File photo by Jeremy Behnke Springfield’s Callie Wersal was named the 2017 All-Journal Girls’ Golfer of the Year.

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield girls’ golfer Callie Wersal set a preseason goal of placing in the Top 5 at the state meet this year, a goal she reached last year when she finished fourth overall.

Wersal did that and then some this year, bringing home a state championship and leading her team to a third-place finish at the Clas A state tournament a couple weeks ago in Becker.

Wersal shot a two-day total of 155 at state and managed to exceed her own expectations this year. Her accomplishments this past year earned her the title of All-Journal Girls’ Golfer of the Year for the second year in a row.

With a successful run at last year’s state meet, Wersal knew that getting back in the Top 5 was possible. But even she didn’t expect to take home the state championship.

“Before the season, I wanted to place in the Top 5 like I did last season, and I kind of told myself that if I really focus, I could probably finish in the Top 3,” Wersal said. “I was really surprised that I got first.”

She led after the first day and admitted she had some jitters going into the second day. Thankfully for her, her coach Dillon Schultz calmed her down that morning of the second day.

Wersal also had it in her mind that she wanted to do well for her team, which was also in first place after the first day of the state meet.

“I was nervous, because I’ve never led something so [big] like that before,” Wersal said. “You could tell on the range that I was nervous, my coach [Schultz] said ‘loosen up Callie, it’s fine.’ I guess my mindset was just play my game and if I didn’t come out first, I guess that would be OK, I just wanted to do what I could for our team.

“Dillon is invaluable to our team, he’s an amazing coach and he knows exactly what mindset we need to stay focused and positive at the same time.”

Wersal started Day 2 out a little rough, but things worked out in the end.

“On the last nine, I went in the water,” Wersal said. “I didn’t check scores at the time, but at that point I kind of put myself out of it a little bit. I had a double [bogey] on the first hole and I thought ‘this is going to be rough.’ But I think everyone had a tough back side that day.”

As someone who was in the hunt, she admits she didn’t look at the scores until the event was finished on the second day.

“I didn’t really know how the girls in my group were doing, I was just kind of focused on myself, I guess,” Wersal said. “At the end of my 18th hole, Dillon gave me a hug and I asked if we won [the team title] and he said ‘no, we didn’t, but I’m 95-percent sure you won it individually.’ That came as a total shock because I had no idea honestly, because I struggled on back side.”

In the end, winning the team title would have been more satisfying for Wersal. But she can’t complain about what happened.

“We’ve been together since seventh grade, this has always been our goal and we had the team to do it, we knew we could do it and that was our goal,” Wersal said. “It just would’ve been so much more fun celebrating as our team.”