Prep athletes of the week: Three-time champ Sophia Yoemans sinks big putt for the team

Clearly, Yoemans is comfortable on the biggest of stages.

The senior won her third consecutive state championship Wednesday by taking the Class 2A individual title at the Ridges at Sand Creek. Yoemans shot back-to-back 3-under-par 69s for a total score of 138, seven strokes ahead of teammate Leah Herzog.

As a junior, Yoemans won the 2A title with a course-record score of 129. She was the Class 3A co-champion as a sophomore.

Her trio of titles ensures that Yoemans, who will play at the University of Missouri next year, will go down as one of the best golfers in state history; only five other girls have won three or more state titles.

But it was the Wingers' team championship that excited her the most. Her birdie putt on the 18th hole lifted Red Wing to the 2A title.

"Oh my gosh," she said. "That's so much more important than my individual title."

The sophomore attacker has been the Lakers' top goal scorer all season, so it's no surprise she stepped forward to score a team-leading six goals, along with three assists, to lead the team to a 17-12 victory over Eden Prairie in the state championship game. In three state tournament games, she had 13 goals and five assists.

The sophomore shortstop was the most consistent player for the Raptors' two Class 4A state tournament games. He went 2-for-4 with two RBI in a 9-5 victory over Mounds View, and went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in a 6-5, eight-inning victory over Still-water. He was flawless in the field on nine chances.

The senior made one of the most pressure-filled putts of his life Wednesday, holing an 8-footer on the 18th green to secure a one-shot victory in the Class 3A state tournament at Bunker Hills. Winter finished 36 holes with a 1-under par score of 143, the only golfer in the field to break par.

JIM PAULSEN

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