it. I knew I just had to play my game and not worry about anything else."
The win marked her 10th victory of the season and first career individual district championship.
"The word I use for Sophia's game is 'steady' golf,'" head coach Jason Gwin said. "It's constant, bogeys and double bogeys do happen to her but she bounces back and doesn't let it bother her."
St. Ursula senior Emma Myers, who played in the same group, stood in contention for medalist honors as well. However, on the back nine Stanton scored three birdies to help push her to the top.
She finished with an even round total of 72 (one shot ahead of Myers) and 10 strokes better than her performance in the tournament last year.
"It's been fun. I'm glad I get to enjoy it with my family, teammates and coaches," Stanton said. "It means a lot to me and makes playing a round of golf a lot easier."
The celebration on Wednesday proved even more memorable when the rest of her teammates chipped in as well. A team total of 354 helped punch a state ticket for Anthony Wayne girls golf as a whole.
"We've got a whole another year of building it and that's the best part," Gwin said. "She [Stanton] lifts the team up tremendously, the score she puts up allows more flexibility for the other girls. They're a great unit."
With one final high school tournament left in the 2024 season, Stanton is eager to continue her momentum and enjoy competing on the sport's biggest stage.
"I like missing school, so that's good," Stanton said. "We get to play a different course than we did last year and I like NCR. So that'll be fun, especially to do it together."
The 2024 OHSAA Division I Girls State Golf Tournament will take place on October 14-15 at NCR Country Club in Kettering (tournament moved from Ohio State University). Last season, Stanton played well in her first appearance at state, finishing tied for 19th (two-day total of 154).
Sophia Stanton is WTOL 11's Athlete of the Week sponsored by Dave's Running.