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Karolyna Adam’s stellar play in the post-season helped lead St. Cloud High School to fourth place at the FHSAA Class 3A State Tournament in November. PHOTO/RYAN ADAMS
If you are named Player of the Year in an individual sport, it would be understandable to hear a bit of ego or at least a little pride from the recipient. But when St. Cloud sophomore Karolyna Adams was told she was named Osceola News-Gazette’s Girls Golfer of the Year, all she wanted to talk about was her teammates and coaches.
“This was the best team I’ve ever been on,” Adams said. “Our team was so incredible this year. We’re all best friends, we hung out together and pushed each other all year. I never really considered myself our number one, Cayden (Challacombe) was right there with me all year and one any given day, any member of the team could shoot the best score. A lot of our success was because we were so close and supported each other.”
But Adams was most consistent, especially in the post-season While Challacombe, a senior, won the Orange Belt Conference championship over teammate Maddie Burda in a playoff, it was Adams who came on strong in the post-season to claim Player of the Year honors.
She was the top St. Cloud finisher in the District 3A-6 tournament with a second-place 75 as the Bulldogs cruised to the team title. One week later, Adams tied for eighth in the tough Region 2 tournament with a team-low 74. St. Cloud tied Lake Nona for the regional title, enough to send the Lady Bulldogs to the Class 3A state tournament for a third consecutive year, becoming Osceola County’s first golf team in more than 30 years and just the second-ever to qualify for three consecutive state championship appearances.
At the state event at Mission Inn, Adams was again St. Cloud’s top player, shooting 79-78-157 to tie for 30th place. The Bulldogs team score of 659 was good for fourth place, the highest finish by any St. Cloud golf team.
But despite all her individual achievements in the post-season, Adams again just wanted to talk about her team.
“The state championships were such an amazing experience, especially after last year when we only got to play one round because of the weather. As a team we finished fourth in Class 3A, I don’t think that’s ever happened before for an Osceola County team and speaks volumes about how good our entire team played all season.”
Adams also credited her teammates for making her a better player. “Golf is such an individual pursuit, but when it comes to advancing as a team, you have to have good teammates. I knew what my teammates were capable of shooting and that definitely took a lot of pressure off the top of the roster. Cayden and I rarely felt pressure because we knew the rest of the team would be there to pick us up.”
If there’s any doubt about Adams “team-first” attitude, it should be noted that she gave her Orange Belt Conference medal (awarded to top seven finishers) to teammate Olivia Siegel, who played in the tournament as a non-scoring alternate.
“She’s my best friend, but I gave her my medal because she deserved to be recognized,” Adams said. “She shot 88 and her score would have been in the top seven if she could have competed as a scoring player.”
Although just a sophomore, Adams has already played varsity golf for four seasons – having competed on the varsity as a seventh and eighth grader at Four Corners Academy. She began playing the game much earlier.
“My parents were both athletes and they wanted me to get involved in a longterm sport I could enjoy for a lifetime,” Adams said. “I joined The First Tee at age 5 and my love for the game just expanded from there.”
As for the future, Adams says the coming year is an important one as she competes year round on the junior golf circuit.
“Colleges can start talking to prospects after their sophomore year, so the coming year is going to be really important especially this summer. I plan on playing two to three junior tournaments a month with the goal getting my average score down to even par or even (under par) this year. My goal is to play college golf.”
Osceola News-Gazette All-County Girls Golf Team
Player of the Year: Karolyna Adams, St. Cloud, Sophomore
All-County Team: St. Cloud: Cayden Challacombe, Tess Sheive, Maddie Burda, Nadia Burda. Harmony: Alyssa Kane, Aryana Persaud.
