SOUTH HADLEY – For the second time in her high school career, North Reading’s Isabel Brozena is the MIAA girl’s state champion.

She shot a 35 on the front nine and an astonishing 31 on the back nine to secure a 66 and win the event at Ledges Golf Club by six strokes. This was the lowest score by anyone since at least 2017, and the previous top mark came from Westford Academy’s Molly Smith in 2023.

“I’m just really happy that I was able to get it done,” Brozena said. “I came in second at sectionals and this was my last state championship, so I wanted to win so badly.”

Brozena shot a 71 in 2023 and won the tournament in 2022 with a score of 72. Hornets coach Brian McAuliffe said that the one-stroke loss last season stuck with her and motivated her to retake it this spring.

“She was a bit frustrated, losing by one,” McAuliffe said. “It was a great matchup against Molly Smith last year, but some of the mistakes she made in those rounds she definitely learned from.”

In addition to Brozena’s excellent score, Westwood’s Lillian Guleserian and Sturgis West’s Mya Murphy both shot even par. This was the first time since at least 2017 that three participants have finished at least even par.

Brozena got birdies on the second and third holes, but a bogey on the ninth hole kept her at just one-under. She did not let this faze her, as she secured back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th holes.

“The bogeys that I had, even though they were bogeys, they were good bogeys,” Brozena said. “I was able to get birdies because I knew that I was still playing well. A bogey didn’t mean I wasn’t playing well, it just meant that I had a little slip-up.”

She would par the 12th, bogey the 13th and birdied the 14th, but an errant tee shot on 15 looked like it could lead to some difficulty. Instead, she bailed herself out and saved a par.

She carried this momentum by birdieing the remaining holes to secure the 66

“I think today I was just really focused,” Brozena said. “My ball-striking was good, I was putting pretty well, but I think the thing that really helped me was just my focus. I was so committed to winning this.”

In the team portion of the event, Wachusett took home the victory with a cumulative score of 59-over. Lilly Staiti paced the Mountaineer’s at eight-over while the other scoring members included Lily Sprister, Somer Staiti and Emma Quinn.

Brozena’s high school career ends with this victory, and she will prepare to compete at Xavier University next season. McAuliffe said that her departure from the program will be sad but that he is proud of the growth and leadership she displayed.

“She was our No. 1 player from freshman year through now,” McAuliffe said. “She has poise, leadership, a quiet unassuming way but her positive energy has been dragging her towards championship.”