Seeley-Swan High School Golf Teams at State. Ari Nicholas took the gold for the boys and Mia Nicholas took the silver for the girls. The Boys Team took third. Pictured (L-R): Aiden Posthumus, Ben Haley, Ari Nicholas, Trey Miller, Coach Colleen Stone, Tegan Mauldin, Ava Thornsberry, Mia Nicholas and Cora Stone.
Siblings Mia Nicholas (left) and Ari Nicholas led the Seeley-Swan Blackhawks at the State meet placing second and first respectively.
SIDNEY, MONTANA – Seeley-Swan High School golfer Ari Nicholas placed first at the Class C Golf Tournament hosted by the Sidney Country Club May 17 – 18. Mia Nicholas placed second for the girls and the boys team brought home the third place trophy.
"It feels amazing," said A. Nicholas regarding his win Wednesday. "I was happy with both scores."
A. Nicholas shot 81 the first day and 84 the second day.
M. Nicholas had a personal best for her first season as a Blackhawk with an 86 on the first day. "I was glad to be in the top three," M. Nicholas said.
The first round started with the best weather the team has seen all season, said Head Coach Colleen Stone. The winds kicked up for the final round.
"Not sure I've ever seen wind like that, let alone play golf in it," Stone said. "Kids would hit a shot and the ball would literally start coming back toward them. It was difficult to keep the ball on the tee and if you didn't get your ball marked quickly on the green, the wind could move your ball."
"It was frustrating because you would have a good shot and the wind would blow it off the green," M. Nicholas said. "Then you would have to chip again."
The challenge for players was to decide which club to use to keep the ball lower, out of the wind and still get any distance, Stone said. "Everyone was in the same boat but I'm super biased and especially proud of how our kids [ground] through it."
"Ari and Mia were amazing and were rewarded for all their hard work and time they put in, Stone said. "They put in the extra time practicing the little shots that most of us don't practice which is where we lose strokes."
"I could not be prouder of our entire team," Stone continued. "Our goal starting the season was to learn more about golf, try to improve every week, be a good teammate, and have some fun along the way, and I think we accomplished all of that."
Scores from the two-day tournament were Boys: A. Nicholas 165, Ben Haley 203, Aiden Posthumus 204 and Trey Miller 228. Girls: M. Nicholas 181, Cora Stone 246, Tegan Mauldin 251 and Ava Thornsberry 254.
Both of the Nicholas siblings are homeschooled. Due to a recent change in the Montana High School Association rules, this is the first year they were able to compete with SSHS as registered homeschoolers.
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