Hancock, Long Beach capture MHSAA girls golf state championships

This week, 81 golfers from 26 different schools took part in the MHSAA Girls Golf State Championships for both the 5A and 6A classifications.

Sitting atop the leaderboard at the end of today’s final round are all teams and golfers from the Gulf Coast.

Taking home the 6A title is Hancock, it’s second in program history, led by Katelynn Altese with a two-round low score of 142, good for second place all-around.

The Ocean Springs Lady Greyhounds check in as the 6A runners-up, led by Avery Weed who took home individual first place honors with a 141.

In the 5A ranks, Long Beach is taking home the state crown led by Gracie Bloom, who also took home individual first place honors with an overall low score of 137 and 10 birdies.

The runners-up are the Pearl River Central Lady Blue Devils led by Grace Lanier with a low score of 163, good for second place All-State.

Avery Weed said, “Last year was really disappointing not being able to come out here. We were playing with the same people and we thought we had a good chance to win, so to be able to come out this year and do really well was really nice.”

Gracie Bloom said, “Our team has never won and we’ve been playing since seventh grade with the same girls basically, and this year to win means a lot and our freshman just started and to take her two scores after three months of playing golf is just amazing.”

Katelynn Altese said, “It was awesome. Our team has worked really hard, practice every day, just working our way up to the top and it’s fun to see it pay off.”

Bloom says her 137 and Weed says her 141 are both career low two-round scores. Altese says her 142 is one of her lowest.

Weed hit an eagle on hole eight which turns out to be the difference in what could have been a possible playoff scenario.