Minnetonka girls golf team seeking back-to-back state championship titles
They made program history last spring as the first-time girls golf state champs, and they're looking to prove they're not a one-hit wonder.
All but one player from the first team to ever win a state championship in the Minnetonka girls golf program's history is back this season.
They're riding the wave of that win.
"We're just as hungry as we were last year to win it again. I think a lot of us have talked about this year submitting a legacy," Ruby Reding said.
Senior captains Reding and Selena Wu are leading the team to snag a repeat victory.
Wu was just named Minnetonka's Athena Award winner and is a student of the sport, always challenging herself to improve her game.
"I get to come out every day and find something new to work on and even if my game is solid, it helps me stay consistent and stay motivated," Wu said.
Reding is a University of St. Thomas women's golf commit. Her mom inspired her competitiveness
"She's been super successful in business, and seeing her really work hard and achieve her goals and having her as an amazing role model," Reding said. "I feel like a lot of girls don't have super great female role models in their life, so I feel super lucky to have her as a role model to see what hard work can do."
Kieley Hanson, a junior, is another University of St. Thomas women's golf commit. She, along with her fellow captains, have been on the team since seventh grade.
"It's truly so meaningful, and I think that's why we're such a close-knit group and why we're able to have such success," Hanson said.
While the team credits a strong bond and chemistry, head coach Sara Martinson says the stats speak for themselves.
"This is a unicorn team, probably the only one I'll see in my lifetime like this," Martinson said. "Their smallest margin of victory this year was nine shots, and largest margin of victory was 34 shots, and the harder the course, the better they look."
The girls' golf state tournament begins next week. Minnetonka will be defending its title at Bunker Hills Golf Club in Coon Rapids.
