Kaitlyn Parohinog is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Desert Mountain for AZPreps365.com.

The Desert Mountain High School girls golf team looks to keep the momentum rolling this season in the Tempe Girls Invitational on Thursday, Sept. 16 at Ken McDonald Golf Course.

Last year the Wolves finished fourth at the Tempe Invitational, highlighted by four of their five starters breaking 100.

The Wolves are 4-2 so far this season with solid performances by juniors Ellie Shirley and Madie Hepner. 

Hepner and Shirley participated in the Chandler City Classic last week and placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Hepner shot a 79 on the first day and 77 on the second day. Shirley shot a 75 on the first day and 84 on the second day. They look to shoot under 80 again at the Tempe Invitational.

Senior Taylor Crowder has also been performing well halfway through her final season for Desert Mountain. Even though she has only been playing for two years, she has a key role in Desert Mountain’s starting five.

In the Wolves’ second match against Xavier Preparatory, Crowder aced the No. 2 hole, the first time she achieved that feat.

“I got my first hole-in-one the second match against Xavier … that was a cool experience,” Crowder said.

Crowder was also able to shoot under 90 for the first time during the Aguila Open on Sept. 9. She has attributed her improved driver and short game to her success so far this season.

“It’s the best it’s ever been,” Crowder said about her level of play during her senior season.

Crowder is looking to continue playing golf throughout college and has entered the recruiting process. She also wants to break 90 again at the Tempe Invitational.

Coach Kim Dever is in her first season coaching the golf team. She is also the girls tennis coach for Desert Mountain. One thing she values about coaching golf is the amount of teamwork her players have and how they are able to help each other throughout the season.

“Even though it’s a competitive individual sport, they’re all cheering for each other,” Dever said.

The team has been able to compete well this season thanks to their combined effort and push to perform well as a team, not just individually. A few weeks ago, players took videos of their golf swings and studied how they could improve their mechanics.

Senior captain Baylor Vrabel stressed that the team’s bonding has helped them on the course. With practices becoming more open, there have been opportunities for the girls to get to know each other better.

“With the COVID season last year there was a big split in the team … JV and varsity, we were allowed to practice together but it was very separate … our coaches wanted to be safe,” Vrabel said.

The team has been able to practice together more as COVID-19 restrictions have eased since the 2020 season.

Following the Tempe Invitational, the Wolves have another invitational the following week, the Scottsdale School District Girls Invitational at Talking Stick Golf Course. Then Desert Mountain has two more matches before wrapping up with State Previews on Oct. 18 at Aguila Golf Course.