By Bill Huddleston @vypesportsguy
“We’re the best team and we’re going to win the state title again.”
When I met Mikaela Karanja during a spring photo day, her answer to my question about Durant girls chances to repeat as Class 5A girls golf state champions were impressive. Her emphatic response wasn’t arrogance but rather that the Durant junior knew what was going to happen during the next three weeks.
“I knew how hard my teammates and I would work to make it happen. It was easy to be confident when I knew that,” said Karanja after the Lady Lions made her prediction factual by winning the 2021 crown.
Her confidence empowered the 1-bag on the Durant scorecard to make it double gold medal results by claiming individual medalist honors using a personal best round of even par 70, including four birdies on day one en route to the eventual three stroke advantage for the individual top of the leaderboard finish.
“To make my dreams come true, it was an everyday thing,” answered Karanja who was part of the 2019 state title lineup. “I would be at the course everyday for hours regardless of how tired I was or how much school work I had to do when I got home.”
With words including determined and hard working in her self description, Karanja explains that being devoted is part of her signature on the scorecard.
“Devoted is most important because there is a difference between simply committing yourself to what you want and being devoted to those goals.”
Equal to her results on the golf leaderboard, Karanja also maintains a 4.0 GPA including her report card from the classroom results at Kiamichi Technology Center where she’s enrolled in the biomedical program.
Durant girls golf will remain strong as Bradi McLemore is the only senior while 2021 sophomores Scarlet Sturch, Riley Samrow and freshman Chloe Henderson will join Karanja as she returns for her senior year seeking a third team title in 2022.
Asked if she remains as confident about winning next year, Karanja quickly removed the cover from her favorite club, 4-hybrid, and went to the practice tee before answering the question.
“Got to go back to work and keep getting better.”
