LONE TREE – Within days of walking across the stage to receive their diplomas from M-CHS, a pair of Panther seniors strode off the 18th green for the final time representing their high school with heads held high.
Seniors Afton Unrein and Amita Crowley saved their best for last, with each collecting their highest state finish in their decorated four years for the orange-and-black. At Lone Tree Golf Club on May 18 and 19, the M-CHS duo joined the field of the top 84 golfers in the 2A classification, and after 36 holes of battling the field and the elements, Crowley took 11th place and Unrein finished in 20th to earn their best placements in their four tries at the state championships.
Coping with difficult day one conditions, the entire field struggled to post low numbers on the 5,240-yard course on the south side of the Denver metro area. Crowley battled to an 85 to sit in a three-way tie for ninth, just one of 11 golfers to shoot under 90 through the blustery circumstances.
Crowley followed up her seven pars on day one with a finishing flourish to her round on Tuesday, firing an 83 to close with a two-day total of 168 (+24) to finish 11th individually. After a slow start on day two, Crowley picked up steam with a birdie on the ninth hole, spurring an inward charge that saw her go three-over par in the final twelve holes of the tournament.
Unrein also rebounded after the challenging first 18 holes, turning around her 101 on Monday with an impressive 11-stroke improvement to surge from 25th after day one into 20th position with a score of 191 (+47).
After a solitary par on Monday, Unrein carded five of them in her opening nine of day two, heading into the turn with her best nine of the tournament – a 43. She followed it up with a steady 47 on the back nine to assure herself a place in the top 20.
Crowley took top-15 in the state championships for the third time in her career, joining a 13th place performance from her sophomore season, then finishing tied for 11th a year later. Unrein, meanwhile, enjoyed her first appearance in the top 25, jumping 13 places from her previous best – 33rd place in her junior season.
The individual title went to Manitou Springs junior Addison Dorsey (2025 state runner-up), who flipped spots with Colorado Academy sophomore Sophia Lee (2025 state champion) for the top two positions. Dorsey shot a two-day total of 149 (+5) to win by two strokes. In the team chase, Resurrection Christian (502) overcame a seven-stroke deficit after day one to nip Denver Christian (503) by one stroke for the 2A team title.
