GREELEY >> Coming into the second day of the Class 3A state golf championships at Boomerang Links Golf Course, there was little doubt that Holy Family would run away with the team crown.

The Tigers’ 20-stroke lead from Day 1 ballooned even more — to 31 — by the time everything was set and done on an unforgiving, blustery Tuesday on the course. They scored a cumulative 476 to leave second-place Mullen (507) in the dust that had been flying around all afternoon. Head coach Heikke Nielsen, who guided the Tigers to Class 4A state runner-up a year earlier, knew how this story would end from the first day of tryouts this spring. He didn’t know which four girls would make up the state team until the very last tournament of the regular season.

“It hasn’t quite sunk in yet. It’s just very satisfying to know that when you put your mind to something, you get there. It’s just such a special feeling,” he said. “(The intra-team competition) was fierce. It was something that drove the whole team all year. It’s the reason, I believe, that we were able to compete at such a high level in the highest leverage situation in the state tournament. If they didn’t have that competition within the six players, they would not have been as prepared. I think it was telling to see the margin of victory.”

Junior Peyton Mraz led the Tigers with an 11-over-par 155 through her two rounds, which was good enough to earn herself third place. Junior Steffi Heitz (fifth, 157), sophomore Acadia Curtis (seventh, 164) and senior Finley Holmes (23rd, 179) all followed behind, while Timnath’s Cheyanne Schrick ran away with the individual title at 150 strokes.

Mraz perfectly encapsulated the sheer strength of this Holy Family squad. She first picked up golf just 3 1/2 years ago and had never been to a state tournament before. She led the entire field with an even-par 72 after the first day but said the high winds disrupted her game all day Tuesday.

She estimated that she averaged 88 strokes last year and worked diligently in the offseason to shore up her short game.

“It was definitely a mental battle just with the wind,” Mraz said. “It takes a lot out of you, and you overthink every shot, and then you want to swing harder or whatever it is. You just really got to get settled in your game and just play your game, and then you’ll be OK. I had a lot of bad bounces, and then there were certain shots where I assumed the wind would take it a certain way, and then it didn’t.”Heitz was a part of last year’s 4A runner-up squad and said she was thrilled that the team not only pulled off the ultimate victory, but that she improved upon her own standing as well. She and Curtis placed 10th and 11th, respectively, at the Country Club of Colorado in 2024.

“We’ve worked all year for this, and I feel like after getting second last year, it was just us proving ourselves that we could do it and we could win it. It means a lot to the whole team too,” Heitz said. “Last year, I struggled to even get in the top 10, so it’s a big improvement for me. I’m really happy with how I played and what position I’m in. (My short game work) paid off because I got a lot of great up-and-downs. Especially with the wind, I wasn’t hitting a lot of greens, so I was able to chip on, and then make that putt, and walk away with the par.”

Once the tournament had completed, and the Tigers rose to accept their latest trophy and banner, Nielsen ensured that sophomore Danikka Nielsen and senior Fiona Holmes would be a part of the celebration. While they missed out on the state tournament qualification, they still ended their 2025 campaign ranked No. 21 and No. 27 in the Class 3A iWanamaker rankings, respectively.

Mraz and Heitz can’t wait to see what the team looks like next year.

“Heikke’s done so many good things for the team in the last couple years, and the program’s grown so much,” Mraz said. “I mean, we had 24 girls go out this year, and unfortunately not everyone could be a part of the team. But this win, even though there were only four people here, it’s for all 16 girls on the team.”