PUEBLO – Sophia Lee has no idea what she’s gotten herself into.

The Colorado Academy freshman began her second round at the Pueblo Country Club with a two shot lead. By staying steady, she increased her lead, shooting an even-par 72 to finish the Class 2A girls golf state tournament at 2-over. That’s a good enough score to become a state champion.

That’s one down, but is it too early to ask if there’s three to go?

“I have pretty good expectations of what was going to happen,” Lee said. “I thought I was going to play pretty well and my game is in a good place. I’m excited to see where the next couple of years go with this team.”

This state championship team. The Mustangs finished 18 shots ahead of runner-up Salida, totaling a final team score of 507 strokes. Avery Lent shot 179 through the two days and Jordan Slutzky shot 182 to account for the team total. Siena Welsh shot 249, but only the top three scores count for the team total.

But it was Lee’s 146 that bested the entire field.

She’s not all talk when she says her game is in a good place. She was 202 yards from the green on the par-5 seventh and had a smooth swing with a 4-hybrid. The ball seemingly steered toward the flagstick and trickled to a stop about three feet away.

It was a nice shot if you like nice things.

“I thought it was going over the back,” Lee said. “The wind kind of switched mid-swing. But I really liked the line I was on and it took a couple of bounces and stopped right up near the hole.”

She tapped in her eagle putt which put her five shots clear of second place. Her game is in a spot that five shots is a mountain for anyone to overcome.

Although not for lack of trying. Manitou Springs sophomore Addie Dorsey and Salida senior Kyndra Johnson battled to keep pace with Lee. Dorsey shot a 75 on Tuesday, one shot better than her first round and finished solo second, the best finish for any player in Manitou Springs school history.

For the Mustangs, a team photo will likely be placed next to the team photo from 2016 that is proudly displayed in the Pueblo Country Club pro shop. Colorado Academy is no horse for course, having won four straight titles at four different courses from 2016-2019, but PCC has a way of being friendly to the Mustangs.

“We love it here,” coach Beth Folsom said. “It’s a great challenge. I love the greens and I love the way they set the course up. I thought we might handle it a little better but it was obviously a huge challenge for all the competitors.”

This is the seventh team championship in school history for the Mustangs and the first since 2019 when they won a one-day tournament at Eagle Ranch. They also won championships at the Broadlands and Pueblo’s Elmwood Golf Course in that stretch.

But with one senior on the state team this year, and no juniors, this is a CA program that could string together another long run of titles.

“We’re pretty young and inexperienced,” Folsom said.

Nothing will get a team experience like winning a state title.

That can be said for Lee as an individual and for the team as a whole. As the players made their way to the ninth green to take photos, Lee pondered which award was more rewarding, the one around her neck or the big team trophy she had cradled in her arms.

“The big team trophy,” she said with a smile.

And it might be the first of several that she gets to carry.