AHS senior Lenna Persson achieved impressive success in her high school golf career, leading the girl’s team to a second-place finish at the state championship in 2023, and individually winning regionals three times (22’, 23’, and 24’). With a challenging schedule of athletics and academics, she is a perfect example of a student-athlete balancing multiple passions.
Her golf journey began with high school tournaments, but her drive for competition took her to compete with players in the Colorado Junior PGA and the American Junior Golf Association where she played against more skilled opponents.
“Whenever I play tournaments with better players, I play better. It pushes me to reach my full potential,” Persson said.
She has shown her full potential in these tournaments as she is a 3x COJPGA champion with impressive scores diving into the low 70s.
However, golf isn’t Persson’s only focus. She’s also a dedicated mogul skier with a Duals Junior Nationals Championship win. Additionally, she is AHS’s student senate vice president.
“Balancing everything is tough, but I keep a planner to stay organized and communicate with my teachers,” Persson said.
She has developed strong time management skills to balance her academic and athletic commitments, sometimes missing multiple school weeks at a time for sports.
With impressive achievements and a heavy workload, she decided to pursue her golf and academic career at South Dakota State University.
“South Dakota’s facilities and support for athletes are incredible. I know I can improve a lot there,” Persson said.
The school’s division 1 golf team in the competitive summit league conference make’s SDSU a great choice for her. She will have the opportunity to work her way up, competing with teammates who consistently perform at a high level.
“I’m excited to be in a challenging environment where I won’t automatically be the number one player on the team,” Persson said.
She emphasized that NCSA recruitment was the most important and effective tool to help her get recruited.
“I never would have thought I would go to South Dakota State, but I messaged the coach on NCSA, and we got a phone call. NCSA helped me build relationships with coaches, then set up dates to visit them, see the campus, and then ultimately make my decision which I’m really excited for.” Persson said.
As she prepares to leave AHS and start her journey at the collegiate level, she is focused on improving her golf game, specifically her under-100-yard shots.
“These short shots are challenging because they require a lot of control and tempo, which I’m working hard to master,” Persson said.
For those considering college athletics, she recommends not being discouraged by setbacks and finding joy in the academic and athletic process..
“I often heard that I was behind on recruitment, but my mom was my biggest supporter… I genuinely love being in the student senate, and I find joy in all of our events, that’s what I would recommend, finding joy in what you decide to do” Persson said.