Teammates, family celebrate AHS senior Nic Pevny after he signs to golf at DU | AspenTimes.com
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Teammates, family celebrate AHS senior Nic Pevny after he signs to golf at DU

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Austin Colbert
  

Friends and family came together to celebrate Aspen High School senior Nic Pevny on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, inside the Skier Dome. Pevny signed to continue his golf career at the University of Denver.
Photo by Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

Nic Pevny announced his collegiate decision to his teammates and coaches en route to the Class 3A state golf tournament in early October, but wanted to keep it as far off the radar as possible so it wouldn’t be a distraction to the team.

Not only that, but Pevny decided to back off his quest for a repeat individual title late in the second and final round at Spring Valley Golf Course in Elizabeth as to not jeopardize the team’s chances at a trophy. Ultimately, the two-day affair did end with the Aspen High School boys golf team winning its second team championship in four years.

“He knew he had this big announcement and excitement he wanted to share with everybody, but he kept it to himself,” longtime AHS golf coach Mary Woulfe recalled on Thursday. “When you play an individual sport, you don’t always think about the team. And yet, that was the ultimate sacrifice, to know that he was going to play it safe going back down the stretch. … I’m so proud of those decisions, because it’s one good decision at a time.”

The timing of Pevny’s commitment didn’t give the Skiers much time to celebrate his standout career in the moment, which is why AHS hosted a brief celebration inside the Skier Dome on Thursday to acknowledge Pevny’s signing with the University of Denver men’s golf team.

The collegiate signing period officially opened last week, when Pevny actually put pen to paper, so Thursday’s event was mostly ceremonially and included dozens of students and other AHS staff in attendance.


“It’s really cool,” Pevny said. “I want to thank the school for putting it on and all my friends and supporters for showing up. It was really fun.”

Pevny will leave AHS as its most accomplished golfer on paper, and arguably one of its most accomplished athletes, regardless of sport. As a freshman, he was the sixth varsity member of a team that went onto win the program’s first ever state championship. That team included Pevny’s older brother, then-junior Jack Pevny.

After a strong sophomore season that saw him become the team’s No. 2 golfer, behind only his brother — and a season that included his hole-in-one at state when the team finished fourth — Pevny put together a dominant junior season in 2020 that saw him finish no worse than in a tie for first after 18 holes in any tournament and ended with him winning the program’s first individual state championship.

Photos: Nic Pevny signing ceremony

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Pevny has been known for his calm and steady demeanor, something Woulfe pointed out many times during Thursday’s celebration. This included during the final round of the state tournament last year, with Pevny on the cusp of the individual championship, when he had to overcome a long wait between shots, hardly an ideal situation for any golfer.

“It definitely gets in your head a little bit, but not for Nic,” Woulfe said. “Nic landed in the middle of the green, went up and waited for everyone else to putt out, putted out and won the state championship for Aspen High School as an individual. Amazing accomplishment.”

After winning the individual title as a junior, numerous colleges became highly interested in Pevny. Ultimately, the decision came down to DU and Wisconsin, although as the pandemic raged on and scholarships became few and far between, the uncertainty lingered well into this season.

This included the DU coach stepping down only days before Pevny was supposed to interview with the program, but the new staff — hired in August — didn’t waste much time in connecting with Pevny and soon enough he verbally committed to the Pioneers.

“I’m really excited,” Pevny said. “I’m excited to be playing with a lot of really good players and elevating my game to the next level, so it will be really fun.”

acolbert@aspentimes.com

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