For the first time in her three years competing on the varsity golf team, junior captain Alena Sirchotiratana qualified for state. She will be competing at the state meet on Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday Oct. 14.

Sirochotiratana shot a 77 at the sectional meet, placing 10th, and guarenteeing herself a spot at the state competition. At sectionals, having shot her best score ever, Sirchotiratana has hopes to score as well as she did at sectionals, if not better.

“I am a little nervous but mostly excited for the competition,” she said. “I know I could have done better at sectionals but I also think I played well. At state, I obviously want to place, but making it down there is already an accomplishment in itself.”

Assistant athletic director, Terri Laux believes Sirchotiratana worked hard and deserves all she has accomplished this season.

“A lot of the credit goes to Alena because she put in the time and the energy over the summer. She played a lot of golf over the summer and with this sport, practicing is what you need to do to get better and she recognized that. The goal that she made for herself, plus her determination and work ethic speaks volumes about why she is here and going down to state,” Laux said.

Coach Rick Lee, although wanting the Sirchotiratana to preform well, more than anything he wants her to enjoy the experience and have fun at the competition.

“The overall goal is for her to place in top 20, that would be a huge accomplishment for her. I want her to enjoy the experience as well. She worked extremely hard over the summer up until this point. I am really happy for her and I am happy that I was able to be her coach to guide her to this point. She has one year left, so we hope for a repeat next year,” Lee said.

Having been on varsity since freshman year, Sirchotiratana was shown the ropes from a young grade level and believes that was a factor that helped her succeed this season.

“Going in my freshman year already on varsity, and playing with all the seniors, taught me and showed me the ropes to how the competitions and the team worked. The number one golfer last year really impacted me because she had made it down to state, so it was my goal this year because I looked up to her,” she said.

Although the weather could be either detrimental or helpful for any golfer’s game, Sirchotiratana has become prepared for any weather from her continuous practice in tough conditions.

“It is definitely harder to play in the rain, but I have played through worse such as snow and hail so I think I am prepared to play in any weather,” Sirchotiratana said.

Make sure to wish Sirchotiratana luck as she heads into the state competition.