2026 NSAA Girls State Golf Championships Preview
Dynasty programs Omaha Marian and Omaha Duchesne hope to add to title haul; new team champion will be crowned in Class C
Omaha Marian and Duchesne Academy earned historic titles at last year’s girls state golf tournament. Marian won their second straight title and 13th overall to tie Lincoln Southeast for the Nebraska all-time mark. Not close behind is Omaha Duchesne, who won their fourth straight state title and eighth since 2015 with a one shot win over Elkhorn North.
Both teams will be on the short list of title favorites when the state tournament kicks off on Monday at three sites statewide. Tee times will begin at 9:00 a.m. local time on October 12th.
While Marian – with just one loss to an in-state team since 2024 – is a prohibitive favorite, Duchesne has worthy challengers in Gretna East and North Platte, who are down from Class A this season. The Bulldogs finished eighth in that class last year. A new champion will be crowned in Class C after Minden failed to qualify for the team portion of the event this year.
Live scoring for the event is available on the NSAA website and provided in partnership with the Nebraska Golf Association. Championship play will be over 36 holes and medals are awarded to the top 15 and ties in each class. Up to date championship information will be delivered via the NSAA Golf Championship Central page.
CLASS A: Marian Eyes Third Consecutive Title and 14th in School History
When Omaha Marian heads west to Grand Island’s Riverside Golf Club to defend their Class A state championship on Monday, a talented 2027 graduating class of seniors may have their eye on one other Grand Island related prize.
In 2004, the Islanders set the Class A team scoring record with a two-day score of 607. This year’s Marian team has been dominant in breaking 300 on three different occasions, including at the Metro Conference tournament two weeks ago at The Pines in Valley. That 295 team score is the Marian school record.
“We knew we were bringing a lot of good players back this year, kind of our last year with this historic 2027 group,” Marian coach Robert Davis said. “I think it’s one of the best golf classes that Marian has ever had. In the last three years they have only been beaten in Nebraska once.”
And, while Marian will certainly be prohibitive favorites in the team race, a pair of Lincoln golfers – Tasha Kolbas (Lincoln East) and Naryn Kim (Lincoln Southwest) – could be the leading individual favorites. Kolbas has not lost a tournament this season and has a scoring average of 73.00.
But, back to the team race. Indeed, these Crusaders are good.
On September 22nd, they won the Tournament of Champions in Kansas City with a 303 team score. The field included the Kansas 6A state champion and runner-up (Manhattan and Shawnee Mission East) along with Kansas 4A champion Wamego as well as five top-ten Missouri teams played, including Class 4 state champion Raymore-Peculiar.
And, how deep are the Crusaders?
They took two teams to the Norfolk Invitational and finished first and second while splitting their teams. Also, sophomore Claire Schmitz – who finished eighth at the A-1 District and is 12th in the class scoring differential – will not play at the state meet. Her spot will be played at state by senior Leah Wisdom.
“We started the season with two objectives,” Davis said. “First, celebrate the seniors because of what they have done for our program and second, to get some younger players some varsity experience because we know we are going to be dramatically different next year.”
The entire lineup medaled at state in 2025, including Creighton pledge Lauren Murnan. She’s joined by fellow seniors Lucy Peterson, Delaney Schmitz and Wisdom with sophomore Sloan Mackintosh rounding at the lineup.
The Crusaders hope to enjoy a final – and possibly history-making – time at the state tournament.
“Every tournament we have a scoring goal, a process goal and they have some personal goals,” Davis said. “But, they are aware of their spot in history. Everybody talks about it a lot. I think they typically want to be under 300 every time they go out and play.”
District Team Champions: Elkhorn North, Elkhorn South, Lincoln East, Omaha Marian.
Other Team Qualifiers: Kearney, Lincoln Southwest, Lincoln Standing Bear, Lincoln Southeast, Millard North, Norfolk, Omaha Westside, Papillon-LaVista.
District Individual Champions: Reese Gloystein (Elkhorn North), Micajah Long (Kearney),Tasha Kolbas (Lincoln East), Delaney Schmitz (Omaha Marian).
Returning Medalists: Gloystein (7th, Class B), Avery Peter (Elkhorn North, 4th, B), Caylee Mack (Elkhorn North, 10th, B), Kolbas, Naryn Kim (Lincoln Southwest), Sloan Mackintosh (Omaha Marian), Lauren Murnan (Omaha Marian), Lucy Peterson (Omaha Marian), Schmitz, Leah Wisdom (Omaha Marian), Addison Kloeckner (Papillion-LaVista).
Golf Course: Riverside Golf Club | 2820 Riverside Dr., Grand Island, NE 68801 | Host professional: Brian Fauss | Yardage: 5,454 yards | Par: 72 | Website
CLASS B: Down from Class A, North Platte a Contender to End Duchesne Streak
When you scroll down the list of champions of the Class B girls golf meet over the past 20 years, you’ll find just five schools – Scottsbluff, Beatrice, Elkhorn North, Elkhorn South and Omaha Duchesne – that have won state championships in that time.
With Elkhorn North and Elkhorn South now both in Class A, a new school – North Platte – hopes they might be able to enter the chat. The Bulldogs, who dropped a classification this year, have not lost to a Class B school during the season and set the Class B pace at districts with a 328 team score at Grand Island’s Jackrabbit Run.
With four players from their starting lineup returning after an eighth place finish in Class A a season ago, head coach Matt Kaminski knew he had a team that might be able to contend. One of those returners is senior Allie Jones, who won the B-3 district with a 73 and was fifth in Class A in 2025.
“We had four girls returning and just one senior last year,” Kaminski said. “We knew we had enough ability and experience that we would have the opportunity to compete (with the top teams). We just didn’t know much about any of the other teams.
“But, with our kids we know we have a group that likes to compete and we feel good about where we are as a group. In a two-day tournament, anything can happen.”
Just 12 shots on the “best three” season differential separate top-seeded Gretna East, Duchesne and North Platte in what shapes up to be a meat grinder of a team race at Monument Shadows. If you look at all events, that gap gets even closer at six shots.
Jones is the individual differential leader, but the top-10 have just a seven shot gap and another 13 players are within six shots of 10th making the individual medal race a tight one. Gretna East senior Hadley Babe is second and sophomore Alexis Mann is third, respectively.
Omaha Duchesne counters with three players – Kasha Stolberg, Charlotte Oberto and Lucille McDevitt – in the top-eight.
The Bulldog coach, Kaminski, is glad that Jones is on his side.
“Beleive it or not, I had to talk her into coming out for golf as an eighth grader,” he said. “She is obviously very talented and skilled and she is just unbelievable with the relationships that she has with others and how she approaches the game. She’s the most competitive kid we have and just has this ability to lock in when it’s time.”
District Team Champions: Gretna East, Norris, North Platte, Omaha Duchesne.
Other Team Qualifiers: Beatrice, Elkhorn, Gretna, Northwest, Lincoln Pius X, Omaha Skutt Catholic, Scottsbluff, York, .
District Individual Champions: Ella Porter (Gretna), Allie Jones (North Platte), Kasha Stolberg (Omaha Duchesne), Ashlyn Walz (York).
Returning Medalists: Maddison Sykes (Gretna), Hadley Babe (Gretna East), Ellie Henn (Gretna East), Jones (5th, Class A), Lucille McDevitt (Omaha Duchesne), Walz.
Golf Course: Monument Shadows Golf Course | 2550 Clubhouse Drive, Gering NE 69341 | Host professional: Robert Thomason | Yardage: 5,337 yards | Par: 72 | Website
CLASS C: Team Title Up For Grabs, But Jorgensen Seeks Individual Crown
Last year, Minden‘s Macy Jorgensen came to the Class C state tournament with her Whippet team seeking a 12th state team title.
Now with that mission accomplished, Jorgensen comes to the 2026 state meet all by herself. The Whippets lost four players from that title team and did not qualify in the Class C team race this year at Lake Maloney Golf Course.
But Jorgenson, undefeated individually on the season, is the only thing that seems certain for this Class C event. Her season scoring average of 72.79 makes her a runaway favorite in the individual portion of the tournament.
The team race is a different matter altogether.
Three of the six district champions – Lincoln Christian, West Holt and Scotus – all had scores at 370 or better and bring with them experience from last year’s state tournament that could propel them to a title in North Platte. The lowest team score in district play was West Holt’s 355 as they were paced by senior Delani Knust’s 79.
Knust could be Jorgensen’s chief chaser in the individual race. She was fourth in 2025 and her Huskies third in the team race behind Minden and Scotus. Only three other players in the field are returning medalists.
Two other non-champions – Sutton and Aurora from the C-1 – could also figure into the team race as Lincoln Christian won the district at Lincoln’s Hidden Valley with a 360 team score. Sutton (364) and Aurora (369) were close behind.
District Team Champions: Grand Island Central Catholic, Lincoln Christian, Scotus Central Catholic, Sidney, West Holt.
Other Team Qualifiers: Adams Central, Aurora, Battle Creek, Bergan Catholic, Boone Central, Chadron, Cozad, O’Neill, Sutton, Valentine.
District Individual Champions: Delaney Phillips (Aurora), Alyvia Harless (Bridgeport), Macy Jorgensen (Minden), Libby Langan (Scotus Central Catholic), Delani Knust (West Holt).
Returning Medalists: Abigail Klooz (Exeter-Milligan/Friend), Molly Kenna (GICC), Jorgensen, Jordyn Larsen (Ravenna), Knust.
Golf Course: Lake Maloney Golf Course | 608 Birdie Lane, North Platte NE 69101 | Club Manager: Derek Geise | Yardage: 5,017 yards | Par: 72 | Website