SPANAWAY — Lakewood High School’s girl golfers have had quite the season this year, a season that ended with two players qualifying for the WIAA State Championship Tournament at the Lake Spanaway Golf Course in Spanaway on May 22 and May 23.

Nina Forsell and Kaylee Diggs both qualified for the state tournament this year. Forsell placed 35th overall in the tournament. She shot a 99 during round one and another 99 in round two for an overall score of 198.

Kaylee Diggs made it to state and shot a 102 in the first round. The cutoff for making into round two was 99 — she missed the cut for the second day of competition by three strokes, placing 49th in the state.

“Both players finished the season much stronger than I think anyone expected,” said LHS Head Coach Chris Walster. “Our team finished second in the Cascade Conference final standings and second at the Cascade Conference Tournament.”

Diggs managed to win medalist honors by shooting a 92 at Snohomish Golf Course for the League Championship Tournament, which was the first time in Lakewood Girls history. Forsell finished in fourth at the championship with a score of 96. For the District 1 Championship Tournament at Snohomish Golf Course on May 15, Diggs finished in 12th place, qualifying her for the state tournament. Forsell was close behind in 13th place, also qualifying.

Forsell, a junior, has been playing golf for as long as she can remember.

“I’ve been playing competitively since I was 8 years old,” said Forsell, whose grandparents took her to golf lessons every summer. She’s been on the Lakewood High School golf team since she was a freshman and enjoys watching her own progress.

“When I first started I was fifth player and this year I was first player,” she said. “Being on the team makes me more competitive.”

Since she still has one more year to play on her high school team, Forsell is making some big goals for herself. “This year I am third in league standings and I am hoping that next year I will make it to first,” she said.

Diggs began playing golf her freshman year at Lakewood, mostly because she felt like participating in a Spring sport. “I play volleyball in the fall and basketball in the winter,” said Diggs. “I thought golf would be fun and not very stressful.”

This year marked the first state tournament for both Diggs and Forsell and a new milestone for the Lakewood girls golf team.

“This was the first time Lakewood has had two players make it to state,” said Walster.

The weather at the tournament was a little bit less than desirable, however. “It rained a lot. I mean a lot,” Diggs emphasized. “But it was still good.”

Forsell agreed. “State was really fun,” she said. “I thought it would be a lot more scary, but a lot of the girls there were girls I’d already played with before.”

Forsell and Diggs were not the only Lakewood golfers with serious success on the green this year.

“Both [Diggs and Forsell] finished as ‘First Team All Cascade Conference Golfers’ and senior Chelsea Blackwood was named to the second team,” said Walster. “Senior Ashlie Jensen was one of our biggest surprises moving up from junior varsity last year to receiving ‘Honorable Mention-All League’ this year.”