(Bakersfield, CA) For the fourth consecutive season, the Mt. SAC Women's Golf team will have an individual represented in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championships.
The championships will be held at Cypress Ridge Golf Course in Arroyo Grande, Sunday and Monday (Nov. 14, 15).
Freshman Katerina Cervantes will join six other golfers who represented Mt. SAC at the state finals in recent years.
Mt. SAC Women's Golf coach Greg Osbourne, in his sixth year, was very happy for Cervantes.
"I'm just happy that she made it," said Osbourne, who is a PGA member. "With one girl going to state, it makes our season. She is very steady and a tremendous person. She is also very smart and a team player.
"Her putting and chipping improved throughout the season."
In 2019, Precious Saelee, Katherine Chan, and Cristina Liu competed at state and in 2017 and 2018 Mackenzie Kelly qualified. In Osbourne's first year (2015) as the coach, the team won the conference and sent two girls – Victoria Rodarte and Sarah Juelch – to state.
"I had a good first round and came in about fourth place and didn't want to get my hopes up," Cervantes said. "I definitely think the bright spots were my chipping and putting."
Cervantes was a second-team All OEC that competed at the CCCAA Southern California Regional Championships at Sundale Golf Club in Bakersfield (Nov. 7, 8) playing as an individual. She finished third with a two-day score of 171 (83-88) on the par-73 course. Thirteen individuals competed at the So Cal's.
Cervantes averaged 84.5 in the 10 matches in the Orange Empire Conference this season and finished eighth in scoring average.
"I didn't think I had a chance at the beginning of the year," said Cervantes, referring to the upcoming state championships. "As a team, we did the best we could and I just tried to do my individual job.
"I knew of coach Osbourne's (recent) history of individuals going to state for the women and was worried that we might not be able to keep that tradition going."
As a team, the Mounties finished in fifth place in OEC action but did not qualify for the So Cal's.
Saddleback won its first-ever So Cal Championship with a team score of 625, 32 shots better than Orange Coast College.
Four golfers qualified for the So Cal's from Mt. SAC, with Cervantes finishing in a tie for 12th overall out of 58 golfers.
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.