MISSOULA — The Grizzly women’s golf program has signed two high school standouts to University of Montana scholarship contracts, head coach Jimmy Mee announced this week.
Joining the program next fall as freshmen will be Katie Lewis of Frenchtown and Hope Torres of Broomfield, Colo.
Lewis needs no introduction to the western Montana golf scene, having made a name for herself at Frenchtown High the past four years.
She burst onto the scene as a freshman in the fall of 2021, finishing third at the Class A state tournament in Polson. She won state titles as a sophomore, junior and senior by a combined 38 strokes.
As a sophomore, playing at the state tournament in Hamilton, Lewis shot rounds of 77 and 76 to win by 17 strokes. No other golfer in the field had a round better than 84.
As a junior, playing in Sidney, Lewis found herself four strokes down after 18 holes. Needing to rally in the second and final round, she carded a 69 to win by a dozen.
This fall, she went 75 and 76, again the only rounds in the 70s in the entire Class A field, to win by nine strokes back in Polson.
“The hard part is that she hasn’t always had somebody to push her,” said Mee. “It will be fun to see how it goes when she gets here. OK, now I get to be the underdog a little bit. Let’s see what I can prove.”
Mee started working with Lewis years ago at the Ranch Club in Missoula, where the Lewis family have been members and Mee has worked as a teaching professional.
“I’ve known her since sixth or seventh grade,” Mee said. “I’ve been able to watch her become the golfer she is today.
“Three years ago, we made some major changes to her putting. She took to it right away and is putting really well. Her iron play is really good, so she gives herself a lot of chances inside that 10-foot range.”
Torres will arrive from the burgeoning youth golf hotspot of Colorado, where she had a memorable 2024.
She won the Class 3A state championship in May as a junior, rallying in the final round before knocking off Notre Dame-bound Maddy Bante in a playoff to deny Bante a third consecutive state title.
The Prospect Ridge Academy golfer earned Colorado High School Activities Association all-state honors in June.
In July, Torres won the Colorado PGA Junior Match Play Championship at the Fox Hill Golf Club in Longmont.
“Colorado is a really good place right now for junior golf,” said Mee, who has Elle Higgins of Centennial, Colo., on his current team. “There are a lot of good players coming out of that area.
“She is very consistent, a very good ball-striker, has a very good short game. I think she’ll have a chance to battle for a top-five spot the day she steps foot on campus. I’m excited to see what she can do.”
Montana played four events in the fall, ending the season with a team scoring average of 303. The Grizzlies will begin their spring season at the Bowling Green Intercollegiate in Arizona in mid-February.
