Niwot sophomore Wendy Cheruiyot worked her way up to another tier on the high school girls golf scene this past spring.

After finishing 13th at the state tournament a year ago, Cheruiyot took sixth at the Class 4A championships at Broadlands Golf Course back in May. Her team, meanwhile, finished ninth at the Broomfield course.

“My approach at the state tournament was to be more focused and confident than I was during my freshman year,” Cheruiyot, the Longmont Times-Call girls golfer of the year, said. “I was just trying to keep up and learn (during the season). And by state, I had more experience and I was more prepared mentally.”

The result was a big step forward in what looks to be an exciting window not only for the sophomore, but the school’s golf program itself.

Cheruiyot was one of two sophomores on the Cougars’ state foursome, which also included a junior and freshman. And that young core — all of whom are expected back in 2026 — made a strong showing in 2025, delivering high finishes throughout the season. According to coach Ed Weaver, though, maybe most impressive of all about their season was the mental maturity they showed.

Cheruiyot exemplified it. “She makes a mistake,” Weaver said of the sophomore, “and then rebounds.”

Ahead of their top-10 finish at state, the Cougars finished second at their regional tournament at Twin Peaks Golf Course in Longmont — just 17 strokes behind regional champ Riverdale Ridge, which went on to win the 4A title a week later.

On the regional leaderboard, Cheruiyot finished fourth, one shot better than freshman teammate Sonya Holmes in fifth. The two were a formidable punch on the course throughout the spring.

“Sonya came in and she was new to the team,” Weaver said. “And I went to Wendy and I said, ‘Look, she’s new to the team. She’s got some ability.’ And I said, ‘I want you to mentor her and take under your wing. Help her out as she goes through the process of learning.’ And now the two are best friends.”

Looking ahead to next spring, Cheruiyot said she hopes she can take another step forward: the goal being to improve “my scoring average and consistency, especially with my short game,” she said.

But her competition won’t get much easier. As of now, six of the top eight 4A golfers are set to return in 2026, including the freshmen that won and took second at the state tournament, champion Landry Frost of Air Academy (shot a two-day score of 7-over-par 151) and runner-up Kaylee Meyering of Ponderosa (152).

At state, Cheruiyot (166) was six strokes out of a top-five finish, three shots ahead of Monarch High’s Pippa Cooper (169) in seventh.