Granite Bay girls golf wins first ever state championship

The Granite Bay High girls' golf team captured their first state championship in school history on Tuesday at Poppy Hills Golf Course with a team score of 371, beating out Palo Alto High by 16 strokes. "It is a credit to how mentally strong these girls are and how valuable experience is," coach Jason Sitterud said. "They all play a lot of tournaments on their own but there is a different kind of pressure when you are playing for a team and others. Experience plays a huge role in adjusting to that type of pressure." The Grizzlies had four golfers shoot a one-over-par round of 72, including seniors Anika Varma, Hannah Harrison, junior Ellie Bushnell and sophomore Tavia Burgess. "I was proud and excited of my team when I found out three others shot the same score," Harrison said. "At no time during the round did I know where the team stood so I was just focusing on playing my game and not worrying about the end results." Both Harrison and Varma were three-over through their first nine and 12 holes, respectively, but finished well going even and two-under par on the back nine. "I am just very grateful for my team and everything we have achieved," Varma said. "It's a bittersweet feeling but I couldn't ask for a better way to end my high school golf career." Varma will play golf for the University of Oregon while Harrison will play for Washington State University. Sophomore Lauren Pierce shot an 83 while freshman Taylor Peterson shot a 91. Varma, Burgess, Pierce and Peterson all earned All-League honors for their play this season. Granite Bay improved their team score by 31 strokes from the Nov. 8 NorCal Regional Championship at Berkeley Country Club. The Grizzlies qualified for state with a second-place finish to Valley Christian High, a team they beat by 17 shots at Poppy Hills. This win comes after the Grizzlies won the Sierra Foothill League, along with their sixth straight Sac-Joaquin Section title. This was Granite Bay's fourth straight state championship appearance as the Grizzlies finished fourth from 2017 to 2019. "I just couldn't be prouder of a group of girls and they are better young women than they are golfers," Sitterud said.