Lady Tigers golf competing at state

From left to right: Kate Cox, Maddison Hipps, Blue Ridge principal Ashley Wardlaw, head coach Randy Cisson, Hailey Smith, Haley Meredith, Ashley Azzaro, coach Robin Meredith.

The Blue Ridge Lady Tiger golf team departed for the coast this week, as the Lady Tigers competed in the Class AAA State Championships in Conway, S.C.

Blue Ridge recently finished third at the Class AAA Upper State competition to earn a berth in the state competition. Kate Cox, who’s just a sophomore, was the individual Upper State champion. Cox shot a remarkable 73 at the competition.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Cox. “I definitely feel like with all the hard work I’ve put in, I expected to see something start to pay off.”

“Kate’s had an All-American type of year,” said Lady Tigers head golf coach Randy Cisson. “She’s gotten better each time out. I really expect it out of her, but it’s taken her a bit to believe it herself. I think she does now.”

Cox is the younger sister of Lindley Cox, former Blue Ridge golf standout who captured the first individual state championship in program history as a senior last year.

She’s also a captain for the Lady Tigers, and Cox said she’s enjoyed seeing the progress of her teammates throughout the year.

“We’ve all gotten a lot closer as a team throughout the season,” said Cox. “And I feel like everybody here has something they bring to the table. I also like to see their hard work. A lot of the girls have definitely improved a lot.”

The Lady Tigers are currently playing at the Hackler Golf Course at Coastal Carolina University in the Class AAA State Championships.

As of Monday, Blue Ridge was in fourth place at the competition out of 12 teams, posting a total team score of 361 through day one. The Tigers trailed only Waccamaw, Daniel and Seneca.