FAYETTEVILLE — Anna Grace Lavy had goals during the high school girls golf season that reached far beyond her own individual game.
No question, all goals were met in championship form.
Lavy, who entered her junior season at Fayetteville well established as the top girls golfer in region, backed up her own hype with another stellar year on the course. But even after another season as the Lady’Dogs top player earned her a third-straight All-NWA Media Girls Golfer of the Year honor, she was more concerned with those players around her this past fall.
“The girls on the team this year, they all had goals to get better,” Lavy said. “Everybody really worked hard to improve.
“This year’s team had a really different tone. Instead of just let’s go win a state championship, it was let’s go get better as a team while we’re winning a state championship.”
Fayetteville has become the home of state girls golf championships, winning eight of the previous nine titles from 2003 to 2012. But last season, Lavy and the Lady’Dogs suffered their only hiccup in the recent run of seven straight crowns with a runner-up finish to Conway.
After teaming with sister Olivia Lavy to help Fayetteville to a title as a freshman, Anna Grace was determined to get her team back on top as a junior. Just as important, she was focused on bringing the team together as they took their rightful place back atop Class 7A girls golf.
“Her encouragement to her teammates, you could see that this year,” Fayetteville coach Scott Williams said. “She always had that in her, but it really showed up this year.
“She’s just one of the special ones. A lot of great players know they’re great and they go do their thing. But the really special ones also help the others around them, and that’s Anna Grace.”
Lavy finished with a 38 scoring average per nine-hole round, tops in the 7A/6AWest Conference. She scored 157 over 36 holes at the Class 7A Tournament at Lost Springs in Rogers, earning all-state honors as Fayetteville breezed to a 10-stroke win.
Still, despite being at the front of the pack for Fayetteville yet again, Lavy took just as much pleasure in knowing this latest championship was all about the team.
“I think all the girls took pride in knowing that everybody did their part in helping us get it done,” Lavy said. “It took everybody to win it this year.”