Kapaun Mount Carmel’s Mena Sarinana enters her senior season with plenty of accomplishments to look back on, including individual state championships in 2023 and 2024. Now, she hopes to add another title to her résumé while helping Kapaun continue its run of team success.
“I am most excited to be able to play one more year with my team and reach the goal of winning another state title,” Sarinana said. “I am proud of what me and my teammates have accomplished these past three years. Lastly, I’m excited and sad to do it all one more time with not just my teammates and my coaches but with the family we have become.”
Sarinana spent the offseason preparing for her final high school season by working on her swing mechanics with her swing coach while also focusing on increasing her speed and distance.
Her training has included golf-specific workouts, core-strength exercises, explosive movements and weightlifting. However, the biggest emphasis of her offseason has been improving the part of her game closest to the hole.
“The area I have been really wanting to improve is my short game,” Sarinana said. “I feel like I have always been a really strong player off the tee and in my iron game. I have struggled with 100 yards in and around the green and have not been very happy with my putting these last few years.”
Following last year’s state tournament, Sarinana committed to making her short game a priority. She estimates that about 75% of her practice time has gone toward her short game, with the remaining 25% devoted to her long game.
She has incorporated completion and pressure drills commonly used by college coaches and players and has adopted a clock system for her wedges. The system allows her to develop multiple distances with each wedge and build confidence in knowing how far she can hit each shot.
“If there is a day I don’t have enough time to practice all aspects of my game, my short game comes first,” Sarinana said.
The work has come with a clear goal in mind. Sarinana won individual state titles in 2023 and 2024, but she finished short of another championship in 2025. Rather than allowing the result to discourage her, she said the loss helped identify areas where she needed to improve.
“I have been very happy with my performance in my high school years and winning individual state titles 2023-2024,” Sarinana said. “Unfortunately, in 2025 I came up short, but I feel like that loss opened my eyes on what I need to work on.”
Sarinana enters the season looking to improve her scoring average and reclaim the individual state championship. She also wants to help Kapaun continue its team success while making the most of her final season with the Crusaders.
“As a team I want to take in every last moment and make the best of it,” Sarinana said. “We want to continue to have fun and put in 100% every day to achieve our goal.”
Sarinana has already put together strong performances in preparation for the season. She won the Andover Invitational with a 1-under-par 71, captured first place at the Bishop Carroll Golf Invitational with a 72 and won the 5A regional tournament with a 2-under-par 68.
After high school, Sarinana will continue her golf career at the NCAA Division I level. She is committed to the University of Northern Colorado, where she plans to major in biology and eventually pursue dental school.
Before making that transition, though, Sarinana has one final season with Kapaun Mount Carmel — and one final opportunity to chase another state championship with the teammates and coaches who have become family.
“I’m excited and sad to do it all one more time with not just my teammates and my coaches but with the family we have become,” Sarinana said.
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