05/21/2026
EADS GIRLS MAKE SCHOOL HISTORY AT THE 2A COLORADO STATE GOLF TOURNAMENT AT LONE TREE GOLF COURSE
By Betsy Barnett
Photos By Wilson Photography
In just its second year of existence the Eads girls’ golf team just finished a history making season highlighted by the 2A Colorado Girls’ State Golf tournament held at Lone Tree Golf Course on Monday and Tuesday, May 18 & 19. Eads, as a team finished in sixth place overall and their freshman standout Reese Barnett finished with a 4th place medal and also received All-State First Team honors.
Eads sophomore Jordynn Turcotte finished 46th and senior Kara Wilson came in 61st in the grueling two-day state tournament.
The 2026 Eads girls’ golf team included Barnett, Wilson, Turcotte, Addison Courkamp, and Peyton Eder.
History-making achievements this season included winning five tournaments and garnering four runner-up finishes; qualifying three golfers to the state tournament, enough for a team, where only 87 of the best will qualify; and Barnett’s phenomenal 11-0 streak winning every single tournament Eads competed in during the regular season.
The state tournament proved to be a lesson in facing extreme adversity and finding a way to not only quit, but to come back stronger the next day. It also demonstrated the temerity of Barnett, Wilson, and Turcotte, coming from the smallest school in the tournament practicing on buffalo grass, to the rolling hills, sand traps, water hazards, and lush fairways that was the state tournament course.
The big story at the state golf tournament was the terrible weather conditions, especially on Monday, that ran some golfers off the course and caused havoc for those hardy players who stayed at it battling to keep their grips dry, their hands warm, and their focus strong.
According to Barnett, “That was the most miserable experience of my golf career. I couldn't feel my hands at all, my grips were soaked through, and I had to half swing all day so my club wouldn't slip."
Eads head coach Justin McLoud said of the weather conditions, “Day 1 brought nonstop rain and wind and challenging weather conditions that tested every golfer in the field. Wet fairways, soaked greens, and constant rain made it tough to stay comfortable and mentally focused throughout the round. Despite the adversity, the girls continued to compete and never gave up.”
After Monday’s miserable experience on the links the Eads girls team found themselves sitting in 7th place as a team behind Burlington.
Wilson and Turcotte both struggled in the wet conditions and were way down the results list shooting a 122 and 114 respectively.
Barnett had held her own sitting in third place with a +6 over par 78 and she was only down two strokes to the top scorer on Monday. Her finish placed her in the top group for Tuesday’s final pairings.
On the second day Turcotte and Wilson turned things around improving their scores dramatically and Barnett battled to the final hole shooting another +6 over par 78 for a total tournament score of 156. That turn around moved Eads into the 6th place team spot defeating Burlington.
McLoud indicated, “What impressed me most was the team's response on Day 2. The girls came back focused and determined, and as a team, we improved by 35 strokes from the first day. That says a lot about their character, toughness, and willingness to keep fighting no matter what the circumstances.”
Wilson said of Tuesday’s big improvement, “I knew I couldn’t do much worse, so I just relaxed and focused on enjoying my final round. The better weather helped a lot.”
The tournament team title went to Resurrection Christian who squeaked by Denver Christian by one stroke to claim the gold trophy.
The individual tournament saw some dramatic action. To start the day Quinn Roman, a sophomore from St. Mary’s Academy, Addison Dorsey, a junior from Manitou Springs, and Barnett were in the top three with top-seeded and defending state champion Sophia Lee in fourth place.
Lee came sprinting out of the gates with two pars and four birdies before she ever suffered a bogie. The sophomore from Colorado Academy was gunning to defend her title and was impressive on the front nine shooting three under par. She continued to push on the back nine with two more birdies, but then catastrophe hit as she double bogied two holes in a row. Lee did finish strong with an impressive uphill, 25’ putt to get a birdie on 18 placing her second in the tournament.
Dorsey felt Lee breathing down her neck all day but stayed steady with four pars in the first four holes and then received a fortunate gift with an eagle on Hole 5. Dorsey only had one other birdie in the round, but her steady play with few mistakes won her the tournament title by two strokes.
Barnett and Roman were a couple of strokes back from Dorsey and Lee and were battling it out for third place. On the back nine Barnett was leading by one stroke over Roman and was putting for birdie. Instead, she had to settle for a bogie which opened the door for Roman. Barnett (78) finished one stroke ahead of Roman (79) in the final round but was spotting Roman two strokes from the day before, leaving her settling for fourth place.
McLoud was thrilled to have a season like this one with the Eads girls' golf team knowing Barnett had a phenomenal freshman season. But he also pointed out the impacts made by every member of the team.
“Jordynn improved week after week and earned her way to state through hard work and consistency in this her first year of competitive golf.”
“Kara’s season was one of the best stories of the year. In only her second year of golf, she improved by more than 20 strokes from last season and became a state qualifier. She worked incredibly hard and played a huge role in helping this team reach the level it did. She will definitely leave a big spot to fill next season, both on and off the course.”
“Addison also made tremendous strides this season, improving by more than 20 strokes from last year and narrowly missing a trip to state."
"Peyton balanced both golf and track this spring and still contributed to the team while also placing 4th in the hurdles at the state track meet.”
Next year there will be some major changes at the 2A level that might mean Eads could become a program to reckon with. This year, the enrollment parameters for the 2A division was 1-657 students, in which Eads has 45 students. Next cycle, 2A parameters flatten out to 1-299 students.
McLoud closed by saying, “Overall, I’m extremely proud of this group and everything they accomplished together. They represented Eads the right way all season long. We will miss our senior, but we also have a strong group returning next year that now has valuable experience competing at a high level. The future of Eads Girls Golf is still very bright."
"Thank you to all the parents who battled the conditions as well at the State Tournament. Their help made my job a lot easier those 2 days.”
Of note, one other local golfer was at the state tournament and had a huge performance for the Lamar Thunder. Tatym McTaggart finished in 24th place in the two-day state tournament tying with Bethany Cure from Burlington. The Lamar sophomore put together an impressive +22 over par 94 on Day 2 to move her up in the standings.
