On October 7, 2022, Mayan Covarrubias, a junior at Riverside Brookfield High School, made her way to state golf tournaments for the second time, breaking school records.

Much like other renowned athletes, Covarrubias comes from humble beginnings. She recalls fond memories of playing with her father and beginning what would soon become a major part of her life.

“I played a lot when I was younger with my dad, just going to the range and just playing,” Covarrubias said. “I also played softball, so I feel like that helped the swing kind of thing.”

Since then, her passion for golf has grown and its impact on her is huge. From her accomplishments to her mindset, she has grown tremendously and can’t see herself in a life without golf.

“I feel like I wouldn’t be in the mindset where I am today without it because I kind of based myself off a lot of my accomplishments, for sports especially,” Covarrubias said. “I feel like getting to where I’m at in golf is just a really big accomplishment for me and it helped me be the kind of person I am today.”

Her astounding excitement and sense of accomplishment to return to state is no surprise. Although the journey there was difficult, the end result was without a doubt worth it.

“I think I put more pressure on myself to get back to this point, so I think that it’s good that I went back,” Covarrubias said. “It’s just a good feeling to feel accomplished and just a good feeling to finish a great year that you had.”

Not only is Covarrubias proud of her accomplishments, but her coach is as well. Doug Schultz, math teacher and coach of the girls’ golf and softball teams, is extremely proud of Covarrubias, all she has accomplished, and what she has done to get to where she is now.

“Pride is the first feeling [I had],” Schultz said. “The time and investment that her and her dad have put into it is definitely paying off.”

Covarrubias’ parents are also proud of their daughter’s hard work and achievements. Putting time and money into something for your child and seeing them excel at it is one of the best feelings as a parent.

“My mom and dad were so happy,” Covarrubias said. “They were probably more happy than I was to get there, which is just great to see. It’s great to please your parents because they’ve done so much for me.”

She continues, highlighting her father’s role in her success and how he has done everything he can to support her.

“[They both support me], especially my dad because he takes off time, a lot of work and to take me to the range to help me,” Covarrubias said. “I think my mom helped my mental game, but I think my dad physically was just the best possible person to help me. They helped me know that I can accomplish anything and just made sure to push me in the right direction.”

As for her long-term future in golf, nothing is set in stone. Although she is extremely happy where she is now in her golfing career, becoming a professional all depends on where life takes her. Nonetheless, she has support from many people and will continue to do great things as a golfer.

“I think Mayan just needs to keep on believing in herself,” Schultz said. “I think there’s some times where she doesn’t believe that being aggressive is the right way to be. The more aggressive she is, especially in the golf kingdom, the better she’s gonna get.”