Nobody is carrying more momentum into an upcoming season this spring than the Aberdeen Central girls’ golf squad.

The Golden Eagles are coming off a school-record performance the last time they competed as a team, during the second day of the Class AA State Tournament last summer. Central returns five members off of that state runner-up squad, including three all-state players (Olivia Braun, Emma Dohrer and Morgan Jones).

“Out of the six that we had at state last year, five of them are back,” said Central coach Kim Zimmerman.

While the Eagles are still young (all members but one are sophomores or younger), they definitely know their way around a golf course.

“They’re still relatively young, but they have a lot of golf experience,” Zimmerman said.

The core group of players has been in the hunt for a state team championship the past couple of seasons.

“They’ve been down that road and competing in some big events, and some of the last groups on the last day of the tournaments and stuff like that, and competing in conference tournaments,” Zimmerman said, “so they have a pretty good idea what to expect.”

The fact that the Eagles finished so strong and came up just short on the final day of the state tourney has motivated the players for the upcoming season.

“We’ve talked about it a little bit,” Zimmerman said. “It’s fresh in our mind yet, the phenomenal day we had on day two of the state tournament last year, and just kind of building off that is where we want to go.”

Braun is the leader of the pack for Central. Despite being only a sophomore, it would be hard to find someone who has played more golf at a higher level than Braun, who briefly shared the lead at the state tournament on the second day before finishing third.

“I think Olivia is right at the top of the list, not only our team, but statewide. She’s shown that and proven that as a very young player,” Zimmerman said. “She’s only a sophomore right now, but she’s played a lot of golf, not only in South Dakota, but throughout the country a little bit. She’s got a pretty good idea, what things lie ahead of her and what she needs to do to continue to get better and she’s doing that.”

Dohrer and freshman Kyley Wirebaugh were consistent top varsity players a year ago, and Jones had her best round ever on the final day of the state tourney. Jones recently won a state championship as a member of the Aberdeen Cougars hockey squad.

“The day two last year was just phenomenal for us,” Zimmerman said. “She gained a lot of confidence I think coming off her state tournament last year and her hockey season, obviously. Those things won’t do anything but benefit the upcoming season.”

The Central squad also includes sophomores Chloe Vikander, who was also a member of the Cougars state title team, and Kylie Herman.

The Eagles, who open their season today at a tournament in Harrisburg, are just trying to get back into what Zimmerman called “golf shape” as they start their season.

“The big thing right now is we need to get in golf shape,” Zimmerman said, “and what I mean by that is we need to get out and play some holes and kind of get our timing and rhythm back. It’s going to take a little bit.”

While a mild winter has allowed the team to be ahead of schedule compared to last season, Zimmerman just wants his squad to be able to get out and compete without putting too much emphasis on scoring this early in the season.

“I think I can speak for most teams, that’s the big thing right now, we just need to play,” Zimmerman said. “We need to get out and not be so focused on the scores so much, just to get better. That’s the case every year. We want to get better as the season goes on.”

Zimmerman said a big key for his team is experience, having been in various situations before and knowing how to handle them. He said that is valuable when golfers encounter trouble out on the course.

“Course management is very important. That again comes with experience,” Zimmerman said. “Don’t make the same mistake you made. You can make it once, but don’t make it twice and three times, that type of thing. We’re big on that. It’s OK to make mistakes, but learn from them and let’s not make it again.”

While defending state champion Mitchell will once again be among the teams to beat this season, Zimmerman knows the Golden Eagles will be right there once again. He said the key for his players to stay in the moment and not get caught looking too far down the road.

“It’s easy to look ahead, but my job as a coach is to keep them kind of grounded,” Zimmerman said, “and keep them focused on the next tournament and to get better.”

Zimmerman said the players have put in the work during the off season and understand that they possess the potential and the talent to play at an extremely high level. However, there is still work to be done.

“I think they know what they’re capable of, but you don’t win golf meets on paper. You have to go out and perform,” Zimmerman said. “That’s important to remember, too. Nothing’s given to you. … You have to work for it.”