Expectation: Finish in the top three.

Reality: The Coronado girls’ golf team settled for fifth place at the Class 4A state tournament on May 22 at Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs.

Nonetheless, it was an impressive finish for the Cougars. And their coach, Kelly Hodge, couldn’t be happier, considering it was a nice send-off for senior Madi Eurich and a confidence-booster for the other three golfers — sophomore Kate Griffin and juniors Hannah Burgess and Anika Hagen —  who have at least one more year to make their expectation a reality.

“The three of them will be strong and I should have a 10th or 11th grader who will step up next year,” said Hodge, who was in her sixth year at the helm. “It might a little bit of a rebuilding year but I feel like we can stay right on top.”

But it was this year’s effort — finishing as the top Colorado Springs-area team — that landed Hodge the title of The Gazette Preps 2018 Girls’ Golf Coach of the Year. The Cougars won a tiebreaker against Air Academy to earn the elusive spot.

For Coronado, the year started off on a high note.

The Cougars won their first tournament of the year, the Fountain-Fort Carson Invitational. It set the tone for the rest of the season, as they finished in either first or second place in every tournament before the postseason.

Then, at the Colorado Springs Metro League championships, the Cougars captured first place, thanks to Griffin shooting a 2-over-par 38 through the front nine. The tournament was ended prematurely because of inclement weather.

At the state tournament, Griffin led the Cougars with a 183, followed by Eurich’s 192, Hagen’s 207 and Burgess’s 215. They said afterward that they hoped their finish was just the start for the returners.

What was the key to the Cougars’ success?

“Hard-working girls and a team that had a lot of drive,” Hodge said.

The coach has been teaching her girls since they were young. She’s an LPGA golfer who teaches at Cherokee Ridge Golf Course in Colorado Springs. She said she has coached more than 30 girls who have gone on to play in college, including Eurich (St. Cloud State in Minnesota).

Hodge believes this year’s success started with the Fountain-Fort Carson win.

“We were right in there for every tournament,” she said. “Once you start placing first and second, you kind of have that expectation to stay there the whole time.”

Expectation: Finish in the top three.

Reality: The Coronado girls’ golf team settled for fifth place at the Class 4A state tournament on May 22 at Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs.

Nonetheless, it was an impressive finish for the Cougars. And their coach, Kelly Hodge, couldn’t be happier, considering it was a nice send-off for senior Madi Eurich and a confidence-booster for the other three golfers — sophomore Kate Griffin and juniors Hannah Burgess and Anika Hagen —  who have at least one more year to make their expectation a reality.

“The three of them will be strong and I should have a 10th or 11th grader who will step up next year,” said Hodge, who was in her sixth year at the helm. “It might a little bit of a rebuilding year but I feel like we can stay right on top.”

But it was this year’s effort — finishing as the top Colorado Springs-area team — that landed Hodge the title of The Gazette Preps 2018 Girls’ Golf Coach of the Year. The Cougars won a tiebreaker against Air Academy to earn the elusive spot.

For Coronado, the year started off on a high note.

The Cougars won their first tournament of the year, the Fountain-Fort Carson Invitational. It set the tone for the rest of the season, as they finished in either first or second place in every tournament before the postseason.

Then, at the Colorado Springs Metro League championships, the Cougars captured first place, thanks to Griffin shooting a 2-over-par 38 through the front nine. The tournament was ended prematurely because of inclement weather.

At the state tournament, Griffin led the Cougars with a 183, followed by Eurich’s 192, Hagen’s 207 and Burgess’s 215. They said afterward that they hoped their finish was just the start for the returners.

What was the key to the Cougars’ success?

“Hard-working girls and a team that had a lot of drive,” Hodge said.

The coach has been teaching her girls since they were young. She’s an LPGA golfer who teaches at Cherokee Ridge Golf Course in Colorado Springs. She said she has coached more than 30 girls who have gone on to play in college, including Eurich (St. Cloud State in Minnesota).

Hodge believes this year’s success started with the Fountain-Fort Carson win.

“We were right in there for every tournament,” she said. “Once you start placing first and second, you kind of have that expectation to stay there the whole time.”