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Grace Christian Academy women’s golfers Iizzy Rents, Reagan DeLanoy and Kate Sigman etched their names in the history books at the 2024 GIAA Women’s Golf State Championship, becoming the first Lady Cougar Golfers to compete in the match in school history.

Lady Cougars head coach Jeff Toole said he’s eager to see how the team’s performance impacts its future.

“I hope it means a lot for the program,” Toole said. “I mean, they made history for GCA… I’m very proud of them.”

Rentz led the Lady Cougars with a 112 on the 18-hole course at Southern Hills Golf Club, setting the score for future Lady Cougars to beat, according to Toole.

“Izzy shot a very low score for us,” Toole said. “It’s a mark for other girls to shoot at as an individual.”

DeLanoy finished the day with a 128, and Sigman ended with a 127. The team finished in the middle of the pack on what Toole called a “tough” Southern Hills course. He explained the greens ran faster than what the team had seen throughout the season, and the course was littered with undulating hills and water hazards. 

At the end of the day, Toole said he was proud of how his golfers persisted through the challenging 18 holes.

“They’re not allowed to quit,” Toole said. “They’re really good, they’re competitive, so they’re going to finish… I think it was a learning experience for them.”

The team qualified for the championship match weeks ago, submitting an 18-hole score of 197 — 48 strokes lower than the 245 qualifying threshold — to earn its spot. But the 18-hole score didn’t come from an 18-hole course.

The Lady Cougars’ regular season was filled with match cancellations and complications, limiting them to just a handful of matches to play. Because of this, they were never able to play a full 18-hole round, but instead derived their qualifying score from two 9-hole scores spliced together.

“It’s been a struggle,” Toole said. “There’s been a lot of obstacles we’ve had to overcome and dodge, so I’m very pleased with the girls.”