Cayce, SC – Winning a state championship is hard. Winning two in a row is extremely difficult, but that is what Atlantic Collegiate Academy's
Katie Godfree did on Tuesday.
After winning the Class AAAAA state championship as a sophomore last year at Carolina Forest High, Godfree gave another near flawless performance on the second day of the SCHSL Girls' A-AA-AAA Individual State Tournament at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center.
The only thing different on Tuesday was that Godfree dropped a game, her first of the year. She defeated No. 4 seed Lauren Harrelson from Belton-Honea Path in her semifinal by a score of 6-0, 6-1. Then she waited to see who she would play for the championship.
"I felt that I played very well these past two days," Godfree said. "I felt that I played very clean tennis to be able to go through the whole tournament and only drop one game while facing some of the toughest competition in the state. It was an honor to be able to represent ACA at the individual tournament and win the schools' first ever state championship."
The other side of the bracket featured No. 2 seed Kate Johnson from sister school Oceanside Collegiate Academy against No. 3 seed Caroline Bruner from Christ Church Episcopal School. As she has done most of the year, Johnson coasted to a 6-0, 6-0 victory to set up the much-anticipated matchup between the top two players in the tournament field.
It was the first time the two had faced each other in a high school match, but they had played in the past on the junior circuit. Godfrey stood up to the challenge to defeat Johnson in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0 to claim her second state crown.
"I was also awarded the sportsmanship award for the state which means just as much, if not more, than the state championship to me," Godfree said. "Overall, I am very pleased with how these past two days went and I am so thankful that I was given this opportunity by ACA, Coach (William) Payne, and all of the staff at ACA that has supported me."
About Atlantic Collegiate Academy: Atlantic Collegiate Academy (ACA), located in Myrtle Beach, S.C., serves high school students in a safe, small and family-centered setting. Our students seek the opportunity and challenge of rigorous curriculum, high academic standards and elite athletics while also earning up to two years of college credit. ACA serves students in grades 9-12 using an honors curriculum in 9th and 10 grades with a dual enrollment curriculum in 11th and 12th grades.
Learn more about ACA by visiting our website at AtlanticCollegiate.Academy and by following us on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
