The first girls golf season without a regional tournament to qualify for state competition had an effect, as Vista PEAK Prep standout Sophia Capua did not play enough tournaments to advance to the postseason with the new formula.

Thirteen Aurora area girls golfers, however, did play enough and at a level throughout the season to qualify them for the Class 5A state tournament and five of them — three from Regis Jesuit and two from Cherokee Trail — earned spots on the 2026 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Girls Golf Team, which is determined by state results.

Alum Kathleen Sieg took over the Regis Jesuit program as head coach and helped the Raiders move up from 11th place at last season’s state tournament to fifth, which put them in front of the other two Aurora area team qualifiers (Cherokee Trail and Grandview).

All players had to navigate brutal conditions (rain, wind and cold) on the first of two days at Thorncreek G.C. and Regis Jesuit senior Natalie Furgason actually played better despite the adversity.

In her third career appearance at the state tournament, Furgason (who was 54th as a sophomore and 36th as a junior) tied for 15th to lead local players by a significant amount. She had three birdies and shot a plus-8 80 in the opening round despite the conditions and followed that with an 84 that might have been even better if not for a bogey and double bogey on her last two holes.

In the regular season, Furgason earned All-Continental League honorable mention accoloades, while her best finish was third at the Lone Tree Invitational, when she shot 78.

Rounding out the Raiders’ All-Aurora contingent are junior Emily Gott and sophomore Claire Pariset.

Gott achieved All-Continental League second team honors and qualified for a second straight trip to the state tournament, where she made a massive climb from a 63rd-place results in 2025.

Gott was the best Aurora area player in the state field in the second round, as she made three birdies — including two of the last five holes — for an 82 that helped her finish in a tie for 21st. Her two-day total was 166, which put her two strokes behind Furgason.

Pariset did not play in the state tournament as a freshman, but played well in her debut as she carded a second round 83 to go with a 91, which brought her into a tie for 32nd place.

Pariset’s best score of the year came at a Continental League tournament played at Aurora Hills G.C., where she carded a 73 to finish sixth and went on to achieve honorable mention all-league status.

Cherokee Trail’s duo of juniors Brinnon Cook and Marisa Vialpando round out the All-Aurora teams as they helped coach Justin Jajczyk’s Cougars finish 11th.

For Cook, it is a second consecutive appearance on the All-Aurora team and it came after a regular season in which she finished in fourth place in the Centennial League standings, but just three points out of a three-way for first. Cook’s best tournament of the season came in league play at Springhill G.C. with a plus-2 73, which tied her for medalist honors.

At the state tournament for the third time in her career, Cook finished in a tie for 28th place, which was one spot behind her career best state finish of 27th as a sophomore. Cook placed 65th as a freshman at the state tournament.

Vialpando played her best golf at the end, as she finished two spots in front of Cook to lead Cherokee Trail at the state tournament.

During the regular season, Vialpando placed 15th in the Centennial League standings and her best finish (second) came at a three-team tournament with Eaglecrest and Grandview Murphy Creek G.C. At the state tournament, Vialpando shot 85 in both rounds, which both included a birdie, as she tied for 26th place.

Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at [email protected]. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports

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