There’s a first time for everything and the Palo Alto girls golf team surprised the field by winning the CIF High School Championship, becoming the first Northern California team to ever win the event since its inception 15 years ago.

The Vikings scored 377, an eight-stroke edge over second-place and defending state champion Troy. Diamond Bar was third (386), followed by Granite Bay (388), Dougherty Valley (391) and Mater Dei (394).

Senior Katherine Sung helped complete a sensational year, finishing in a tie for third with a round of 73.

“It is so cool to end my high school golf career with not only qualifying for the State Championship for the first time since I’ve joined the team, but to win states is so amazing,” Katherine Sung said. “Being the underdogs heading into this tournament, I am so proud of the team for playing well today and keeping their heads in the game.”

Lauren Sung tied for 13th with a 75, and senior Priya Bakshi and sophomore Bridget O’Keefe each finished with a 76, tied for 18th.

“I am so excited that this is the way that I get to end my high school golf career with the team,” Bakshi said. “I feel really lucky to be part of such a close and talented team and am really going miss them. I feel like there’s no team that is as close as we are, and I think the bond we have is what makes us so successful.”

Sydney Sung shot a 77 and finished in a tie for 23rd. Marina Mata completed the scoring with an 84.

“The girls’ goal was to shoot somewhere around 375, and we knew that if they were able to do that they would place well,” Paly coach Doyle Knight said. “We ended up shooting 377, which is just around what we had set out to do. So it’s awesome to see the girls be successful and win State.”

Added Katherine Sung: “We knew heading in that there has never been a Northern California team to win States before, so it was definitely on our mind but we had no idea that it would actually happen.”