Koohns and Marchand once again qualify for state

History repeated itself for the Cheney High boys’ and girls’ golf teams as Tyler Koohns and Cheyenne Marchand once again qualified for the state tournament after a successful outing at the Great Northern League district tournament, May 16, MeadowWood Golf Course in Liberty Lake.

Marchand qualified for her third state tournament after she finished third with a score of 171 over two rounds.

“Even though Cheyenne was hoping to play a little better, she is more than ready physically and mentally for state with the hopes of being in the top 10,” head coach Gerald Morton said. “We have a few days to fine tune her game and work on some shots she may face during state competition.”

Koohns earned his second state trip after he placed fourth with 161.

Marchand and Koohns may not be going to state alone. Thomas Baycroft (169) and Kelsey Smith (219) were selected as alternates after they finished eighth and ninth in their tournaments.

“Kelsey Smith was our pleasant surprise becoming our district alternate. Now she knows she is a state level contender and will make her work that much harder to secure her spot next year,” Morton said.

Other Cheney golfers who competed at districts but did not make it to the second round included Scott Nadeau (93), Ian Hill (101), Logan Klauss (110) and Cam Hardt (119).

On the girls side there was Melissa Aris (139), Kayla Singer (147), Evie Rowe (153) and Katrina Ljbisic (156).

In team scores, both the boys’ and girls’ teams finished fourth with identical scores of 71. Team scores in the girls’ tournament were calculated via the modified Stableford Scoring system where the highest total of points wins instead of the lowest.

In last year’s state tournament, Marchand finished 19th after shooting a 177. Koohns shot an 81 but did not advance to the second round after missing the 80-stroke cutoff.

For this year’s tournament, the boys will compete at Horn Rapids Golf Course in Richland, May 24-25. The girls will play at Columbia Point Golf Course on those same days.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].