Brynn Kort receives the award for Rising Star during the Las Vegas Sun Standout Awards at the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa, Monday May 23, 2023.
Thursday, May 25, 2023 | 2 a.m.
As a freshman a year ago, Brynn Kort lost out on the individual state title by a single stroke to perhaps the best female prep golfer in state history, then-teammate Yana Wilson.
Kort made sure no one was close to her to cap off her sophomore season. She set a state record by going 12-under par in the championship—four strokes better than the previous mark set by Green Valley’s Alexandra Kaui in 2010—and winning the tournament by 10 strokes.
“I didn’t know the score until the end [of the first round]. I only knew I was playing well,” Kort said of her second-day scorecard of 8-under par— three strokes better than anyone else in the tournament chasing her. “I had a feeling a few of my teammates were coming after me. That’s how we are.”
Sure enough, fellow Cougars Joanne Lee, Ali Mulhall and Lilly DeNunzio finished second, third and fifth, respectively. DeNunzio, a senior who has committed to play at BYU next year, actually topped Kort by one stroke in the regional championship, which only motivated the latter to come back stronger in the final event of the season.
Bringing out the best in each other is routine for Coronado girls golf, which won Team of the Year at the Sun Standout Awards last year. Wilson wound up committing to one of the top girls golf programs in the country, the University of Oregon, and Kort is following in her footsteps as a coveted recruit who could pick to play at virtually any college she chooses.
Finalists:
• Emma Albanese, SLAM Nevada wrestling:Ranked sixth nationally in the 114-pound weight class as a sophomore after going 38-0, with 31 pins, to win the state championship.
• Angelina Guerrero, Durango volleyball:Earned first-team all-state honors as a sophomore after finishing the season second in the state with 463 kills.
• Keonni Lewis, Democracy Prep basketball:Led her team to a state championship as a freshman, averaging 20 points per game and winning 4A State Player of the Year honors.
• Jaylani Palmer, Shadow Ridge, flag football:Dominated on both sides of the ball with 2,133 receiving yards and 37 touchdowns to go with a state-leading 22 interceptions on a state championship-winning team.
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.
