On Thursday, September 30, the girls’ District 6 golf match was held at Wimber Country Club. The top scorers qualified for the state-level competition, with the winner being crowned the District 6 Girls individual champion. Going into the match, Bellefonte senior Riley Clute was in contention for the title. In becoming the Mountain League MVP weeks earlier, she was a clear favorite. However, Riley was not going to let anything distract her from the competition.

Prior to the match, Riley did not feel confident.  

“I didn’t plan on winning, I was just there for the experience and to have fun,” she said.

As she began to warm up and throughout the majority of the match, Riley felt a lot of nerves. In warming up, she rolled numerous balls off the tee, which only made her nerves worse. However, as the match went on and she played the game, the nerves died out and her confidence strengthened.

Riley relied on her numerous hours of practice over the summer to help her persevere throughout the match.

“I practiced three times a week during the summer and every day leading up to districts. Working on every part of my game, putting, chipping, driving.”

Ultimately, her practice paid off in the last stretch of the match as many of the competitors were within one stroke of each other. 

Riley’s golf coach is Elementary Band Director Miss Jayme Zimmerman.

“The pressure and anxiety we were feeling was incredibly high,” she said.

Amidst the pressure, Riley pushed through, finishing with a score of 89, breaking 90 for the first time ever in the competition. Additionally, her 89 secured the Individual District Championship which was the second time that the team won this title in Bellefonte Girls Golf history.

Coach Zimmerman was overcome with excitement for Riley but was not surprised.  

“Riley is an extremely driven individual and she lets nothing stop her this year. I knew she had it in her and it was great to see her reach her potential,” Miss Zimmerman said.

Riley felt “shocked” afterwards. 

“I was so excited. I am only the second girl from Bellefonte to ever have won districts and that made me feel very proud.”

In winning the District, Riley advanced to the State Championship at Heritage Hills which took place October 19. 

“She lets nothing stand in her way or stop her from reaching her goals. Riley is also a great leader and extremely kind. I have no doubt that she is going to have an amazing future and her presence will be missed next year on the team,” Miss Zimmerman said.