Albert Lea golfer Kelli Hanson can now add two-time state tournament participant to her already lengthy resume of accomplishments.

Hanson, one of six valedictorians of her class, is making a return trip to the Class 3A state tournament after shooting an 81 to finish second at the Section 1AAA meet at Cannon Club Tuesday in Cannon Falls.

Hanson finished tied for second with Brooke Finger of Northfield with a two-day total of 162.

“We assumed she would need at least an 83 to go,” said Tigers head coach Shawn Riebe. “I basically told her to fire another 81 and your in.”

She did exactly that for the second straight round. She shot 37-41 to finish five strokes back of medalist Catherine Wagner of Austin.

“She wanted this pretty bad,” Riebe said.

Albert Lea as a team finished fourth overall, the same position it started the day out in, but gained a stroke on third-place finisher Faribault as the Tigers shot 364 and the Falcons 365. Lakeville North won the tournament with a two-day total of 670, Albert Lea shot 720.

Megan Pulley and Taylor Nelson each shot 93s for the Tigers and Erin Brick added a 97.

“It’s been a great year,” Riebe said. “It’s a great way to cap off a fantastic year for us.”

Riebe said the experience of playing in sections will build motivation for next year’s returners as Albert Lea returns all but Heather Greibrok and Hanson.

“It was a good experience for the younger girls who haven’t experienced sections,” Riebe said. “Hopefully it builds motivation for the younger girls to play during the summer.”

The state tournament begins June 2 at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids.