The girls golf team competed in the Blue Valley (BV) Cup this afternoon and took first place overall as a team. The BV Cup is a tournament played annually among all of the BV schools, and the winner of the tournament has the opportunity to take the Cup home with them for that year, and then return it at the next tournament. This is the first time BVNW has taken home the Cup since 1995.

According to head coach Matt Christensen, the great thing about winning the tournament is not the fact the team won the Cup, but how the team continued to get better and come together as a team to help each other out. Winning the Cup came at an important time headed into regionals, Christensen said, and it helps team moral to see a tangible reward for their hard work.

“My reaction was excitement,” Christensen said. “I believe in everybody on this team and I believe everybody on this team can do great things. While every golfer has bad days, I believe they can have great days. I’d be more than proud to take these girls to any tournament with me. Where other coaches can’t say that about their girls, I can always say that about mine.”

One of the reasons the team did so well today was their ability to battle back from adversity, Christensen said. When one player played badly in the round before, Christensen said they were able to play better today. As long as the team continues to do that and help each other improve, Christensen said they will be successful.

“I think we are in a good place as a team,” Christensen said. “I think we’re kind of sneaky good. We show up at tournaments, and people expect us to be good, but not as good as we are. I think that’s a good place to be. And rather than being a team that’s afraid of losing, we are the team that’s excited about winning.”

While winning the Cup does not improve or change the team’s rank overall in the EKL, it legitimizes several things that have been said about the golf team. Winning allows opponents to realize the team is just as good as any team in the district, Christensen said, and the team is going to continue to do better. According to Christensen, the team will be ready to play for regionals in a week and compete for the chance to go to state as a team for the second time in the last seven years.

“I’m really excited to be with this group of girls and have a chance to be with them as they continue to improve and play well,” Christensen said. “I just look for them to continue to be supportive of each other and with that we can do great things.”