The Irvine Valley women's golf season ended on a high note.
Sophomore Leleaga Meredith won the California Community College Athletic Association State Championships individual title earlier this month at Morro Bay Golf Course.
She had finished in third place in 2013.
Playing the tricky, and sometimes windy Morro Bay course, Meredith hit long over the two days and ran away from the field to capture medalist honors.
On the opening day, Meredith had two birdies, 11 pars and five bogeys for a 3 over par score of 75.
She was in a four-way tie for first place after that first round.
But on the second day, Meredith was at a different level. She used three birdies, 12 pars and three bogeys to score an even par 72 in dominating her fellow competitors for the medalist honors.
IVC Coach Ben Burnett said Meredith was determined to go after the title this year. She was also inspired by a note earlier in the year by LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan. This came after her subpar round of 67 in a tournament in Ventura.
"She has tour level air carry distances on her clubs," Burnett said of Leleaga's driving power ability from all over, including more than 250 yards on her driver and more than 210 yards with her three wood. "What she can do is just special."
Meredith was joined for the second straight year at the state championships by sophomore teammate Cindy Dang.
She had two birdies, eight pars and eight bogeys for a score of 78 on the opening round.
Dang's second round score included two birdies, seven pars, five bogeys, two double bogeys and one triple bogey. She tied for 10th with her two-day score.
"Cindy has been a tremendous player and team leader for us for the last two seasons," Burnett said.
As a team, IVC just missed out on making the state event.
They held a two-day lead on the first day of So. Cal. Regionals at the Temecula Creek Inn Resort.
But Irvine Valley ended up taking third and fell short by two strokes of making state as a team.
Burnett was pleased with the overall season.
"I felt that this was my best job of coaching a season with the IVC program," he said citing, specifically his work with the team's four freshmen players. "(Rebecca Peng, Liliana Gutierrez, Stuti Mandal and Rachel Watson) were receptive to my coaching and improved as the season went along.
"We barely missed on our plan to peak at the SoCal Regionals. Had we advanced, I feel that we had a chance to upset College of the Desert and capture another state championship."
Burnett said he was eager to help find scholarship opportunities for both Meredith and Dang with four-year universities and he is excited helping continue to develop next year's IVC squad.
