Junior Charlie Nikitas placed sixth individually at the IHSA State golf tournament on Oct. 17, allowing him to become an All-State athlete, according to the Illinois High School Sports Association. Before the tournament, Nikitas’ goal was to be All-State by placing in the top ten.

On the Friday of State, Nikitas shot a 76, and on the Saturday he shot a 77. According to Nikitas, even though his score was higher on Saturday, he felt that he played better the second day.

“I had a rough stretch of holes before [I] made [a] turn-[around],” Nikitas said. “[It] could have been a point where I gave up, but I finished with five pars on some of the toughest holes on the course, which was important to stay in the top 10.”

In addition, Nikitas claims he could have been better at putting, but he made the shots he needed to succeed.

“My putting was off both days, but I managed to make the important [shots] coming down the stretch [on] the final day,” Nikitas said.

According to Nikitas, his most memorable moment from State was on Friday, when he made a comeback from four straight bogeys with a birdie on the hardest hole of the course.

“The four straight bogeys on the back nine [was] frustrating after I had been playing so well,” Nikitas said. “[Then on the] 17th hole, [which] is [one of the] hardest holes on the course…[is] all over water and about 200 feet. I hit [the ball] to about four feet [away from the pin]. Then, I made the birdie, which was crucial in keeping the momentum going into Saturday.”

The Titans were also hoping to qualify for State as a team, which they failed to do. Nikitas was the only player from GBS to qualify for State.

“I felt like I could represent the team pretty well, because we have been playing well all season and [placing] top six definitely represents what we have been doing all year,” Nikitas said.

According to Nikitas, the golf team started off their season very strong, and as the season continued, their success faded. The team won four invitationals and lost one dual match against New Trier.

“We played pretty solid all year,” Nikitas said. “We started off really strong at the beginning of the year, and then we just sort of dwindled towards the end.”

According to Nikitas, some of the team’s key players include senior Grant Reese and junior Kevin Paek.

At conference, the team lost to New Trier, and in regionals they lost to GBN, Loyola and New Trier. According to Paek, the team did not achieve their post-season goals, which were getting out of regionals and qualifying for state as a team.

“It was disappointing,” Paek said. “I feel bad for our seniors, but we are going to try to redeem them for next year by qualifying for state.”

Paek himself had a goal of qualifying for state individually. He missed the State cut by one point.

“[Barely missing the cut] is definitely something I will use as motivation for next year,” Paek said.

According to Nikitas, his favorite invite of this season was the Twin Orchid Invite hosted by Deerfield.

“It was the best field of teams we played [against] all year,” Nikitas said. “[Some of the teams included] Loyola, New Trier [and]GBN and we won as a team. I [also] won the individual.”

According to Nikitas, in order for the team to be more successful next year, they need to work on peaking at the right time during the season. However, Nikitas believes that this year was a fairly successful season for the Titans.