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Hudson Bay Grade 10 student Anna Kowalyk competing at the 2022 SHSAA Golf Provincial Championships at Jackfish Lodge Golf Course. (submitted photo/Anna Kowalyk)
SASKATCHEWAN HIGH SCHOOLS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

Northeast has multiple top-10 finishes at High School Golf Provincials

Sep 27, 2022 | 4:32 PM

The 2022 Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association (SHSAA) Provincial Golf Championships were held at Jackfish Lodge Golf Course this past weekend and the North East District had a total of eight students competing.

Grade 10 student, Anna Kowalyk finished inside the top 10 on the female side, the district’s best finish this year.

She told northeastNOW “it was really fun” and “an awesome experience.”

“I really enjoyed getting to see all the people and the competition was awesome. All the facilitators made it very fun and the girls that we go with were awesome and I just really enjoyed myself,” she said.

With the Hudson Bay Composite High School student only in her first year of high school competition, that means she still has two years left at the very least.

Kowalyk explained she’s excited for the years to come and even has some thoughts of pursuing the sport beyond just her high school years.

“I’m hoping to definitely keep golfing this winter a little bit and maybe do some more difficult courses and see some more coaches and get to know even more about the sport. That’ll hopefully better me for the next years and hopefully, we’re only going to climb the ladder from here and maybe eventually a top-five finish,” she said.

“I think that (college or university golf) definitely could be (a possibility) after this year, I really started to enjoy golf a lot more and it’s definitely something that I would like to look into.”

Rounding out the female side for the North East district was Logan Englot from Melfort (17th), Samantha Jensen from Melfort (22nd) and Mya Johnson from Hudson Bay (25th).

Kowalyk added it was a special feeling being able to represent this group well, as she received a warm welcome after returning to school.

“It was so cool to come back. Everyone was asking about it and congratulating me and saying how well I represented. It was awesome to know that people were happy for me and excited for what’s to come,” Kowalyk said. “It was really exciting to know that I finished the highest of my group, but it’s also exciting to be able to cheer on your other teammates and improve with them along the way and learn from what they’ve done. They learned from what I’ve done and everyone just helped each other out.”

On the male side, Cole Taylor from Nipawin finished fifth, while Jack Bechard from Tisdale finished 13th, Owen Myrhe from Tisdale finished 20th and Brett Spedding from Tisdale finished 36th.

Other notable competitors were Gavin Bodnarchuk, Wynyard, Jayden Sparks, Watson, Aiden Yeager, Lake Lenore, Ryland Martin, Watrous, Hailey Chegus, Watson, Lexis Hague, Wynyard, Georgia Strasser, Watson and Geri Lon Valdesimo, LeRoy, all from the Horizon Central district.

Kowalyk mentioned she feels everyone shares in the love for the sport.

“It’s always just so much fun to get out there and go do something that you can always get better at and you’re never as best as you can be. There’s always something to look forward to and there are always more shots to take and more courses to play. It’s always exciting to actually be golfing and it’s just a really fun way to spend your time and to get better at it,” she said.

Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8

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