Three seasons bring three trips to state

It's not like rolling a 300 in bowling or retiring 27 batters in a row in baseball. But you could say Amanda Nagel of Benilde-St. Margaret's is perfect. She pulled off a rare feat this year by being on a state-bound varsity roster all three seasons. It started this fall with soccer, just her first year on the team. The Red Knights then made it to the Xcel Energy Center for hockey -- Nagel's passion -- in the winter before qualifying for the state girls' golf meet last week. After celebrating, Nagel spoke with the Star Tribune's Brian Stensaas.

Q Tell me about getting Benilde to state for girls golf.

A It was pretty exciting. We went into sections a little nervous; all of us hadn't been playing our best matches. Our main competition was Cretin-Derham Hall, and our coach was really pumping us up. And we ended up all shooting pretty well, not the absolute best, but it was what we needed. And we ended up beating Cretin by 11 strokes.

Q Was winning by 11 strokes surprising?

A Coming in, we looked at the scoreboard and not all of the scores had been posted yet. But we were kind of like, "Wow, we have this." It was a great feeling.

Q Were you happy with the way you played?

A I struggled a little bit, had some bad holes. But I pulled together for a couple of pars. I didn't shoot my best score, but it wound up being enough to contribute to the win. It was a little stressful out there. You start to think about every little putt you have to get in. You don't want to leave one out there and have it be the difference.

Q What are you expecting when the state meet starts next week?

A I've heard how nerve-racking it is. I've played [Bunker Hills] before, and I didn't shoot my best. So I'm kind of a little nervous. Actually, pretty nervous. But sometimes with pressure I feel that I do better. I know it's state; it's a big deal and I'll want to pull it off for the team.

Q This will be three state trips in as many sports seasons for you. That has to be a cool feeling.

A It feels pretty good. In soccer, we weren't expecting to do very well at all. And I wound up starting a little bit and contributing, so for me that was a big deal. It was pretty exciting getting to play in the Dome. Then we made it for hockey after starting [the season] a little rocky. We made it the year before, too. And playing at Xcel you feel like a pro. And like I said, in golf we were nervous like always. To make it to state is pretty surreal. This doesn't usually happen.

Q Will you continue your athletic career in college?

A Yup, I'll be playing hockey at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. I love being out East. I have family there, and my passion is to play hockey. [Sacred Heart] happened to take an interest in me and I went out there and liked the school and area. They told me I'd get a lot of playing time, and they have a great business school. So it was a good deal.

Q Have you considered how it will be to look back in 10 or 15 years and remember going to state three times as a senior?

A Oh yeah. I've already got the scrapbooks going. It's actually already hitting me now. My parents have reminded me just what a great accomplishment this is. And I think in 20 years I'll say, "Geez, I wish I could go back and do that again."