GAMES
RANKINGS
The Alamo Heights girls golf program claims its third-consecutive Class 5A State Title
THE RECAP: Review of UIL State Girls Golf Tournament; Vandegrift, Alamo Heights take gold
San Antonio Reagan and Coppell would follow shortly after, while Kingwood -- led by bronze medalist Bella Flores --finished as the highest-ranked team out of Houston, in fifth place.
The back-to-back UIL-6A champs -- Vandegrfit VipersPhoto acquired via Instagram (@vipergolf)
Meanwhile, Alamo Heights would become back-to-back-to-back champions in Class 5A, thanks to the exceptional talent displayed by Julia Vollmer, Kat Salisbury, and Lindsay lee.
Frisco Centennial would take silver, and featured the individual state champion, Tarini Bhoga, who shot for a total of 136.
Additionally, Amarillo, Colleyville Heritage, and Friendswood would round out the state's top-five.
Other noteworthy performances came from Comal Pieper's Dresden Bounds, Isabel Emanuels (Westlake), Lydia Portlock (SA Reagan), Charlee Thacker (Amarillo), Daneila Palmeros (Jersey Village), Madeline Buckley (Magnolia West), Addie Surber (Lake Creek), and San Antonio Reagan's Danielle Bailey, among others.
With that in mind, here is a break-down of the plethora of Houston-area golfers to excel at State.
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Kingwood's Bella Flores takes bronze in Class 6APhoto taken by Marcus Gutierrez of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter: @MarcG14Line)
CLASS 6A GIRLS GOLF (HOUSTON AREA)
(Teams)
5th Place (Total Score: 613): Kingwood Mustangs (Bella Flores, Khloe Jones, Cameron Stewart, Mariana Hernandez, Gabriela Sison)
8th Place (Total Score: 637): The Woodlands Highlanders (Veronika Exposito, Charolette Stick, Claire Smith, Blythe Bowman, Tate Hutcheson)
10th Place (Total Score: 650): Fort Bend Clements Rangers (Katelyn Lam, Savannah Du, Angela Cui, Annika Shetty, Sophia Liu)
11th Place (Total Score: 653): Tomball Cougars (Regina Cantu, Casandra Cantu, Makenzie Minshew, Sarah Pace, Rafa Vintamilla)
12th Place (Total Score: 657): Katy Jordan Warriors (Rumi Kurihara, Abbi Nelson, Jennie Dong, Candelaria Carlevaro, Leia McKenzie)
(Individual Finishers)
*Several golfers had the same final score, so there will be "T" before their placement to indicate the tie, and are placed according to the UIL Live Results
T-3rd Place (143): Bella Flores, Kingwood
T-5th Place (144): Daniela Palmeros, Jersey Village
T-9th Place (146): Zoë Hobbs, Klein Cain
15th Place (147): Veronika Exposito, The Woodlands
T-21st Place (150): Jannel Calixterio, Westfield
T-23rd Place (151): Cameron Stewart, Kingwood
T-27th Place (152): Regina Cantu, Tomball
T-29th Place (153): Khloe Jones, Kingwood
T-32nd Place (156): Jasmine Do, Bridgeland
T-34th Place (158): Taylor Horacefield, Clear Springs
T-34th Place (158): Rumi Kurihara, Katy Jordan
T-37th Place (159): Abbi Nelson, Katy Jordan
T-41st Place (161): Blythe Bowman, The Woodlands
T-41st Place (161): Kara Holm, Ridge Point
T-45th Place (162): Katelyn Lam, Fort Bend Clements
T-48th Place (164): Savannah Du, Fort Bend Clements
T-48th Place (164): Tate Hutcheson, The Woodlands
T-48th Place (164): Sophia Liu, Fort Bend Clements
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CLASS 5A GIRLS GOLF (HOUSTON AREA)
(Teams)
5th Place (Total Score: 643): Friendswood Mustangs (Mary Kerr, Margaret Kerr, Trinity Bosley, Katherin Janda, Mary Scheschuk)
8th Place (Total Score: 654): Lake Creek Lions (Addie Surber, Sonja Tibbetts, Evangelina Stowers, Brooke Mills, Kylie Ellegood)
11th Place (Total Score: 675): Montgomery Bears (Jordyn Herridge, Addison Payne, Ava Winfield, Carsyn Thomas, Taren Suffield)
(Individual Results)
*Several golfers had the same final score, so there will be "T" before their placement to indicate the tie, and are placed according to the UIL Live Results
4th Place (144): Madeline Buckley, Magnolia West
T-5th Place (145): Addie Surber, Lake Creek
T-16th Place (150): Jordyn Herridge, Montgomery
T-19th Place (152): Mary Kerr, Friendswood
T-21st Place (154): Jacqueline Lawrence, Barbers Hill
32nd Place (160): Sonja Tibbetts, Lake Creek
36th Place (163): Trinity Bosley, Friendswood
T-37th Place (164): Katherine Janda, Friendswood
T-37th Place (164): Margaret Kerr, Friendswood
46th Place (167): Addison Payne, Montgomery
T-47th Place (168): Evangelina Stowers, Lake Creek
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Photo from Carlee Pharris.
TCU Volleyball Commits Share Unique Bond On & Off The Court
"Carlee and I met at tryouts and we knew of each other from camps and stuff," said Gibson. "But, there was an automatic click between us and we just bonded so well."
Photo from Carlee Pharris.
That type of experience has allowed the players to develop incredible chemistry on the court and learn the ins and outs of how they both play the sport. They also keep finding reasons to play side by side.
"I'm in love with Carlee's game," said Gibson. "She brings so much fire and positivity to the court and she will always put a smile on your face. I'm so very blessed to be able to play with such an uplifting person."
"As far as how I feel about it, having my best friend as a teammate is crazy fun," said Pharris. "We can goof around, but also know when to get competitive and serious and I love that about us. We hold each other accountable, but also praise one another when things are going well."
When it came to committing to a college program, the shared respect for each other, along with a good fit with the coaching staff and campus, played a major role in coming to the same conclusion.
"I committed to TCU [in the] beginning of April my freshman year," said Pharris. "I know that may sound crazy early, but people always say, 'when you know, you know' and I knew. [TCU head coach] Jill Kramer always cared about how I am personally and beyond the game. I fell in love with the culture and just about everything else at TCU. I think that set it apart from all the other schools I was being recruited by."
"Jalyn and I always dreamt of playing collegiate volleyball together, but we weren't sure just about how realistic that dream was until it happened," she continued. "Jay committed two weeks after me and it felt like a complete dream. I'm so excited to move to the next competitive level with her by my side."
Gibson feels similarly about what the school in Fort Worth offers, so continuing her volleyball partnership with Pharris was also the right decision for her.
"My personal choice on committing [to] TCU was a very easy decision," said Gibson. "Coach Jill [Kramer] was so involved, not only in your volleyball career, but also in your personal life. I love the girls that I'll be playing with in the future and the campus just felt like home to me. Carlee and I had always dreamed of playing together in college, but we never thought it would actually happen, and being able to play with my best friend is a dream come true."
Before they pack their bags and drive to Cowtown, they're focused on topping San Antonio Brandeis' 35-win season and early playoff appearance from a year ago.
"Fingers crossed for a season this year," Pharris said in regards to COVID-19 possibly affecting the 2020 schedule. "I think Brandeis volleyball is cooking up something very special."
Photo from Carlee Pharris.
Volleyball may have brought Gibson and Pharris together and put them on the map, but they also value all the time they've spent together away from the sport.
"We hangout daily," said Pharris. "We love spending most of our time swimming, going to the lake and finding other crazy things to do."
"Our relationship off the court [is] like two super close sisters," said Gibson. "I see Carlee as my sister and best friend all in one."
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