The Wylie girls’ golf team poses for pictures after earning second place in the Region II-6A Tournament as the Lady Pirates qualified for the state tournament for the first time in program history. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Carter

By David Wolman

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Wylie seniors Addison Oestreicher and Kaeli Drake have seen all of the highs and lows in their four seasons playing for the Lady Pirates’ golf team. 

Oestreicher and Drake were on the Lady Pirates’ 2022 team that finished in 11^th place out of 15 teams in the regional tournament. But Wylie has made significant improvement during each of the last two seasons, highlighted by fourth and fifth place finishes at the regional tournament. 

Despite that improvement, there is one thing that had eluded the Lady Pirates: a berth in the Class 6A state tournament. 

All of that changed two weeks ago. Shooting a five-player score of 624, Wylie finished in second place in the team standings at the Region II-6A Tournament in Bullard, earning the Lady Pirates their first-ever team berth in the state tournament. 

“It just feels really good,” Drake said. “It feels that our hard work has paid off.”

There have been some close calls along the way, especially last year, when Wylie finished less than 10 strokes short of qualifying for state.

Oestreicher said the biggest reason for the shortcoming was mental.

“We would fall off and the team that would be qualifying would come back stronger,” Oestreicher said. “It was the fact that it was in my head because we were so close. I felt that I had to make up these strokes or I need to make sure that I par these holes. It was just the stress.”

Drake agreed, saying, “We were trying to force it, almost.”

Despite that heartbreak, Oestreicher said that it was important for the golfers to remain upbeat. After all, Wylie has improved at least six or seven spots in the team standings at regionals over the last two years. And the Lady Pirates have done it with the same lineup. 

Drake and Oestreicher have enjoyed their time playing with juniors Nakshatra Sivaram and Reia Armendariz, with Oestreicher saying that they are a “tight-knit group.” 

Armendariz is the second sibling in her family to play for Wylie. Her older sister, Marissa, now playing golf collegiately for Wayland Baptist University, competed for the Lady Pirates until the spring of 2023 when she graduated from Wylie. Marissa was a senior when Reia was a freshman. 

This year, Reia is on the same team with her younger sister, Serina, a freshman.

Although Serina is in her first season playing at the high school level, she has emerged as one of the top prep golfers in the Dallas area. She won the District 9-6A Tournament with a 147, helping to pace the Lady Pirates to a third straight district title, and at the Region II-6A Tournament, sank a six-foot shot for par on the second playoff hole to win the individual title with a 149. That win came on the same day in which she had a quadruple-bogey on the 18^th hole, which forced a two-hole playoff to break the tie and determine who would win the individual title.

“You just have to restart your mind, have to get back into the game,” Serina said. “The last thing that you need to do is to put all of that pressure on yourself. Once you do that, you’ll put yourself in a calm state. That really helps.”

Oestreicher added, “The addition of Serina is what got us over the hump.”

Overall, it was a balanced effort for Wylie at the regional tournament. Reia Armendariz shot 154, good for sixth place. Drake placed 19^th with a 163. Oestreicher shot 158 for 23^rd place. Sivaram finished in 39^th place with a two-day total of 179. Seniors Jenna Jurries and Natalie Hawkins finished in 63^rd and 68^th, respectively, with scores of 206 and 211. 

“The last couple of years, we haven’t played great on the first day, but this year, we came out focused,” said Jody Aldridge, Wylie head coach. “The wind flipped and came out of the north on the second day. Once they adjusted, it helped us to distance between ourselves and Grand Oaks.”

What makes Wylie a formidable team is that any golfer is capable of finishing with the top round.

At the first tournament of the season for Wylie, the Heart of Texas Tournament, a different Lady Pirate had the lowest score for the Lady Pirates after each of the three rounds. Drake accounted for the lowest score for Wylie on the final day of the event. 

“It’s just what puts us in a different group compared to the rest of the teams,” Oestreicher said. “The other teams have their top three players, but the other two hit or miss. Even if one of us has a bad day, another person will make up for it. We can always count on each other.”

The Class 6A state tournament is set for Monday and Tuesday at White Wing Golf Club in Georgetown. 

“I’m so proud of the team,” Sivaram said. “We’ve worked really hard. Our mantra since the beginning of the year has been, ‘We’re going to state.’ We’ve wanted it since Day 1. It’s so awesome to actually see this happen.”