Huso sported a smile while finishing up her last hole of the day when nearing the green. This is also MCC’s third-straight state appearance as a team after reclaiming the Section 3A championship once again.

“It is really exciting, especially with how I finished. I have never played this good here, and I had a really good group to play with” Huso said, who’s in her senior season. “I’m really happy, honestly just because I’m proud.”

After the opening day of the tournament, Huso is in second place with a 75 with the help of a birdie and an eagle on hole 8. She sits only behind Heritage Christian Academy’s Aly Bormes’s 73.

“A little bit of everything,” Huso said regarding what was going right for her. “Everything just felt on today … No shot was terrible, like [there was] nothing I couldn’t do.”

Photo by Samantha Davis: Dawson-Boyd's Alyssa Swedzinski attempts a putt during the first round of the Class A girls golf state tournament, Tuesday at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker. The meet was still in progress at the time of print.

As a team, the Rebels are looking to continue their upward trend at state. MCC placed eighth overall in 2024 and jumped up to fourth place last year.

“It’s really good to be able to practice with them [teammates], and it’s not pressure at all for us this year,” MCC senior Elysia Korver said. “Because, we’re just here to have fun and play good golf. We’re excited to just have good memories from this.”

MCC currently sits in fourth place after day 1 as well with a 358. Along with Huso, Natalie Einck shot a 90 and Korver followed with a 95. Lizzie Daniels, Brielle Plotz and Emersyn Meyer also finished with 98, 103 and 120, respectively.

“There were a couple clubs that I just was not hitting good, so having to switch to another club was difficult, but I think staying away from water and hazards was not really a problem,” Korver said.

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton senior Teigyn O’Leary is hanging in with the top-15 individuals as well, after carding an 82 for 13th place with an impressive four birdies. She tied for second at the Section 3A tournament to earn her fourth-consecutive qualification for state.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Russell-Tyler-Ruthton's Teigyn O'Leary eyes a put during the first round of the Class A girls golf state tournament, Tuesday at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker. The meet was still in progress at the time of print.

“It felt good, and it was nice being on a course like this … I think it helps knowing [the course], because I know where to be, where not to be, or like if I have to lay up, I know what holes to lay up on, and what holes I can hole full swing on,” O’Leary said. “It got hard at times, but I think I got through it. Even though it’s hard, I try to stay positive and think about my next shot, instead of thinking about the past shot.”

Canby sophomore Maddison Richter follows close behind in 15th after a first-day score of 83.

This is also Richter’s third straight season making it to the state tournament as an individual, and finished as the Section 3A runner-up this year.

“It felt good [to be back]. It’s like, I earned it, so it feels good,” Richter said. “I feel like I had good control in my mid range and my driving. When I got to the green, I’d struggle a little bit, but otherwise, I think I did good.”

Richter initially noted she faced challenges in her putting throughout the day, but worked through the mental hurdle as the competition went on.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Murray County Central's Natalie Einck putts at the first day of the Class A State Tournament on Tuesday at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker.

“I try to tell myself, like, if I have a bad shot, just literally forget about it. It’s not going to come back and help me. It’s like, I can’t change the past, so just try to focus and put forth a better shot,” Richter said.

The Dawson-Boyd girls haven’t been anything short of dominant in past years, and are well on the way to continue that same reputation.

With a 21-stroke lead heading into the final 18 holes of the state tournament on Wednesday, the Blackjacks have their eyes set on managing the course for one more day with confidence and having trust in one another.

“We are great teammates. We love to hang around each other, so just staying positive and connected tonight as we go out to eat, go swimming,” Dawson-Boyd’s Alyssa Swedzinski said. “We’re super fun to be around, and hopefully we continue to have a great night. Maybe watch a movie together. That’s all we got to do. We love being around each other.”

Heritage Christian Academy follows in second place after Tuesday with a 350.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Dawson-Boyd's Chloe Stratmoen chips a shot at the first day of the Class A State Tournament on Tuesday at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker.

Dawson-Boyd won the state tournament outright last season with a score of 669, 18 strokes ahead of second place, and shared first place in 2024 with Fillmore Central as the second round was cut to 16 holes due to weather.

Swedzinski and Kylar Hjelmeland put together strong opening-day performances, and lead the Blackjacks with a tie for sixth place individually with a score of 80. They each recorded a trio of birdies as well.

“It feels good. It was a challenge with this hot weather, but everybody has to deal with it, so it’s not an excuse,” Swedzinski said. “My front 9 went really well. We drank a lot of water. As Myiah Bothun would say, ‘Water was our best friend today’ … But, on the course, we played pretty well. Balls are flying far with warm weather, makes it go a little further.”

Claire Stratmoen is also moving along and shot an 82 for 13th place, while Laura Schreier follows with an 87. Chloe Stratmoen and Myiah Bothun stand with a 107 and 116, respectively, as well.

A few other additional area individuals are also competing at state, including Red Rock Central junior Jorga Brown in her first state debut. She won the 3A title overall, and finished the day with a 102 including a birdie.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Canby's Maddison Richter watches her putt during the first round of the Class A girls golf state tournament, Tuesday at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker. The tournament was still in progress at the time of print.

Tracy-Milroy-Balaton junior Taylor Munson is also making her back-to-back state appearance, and carded a 104 on the first day. She also placed sixth at the 3A tournament to earn her qualification.

The final day of the state tournament will take place back at Pebble Creek Wednesday. The girls will begin to tee-off at noon.