Richfield High School is proud of its golf legacy, and its girls team added more hardware to the trophy case.
The Wildcats dominated the 3A state tournament at Meadow Brook Golf Course this week, placing five individual golfers in the top 10 and finishing 30 strokes clear of runner-up Juan Diego as they claimed the seventh state title in school history.
Along with the 15 titles for the boys program, Richfield is the winningest golf program in the entire state.
“Richfield High School is Utah’s winningest golf high school,” said Richfield girls coach Troy Jones. “There’s been a tradition for a long time. There’s a legacy at that golf course in that town of championship golfers.”
For Richfield’s Hallie Janes, Abbee Albrecht, Brielle Jolley and Mya Malcolm, Thursday’s state title was their second in 2024 as they were all part of Richfield’s girls basketball state championship team.
While Richfield placed five golfers in the top 10, medalist honors went to Juan Diego’s Grayson Gagnon.
(Photo: Fairways Media Randy Dodson)
With a one-stroke lead heading into the final hole, the senior made par with a tap-in putt to win the 3A individual with a two-day score of 159.
Richfield’s Hallie Janes and Shelby Gardner finished tied, just one stroke back at 160.
For Gagnon, she had no idea her par putt clinched the win until a few seconds after and her coaches started hollering and congratulating her. It culminated a positive approach throughout the day — when things could’ve gotten away from her on the front nine.
“Two days ago I had a lesson from my coach, and he just said keep your head high. You want to enjoy everything, look around and see all the people with you, so the whole time I was keeping my head high, smile, look up. That was the only thing I was thinking, look up,” said Gagnon
Gagnon shot an 81 on Thursday after shooting a 78 on Wednesday, but it was her consistency on the back 9 on Thursday that made all the difference. On the front nine, she carded a triple-bogey on No. 5 and finished with 43.
Despite the front nine, as she went from a four-stroke lead after Day 1 to trailing by two, Gagnon knew she was still very much in the hunt.
She ended up shooting a 38 on the back to clinch the title, and she credits her friends for helping her settle down.
“I had a rough front nine. I had a rough three holes in row, but my friends came on the back nine, and I think it actually made me play better, just everyone watching me and seeing all the support I had. I think that’s the only thing that changed my game,” said Gagnon, who won the first individual title in school history for Juan Diego.
Juan Diego’s other top 10 finisher was freshman Sabrina Macias, who finished in sixth with a 166.
For Richfield, along with Janes and Gardner tying for second, its other top 10 finishers were Albrecht in a tie for fourth, Jolley in eighth and Mia Lewis tied for ninth.
Region 13 medalist Jane Poll of Morgan birdied her final hole to finished tied for fourth with Albrecht.
As a team, four of Richfield’s top five golfers shot better in Round 2 than they did in Round 1 as they tried not to put too much pressure on themselves.
“When we walked away yesterday, I said ‘You know what, you guys are ahead by five and we didn’t have our best stuff,’” recalled Jones, “and our less than best is still good enough with these guys if they just compete and keep their head in it. So today going into it, we just said have fun. If you go out there and do what you do, we’ll be fine.”
That’s precisely what they did in leading Richfield to its fifth 3A state title in the past seven years.
Story by Deseret News prep sports journalist James Edward. Republished with permission.