Addison Dorsey had nearly completed her coronation. 

Rain blanketed the course at the 2A state girls’ golf tournament and created miserable conditions at Lone Tree Golf Club & Hotel in May. But Dorsey refused to let a little precipitation dampen her moment. 

The Manitou Springs junior ended the opening round in second place, shot a 5-over-par 77 on May 18 and trailed St. Mary’s Academy’s Quinn Roman by just one stroke.

Ken Vecchio, Manitou Springs golf coach, said Dorsey can “hit any shot out there” and few aspects of her game surprise him anymore. But Dorsey’s performance in that rainy, 35-degree weather left the Mustangs coach awestruck. 

“It was raining and it was cold and she still shot a 77,” Vecchio said. “She was unbelievable in those conditions. To me, that was amazing. As much as I like to play golf, I wouldn’t have set foot on a golf course on that day. She gets a good mental picture of what she wants to do and a good game plan of how she wants to play the course and she goes out and executes.”

Dorsey, this year’s Gazette Preps’ girls’ golf Peak Performer of the Year, shot a 72 for the final round and carded a 5-over par 149 to capture her first state championship, which also served as the first girls’ golf title for Manitou Springs.

The University of Denver commit, who finished as runner-up in 2025, displayed a hunger for the title all year, including in Manitou Springs’ season opener at the Country Club of Colorado on March 30.

Dorsey placed first with a 3-under-par 68 — six shots better than Pine Creek freshman and runner-up Henly Wilson. Two days later, Dorsey followed with a 1-under-par 69 to win the Tri-Peaks League #1 tournament at La Junta Golf Club on April 1.

“The things that she does don’t surprise me much anymore,” Vecchio said. “She’s got that much ability and knows how to hit every shot out there. I have complete confidence in her every time she makes a swing.”

As Dorsey dominated physically, she added another tool to her bag prior to state. Dorsey competed in a U.S. Open Women’s qualifier competition at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster on May 12. Dorsey said the two-day, 36-hole event, was “probably the hardest tournament I’ve ever played in.” But the experience tested Dorsey and provided an invaluable experience.

Manitou Springs’ Addison Dorsey is the 2026 Gazette Preps Girls Golf Peak Performer of the Year. Pictured at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Sunday, June 7, 2026. Joshua Genz, Special to the Gazette

“I wouldn’t trade that for the world,” Dorsey said. “I played with an LPGA player (Bianca Pagdanganan) who won the qualifier and playing alongside her and seeing how she coped with the 36 holes and played through that was important to see where I was at mentally and physically. … At state, playing the back nine, my fingers were numb and it was not an enjoyable experience.

“Coming back (to state) the next day was even harder knowing that I had to make up ground because I wasn’t in first place. But that experience (at the U.S. Open qualifier) taught me about the mental grind and not getting too far ahead.”

Dorsey used that wisdom six days later at state to dethrone Sophia Lee, the Colorado Academy sophomore who won the crown in 2025 and finished as a runner up this season. Dorsey, who said her and Lee “are best friends” golfed together at the 11th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship in Charleston, South Carolina, from May 2-5 where the tandem advanced to the round of 32.

It’s “bittersweet” to compete against her friend, but Dorsey recognized that’s part of the championship journey.

“That’s what you get with golf and any sport,” Dorsey said. “We’re friendly competitors and we make each other better and bring out the best in each other. … It’s hard competing against your friends because you want what’s best for them, but you also want to be out there and win, too. I was put in that position last year when she won. But we go back and forth a lot.”

The duo will likely battle for the championship next season as Lee enters her junior year and Dorsey looks to cap her career with back-to-back titles.

“We both have a competitive side,” Dorsey said. “Next year is about discipline and consistency. I’ll do whatever it takes (to repeat) next year. I’ll do a lot of wedge work, learning how to play different courses and what fits my game the best. College golf will be different compared to high school, especially lengths. But I have a brother too and we’re both competitive and that definitely helps my game.”