Apr. 3—MITCHELL — A new season is on the horizon for the Mitchell High School girls golf team, one that comes with an immediate shift in mentality from the past.
On the heels of three top-two team finishes at the Class AA state tournament to go with numerous team and individual titles the past three seasons, the Kernels feel as if they have a chip on their shoulder based on how last season finished, finishing as the runner-up at state last year to Watertown after holding the 18-hole overnight team lead.
It was the perfect opportunity for first-year head coach Brian Eliason to step in and lead the program.
"I just think it's exciting," Eliason said. "It's fun to see these girls improve and the pedigree of the team is absolutely phenomenal. We did some swing speed recording out on the range for the first practice and I was blown away at the swing speeds. ... In high school, the sky's the limit and it's exciting to see."
Eliason, who's a real estate agent by trade, succeeded current Dakota Wesleyan University golf coach Jeff Meyerink, who helped guide the Kernels to the 2023 Class AA state championship along with a pair of runner-up team finishes in 2022 and 2024. Mitchell also had its first individual girls state champion in program history last year with Allison Meyerink.
Knowing there's holes to be filled on the roster following both Allison Meyerink, Mitchell's leading scorer from last season, and No. 3-scorer Quinn Dannenbring's graduation, the collective goal from the players is to maintain a level of consistency from improving in practice to putting together a string of competitive rounds.
"I feel like we have the drive from the chip on our shoulder that we have from last year," Mia Larson said. "We're kind of viewed as an underdog after losing some seniors. If we can just work really hard, we can get back to how we were."
Mitchell's No. 2-scorer Maddie Childs returns for her junior season, having committed to Augustana University to play golf collegiately in January. Averaging a score of 77.73 last season across 11 rounds, Childs won the individual Eastern South Dakota Conference championship and finished in third place at state.
Sisters Ava and Anna Eliason return for their senior and sophomore seasons, respectively, playing under their father Brian, who credited them for picking the sport back up himself when they started playing. Larson is back for her sophomore season, while ESD middle school conference champion Londyn Hajek and Raegan Sperl highlight the remainder of the six returning letterwinners to the program.
From the team's first practice with swing speed recording on the driving range, Brian Eliason wants to see the Kernels improve their bunker play on the course based on his observations from last season. Ultimately, his goal for Mitchell throughout the year is simple.
"I want them all to get better," Eliason said. "I want them to hit it farther, putt better, chip better and hit their irons better. Improvement is the name of the game and they're starting in a good place. They have the talent and work ethic to do that. We just have to keep going."
"It's about coming back stronger," Childs added. "We have to use last year as motivation and get better every day and work at it, because it's not going to come easy this year."
Mitchell's season is scheduled to begin on Thursday, April 17 in Harrisburg. The ESD meet is on May 29 and the Class AA state tournament begins on June 2.
