Cougars’ Tenney headed to state

ARVADA — Madison Tenney, for most of the 2012 girls golf season, has been Evergreen’s most consistent player. And while her play was anything but consistent at the 4A Metro West Regional it was enough to qualify her for next week’s 4A state tournament.
The Evergreen sophomore shot a 95 on May 14 at West Woods Golf Course, just making the cut for state, which is scheduled for May 21-22 at Boomerang Golf Course in Greeley. She was the next-to-last player of 16 individual qualifers not on the regional championship team to make it in the field.
“Making the state championship as a sophomore is quite an accomplishment,” Evergreen head coach Mike Kuzava said. “The last two E.H.S. girls to do that got big-time college scholarships for golf by the time they graduated.”
Jennifer Kupcho of Jefferson Academy won top medalist honors with a 72, seven strokes better than runner-up Tori Glenn of Valor Christian. Regis Jesuit took team honors with a 242 total. Valor Christian was second with a 258. Evergreen placed seventh with a 314 score.
The tournament was postponed a week after rain drenched the area on May 7.
Tenney was in position to finish much higher, but a nine on No. 18 left her clinging to faint hopes of qualifying for state.
“Madison kind of backed in,” Kuzava said. “She had a nine on the last hole that made things kind of interesting and tense while she waited to see the other scores. She could have easily been 10 strokes lower.”
Seniors Rachel Bechtholdt and Jennifer Butler carded 104 and 113, respectively. Teammate Emily Rivers fired a 124.
“We could have had our entire team qualify or we could have not had any qualify. That’s kind of how it’s been this season,” Kuzava said. “In the end, I guess we ended up where we should have been. But these two seniors who are leaving our team (Bectholdt and Butler) after four years will really be missed. They may not have been the best players, but they were quality people and that’s more important.”