A total of 26 golfers representing 13 Wake County public schools will compete for individual and team state championships when the N.C. High School Athletic Association girls golf state championships take place on Monday and Tuesday.
Wake County will have representatives in three classifications, with 11 golfers competing in 8A, nine in 7A, and six in 6A.
Several qualifiers bring state championship experience into this year’s competition, including two golfers who tied for fourth place in 8A last fall, a returning top-10 finisher in 7A, and five members of Felton Grove’s 2025 state runner-up team.
8A: Mueller, Nikolajeva lead experienced Wake County field
Two of Wake County’s top performers from the 2025 championships return to compete in 8A.
Leesville Road’s McKenzie Mueller and Apex’s Antonia Nikolajeva both shot 5-over-par 76 at Pinehurst No. 6 last season, finishing tied for fourth place in the classification.
Panther Creek’s Arianna Beverly also recorded a top-10 finish, shooting 78 to tie for ninth.
Those performances came during a weather-shortened tournament, which only consisted of 18 holes.
Green Hope and Green Level will look to build on their strong team performances from a year ago. Green Level finished fourth in the 2025 team standings with a score of 262, one stroke ahead of fifth-place Green Hope.
Green Hope leads Wake County’s 8A representation this year with five qualifiers: Marlo Arndts, Sophia Cortes, Ariana Estrela, Hollie Lewis, and Jasmine Sun.
Cortes tied for 17th at last year’s championship with an 83, while Arndts and Lewis each shot 90 to finish tied for 24th. Estrela also competed in last year’s championship.
Green Level is represented by Aditi Pattisapu, who tied for 24th in 2025 with a 90.
Apex Friendship’s Carly Kline returns after tying for 19th last year with an 85, while Wakefield’s Lauren Cheah also returns after shooting a 90 to tie for 24th.
The 8A championship will move from Pinehurst No. 6 to Pinehurst No. 1 this year.
Here are all of the 8A qualifiers from Wake County:
- Marlo Arndts — Green Hope
- Arianna Beverly — Panther Creek
- Lauren Cheah — Wakefield
- Sophia Cortes — Green Hope
- Ariana Estrela — Green Hope
- Carly Kline — Apex Friendship
- Hollie Lewis — Green Hope
- McKenzie Mueller — Leesville Road
- Antonia Nikolajeva — Apex
- Aditi Pattisapu — Green Level
- Jasmine Sun — Green Hope
7A: Heggie returns after top-10 finish
Southeast Raleigh’s Olivia Heggie headlines Wake County’s nine qualifiers in the 7A classification after recording a top-10 finish at the 2025 state championship.
Heggie shot consecutive rounds of 80 at Sapona Golf Club last fall, finishing with a 160 to tie for eighth place.
She will be joined by golfers from Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, and Wake Forest as the championship moves to Seven Lakes Golf Club.
Fuquay-Varina leads Wake County’s 7A representation with four qualifiers: Taylor Barnes, Payton Brewer, Kinsley Faircloth, and Caroline Simpson.
Holly Springs will send three golfers to the state championship: Julia Kaplan, Harper Sye, and Abigail Weinhagen.
Wake Forest’s Mia Dubois rounds out the district’s 7A qualifiers.
The 7A championship was the only one of the three classifications featuring Wake County schools to complete its originally scheduled 36 holes in 2025.
Here are all the 7A qualifiers from Wake County:
- Taylor Barnes — Fuquay-Varina
- Payton Brewer — Fuquay-Varina
- Mia Dubois — Wake Forest
- Kinsley Faircloth — Fuquay-Varina
- Olivia Heggie — Southeast Raleigh
- Julia Kaplan — Holly Springs
- Caroline Simpson — Fuquay-Varina
- Harper Sye — Holly Springs
- Abigail Weinhagen — Holly Springs
6A: Felton Grove looks to build on state runner-up finish
Felton Grove enters the 2026 state championship with one of Wake County’s strongest returning groups after finishing second in the 6A team standings last fall.
The Galaxy totaled 359 strokes over 27 holes at Stonebridge Golf Club, finishing behind state champion Charlotte Catholic, which posted a 329.
Felton Grove placed two golfers among the top four individuals.
Amelia Santiago finished third with a 113, while Charlotte Chianese finished fourth with a 114.
Three other Felton Grove golfers also contributed to the program’s state championship appearance. Clara Bergschneider tied for 20th with a 113, Taylor Lubinsky finished 26th with a 136, and Peyton O’Donnell placed 36th with a 145.
All five return to the state championship field this year, giving Felton Grove an experienced group heading into the two-day competition.
Bergschneider also received on of the NCHSAA’s Sportsmanship Awards at the 2025 championship, recognizing her character and sportsmanship.
Middle Creek’s Kaleigh Martin is Wake County’s other qualifier in 6A, bringing the district’s total to six golfers in the classification.
This year’s 6A championship will be played at Sapona Golf Club, the site of last year’s 7A championship.
Here are all the 6A qualifiers from Wake County:
- Clara Bergschneider — Felton Grove
- Charlotte Chianese — Felton Grove
- Taylor Lubinsky — Felton Grove
- Kaleigh Martin — Middle Creek
- Peyton O’Donnell — Felton Grove
- Amelia Santiago — Felton Grove
