Copyright Shaw Local Enewspapers
St. Bede senior Anna Cyrocki had a rough start in the sectional golf meet, shooting a 13 on a par 3 hole and a 9 on a par 5, finishing her first round with a 19-over 55. She could have cashed it in and gave up. But she didn’t. She bounced back with a 41 on her second 9 to card a 96. “Shot a 13 on a par 3. A 13. I didn’t think it was the end of the world, but it kind of killed my spirit,” Cyrocki said. “I got through that first 9 and my coach said, ‘you shoot the way you shot on your best game. You shoot that 41 and you be proud of yourself.’ And that’s what I did. I did it. “That’s how I look at it. It’s not, ‘I didn’t make it to state.’ I bounced back so well and I’m proud of myself for that.” That moment defined Cyrocki’s senior season. “One big change this year was when Anna put up a big number, she would shrug it off and say, ‘tomorrow is another day or I will get a stroke back on the next hole,’” St. Bede coach Rich Cummings said. “That was the true measure of where this young lady has grown to. Many people would have quit, mailed it in, given up. However you want to say it, but not Anna. “She battled and finished the second nine with two pars and two birdies for a 96. That is what will serve her well in life that is what makes us proud of her. That maturity truly helped her this year both with her game and being the leader we expect seniors to be here at St. Bede Academy.” Cyrocki wound up as the top area scorer at the Pontiac Sectional with a 96. She averaged a 49 on the season, twice shooting a low of 41 and was named to the All-BCR First Team for the third time. For all of her accomplishments this season, Cyrocki is the 2025 BCR Female Golfer of the Year. She is the 10th girl from St. Bede to earn this honor, joining Michelle Coble, Jillian Sauer, Randi Watland, Bekki Prokup, Katie Gregorich, Barbi Prokup, Aiko Mendoza, Gianna Grivetti and Ally Mendoza. It’s an honor that Cyrocki finds most rewarding. “Over the past four years you dedicate so much time and effort to this sport and being able to be recognized for all your hard work and efforts, it’s really meaningful,” she said. “You learn a lot through sports, more than I anticipated. Looking back, it’s amazing, ‘Wow, I did accomplish something.’ I did do well. All that hard work and time I put in, it really does pay off.’” Cyrocki started golfing in fifth grade, but really didn’t take it seriously until high school. Then she met St. Bede coaches Cummings and Tom Payton, whom she attributes all of her success to. “I’m glad I got the coaches I did for my high school years. They’re the biggest reasons I made it so far and done what I’ve done and continued with this sport and didn’t give up,” she said. “They’ve supported me over my four years so much, I literally can not thank them enough. Every piece of advice they’ve give, I’ve take it to heart and applied it the best that I can.” Cyrocki found she had to go back to the basics when it came to her putting game this year. “The past three seasons, I’ve got down on the ground and lining myself and everything. I went into the season, (thinking) ‘I know how to putt. I don’t need to line up. I can just trust my gut,’” she said. “And it did work for a bit and then I’m learning I’m missing more shots than I’m getting. I ended up going right back and it worked.” Her sand wedge, on the other hand, was spot on. “I didn’t think I missed a single shot with my sand wedge,” she said. “I was like on the mark. You usually see people hitting three for four shots and I as out in one. I was like, ‘I’ll take it.’” Reflecting back on her high school career, Cyrocki didn’t know how good she had it. “Now that it’s over, you know it’s not something that you ever really get back,“ said Cyrocki, who would like to play golf in college and has heard from colleges. ”I had a really good team that supported me. I had really good coaches. My parents were always there. There’s nothing more that I could have asked for.”
