FARGO — The honors continue to pile up for West Fargo Sheyenne senior Nate Peyerl. The two-time Class A individual state champion was named North Dakota’s Mr. Golf by the Dakota Junior Golf Association.
Hannah Herbel from Bismarck Century equaled his stature by being named Ms. Golf. The awards were presented Sunday morning at the Russ Newman Invitational tournament at the Fargo Country Club.
Peyerl is a testament to late bloomers in any sport. He went out for the Sheyenne team as an eighth grader, with head coach Dan Wolf saying he was one of the last players the Mustangs kept. Then he lost his freshman season to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Such a cool customer,” Wolf said. “He started playing varsity and never looked back. The secret to him winning the tournament is he doesn’t beat himself. He just keeps plugging along and lets others make the mistakes.”
Peyerl will play Division I golf at the University of North Dakota next season.
“Such a good kid and it was great to watch him grow as a golfer,” Wolf said.
Herbel has been a varsity golfer since seventh grade who put together one of the most decorated careers in the history of North Dakota prep golf, winning four individual state titles. She finished seventh in the 2020 National High School Invitational in Pinehurst, N.C.
Herbel will attend Baylor University and play for the Bears next season.
Peyerl along with teammates Nate Wilhelm, Aiden Knodel and Quinn Breidenbach spearheaded a powerful Sheyenne team that won the 2023 state title, the school’s third straight, by 28 shots. Peyerl was the first player to repeat a title since Ben Freeman from Fargo South did it in 2006 and 2007.
Peyerl was selected from a nominating list that included Wilhelm, Carson Skarperud from Grand Forks Red River, Matthew Souther from Bismarck Legacy and Zachary St. Aubin from South Border.
The finalists on the girls side besides Herbel were Ava Kalanek from Bismarck Legacy, Lindsay Astrup from Fargo Shanley, Sophie Brantner from Fargo Oak Grove and Ainsley McClain from Grafton.
Jeff would like to dispel the notion he was around when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, but he is on his third decade of reporting with Forum Communications. The son of a reporter and an English teacher, and the brother of a reporter, Jeff has worked at the Jamestown Sun, Bismarck Tribune and since 1990 The Forum, where he’s covered North Dakota State athletics since 1995.
Jeff has covered all nine of NDSU’s Division I FCS national football titles and has written three books: “Horns Up,” “North Dakota Tough” and “Covid Kids.” He is the radio host of “The Golf Show with Jeff Kolpack” April through August.