BEATRICE – A Beatrice Lady Orange golfer has joined some select company, becoming the fifth individual state girl’s golf champion in the history of Beatrice High School.

Kiera Paquette followed up an opening round 76 with a 77 in Tuesday’s final round, to win the individual Class-B state title by two shots over Julia Karmazin of Elkhorn North….at the Scottsbluff Country Club.

Nelli Heinold of Scottsbluff was another two shots back in third….and Whitney Dahir of Omaha Duchesne Academy was six shots back, in fourth.

Paquette’s state title followed victories in the Trailblazer Conference and District tournaments.  She joins BHS individual state girls champions Kelli Swenson(1990), Chloe Emerson(2007), Elizabeth Havekost(2008) and Kirsten Baete(2016) as state champions.

Omaha Duchesne won the Class B State Girls Golf team championship, with a score of 680…..23 shots in front of runner-up, Elkhorn North(703).   Scottsbluff finished third at 706…and Beatrice finished fourth, at 723.

Individually for the Lady Orange, Maddie Nielsen finished tied for 11th, with rounds of 89 and 86.  Paige Southwick finished tied for 16th…shooting an 89 and a 92.  Aubrie Simmons had rounds of 105 and 111….and Myah Hood finished with a 108 and 109. 

In the team standings, Norris finished seventh and Waverly in eighth place.