Topeka ? After finishing her round of 97 Monday, Lawrence High’s Jamie Shmalberg sat at a picnic table outside the clubhouse at Cypress Ridge Golf Course with troubles on her mind.

With the clock well past noon and no lunch in her stomach, she was hungry. She also was eager to get home so she could complete homework she didn’t take care of over the weekend.

She didn’t think about was the numerous groups of golfers still left to finish their rounds at the Class 6A-5A regional.

“I wasn’t really too worried. I just tried my best,” Shmalberg said.

Once the final scores trickled in, Shmalberg got the good news that her effort was just strong enough to earn a return trip to the state tournament, with the LHS senior securing the last of five at-large berths.

Also snagging a spot was fellow LHS senior Sydney Wilson, who shot a 5-over 76 to finish second overall, two shots behind medalist Abby Weddle of Washburn Rural.

“It’s great for Jamie her senior year to be able to go and compete in the state tournament again,” LHS coach Mike Lewis said. “I’m excited for her and proud of her effort and her consistency throughout the year.”

Shmalberg has carved out a niche as a dependable No. 2 scorer for LHS behind Wilson, consistently scoring in the upper 90s this fall. However, she upped the ante for her own personal expectations by shooting rounds of 90 and 94 to finish fifth at the Sunflower League tournament.

So while the trip to state was a nice benefit based on Monday’s result, Shmalberg wasn’t overly thrilled with how she got there.

“I just wasn’t consistent. : I couldn’t get anything to work, really,” she said.

Unfortunately for the Lions, the remainder of the lineup also had trouble posting breakout scores on the 5,445-yard layout. LHS finished with 405 team strokes, good for third place behind Washburn Rural (336) and Shawnee Heights (357), but one place short of qualifying for state as a team.

“Our girls played about their average rounds,” Lewis said. “Nobody was much worse than they usually play, and nobody was a lot better.

“It would have taken a pretty solid team effort today to take the second-place spot.”

Free State finished seventh on the team leaderboard with 482 strokes. Senior Ashley Robinson led the Firebirds with a 113.

That leaves Shmalberg and Wilson as the two lone city golfers with another chance to swing the sticks this season. That opportunity will come Monday when they tee off in the Class 6-5A state tournament at Salina Country Club.

While Wilson will be among the favorites to win the state title, Shmalberg simply is looking forward to soaking up the experience in her final high school outing.

“I know I’m not going to place high or anything,” Shmalberg said. “I just want to go have a good time and meet some new people.”