Asterisk Talley: State Athlete of the Year

Since she competed as a Chowchilla High girls golfer during the 2025-26 school year, golfing phenom Asterisk Talley is eligible to be the Girls State Athlete of the Year. Who knows what’s in store for the current senior for the 2026-27 year, but if she’s eligible why wouldn’t the top-ranked amateur female golfer in the nation who just won the U.S. Amateur Women’s title not be the choice for State Athlete of the Year? She’s just the fourth golfer to ever be chosen for this honor and the first since 1970-71.

For a look at all of the other girls from the 2025-26 school year to be selected as a winner from each category plus lists of other top overall athletes, CLICK HERE.

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Asterisks are commonly placed on many of the all-time state high school records in many sports that Cal-Hi Sports has compiled over the years. There isn’t one placed on the name of the winner of the top girls athlete honor for the 2025-26 school year, but Asterisk happens to be the first name of this year’s winner: Asterisk Talley of Chowchilla.

The golfing phenom from Chowchilla High in the CIF Central Section has now been selected as the Girls State Athlete of the Year. Asterisk, who just won the U.S. Amateur Women’s championship last Sunday in Tennessee, joins an all-time list of winners that goes back more than 100 years. The last golfer to be selected (done retroactively in the 1980s through research by Cal-Hi Sports founder Nelson Tennis) is shown as Laura Baugh of Long Beach Wilson for 1970-71. Marlene Bauer of Los Angeles is on the list for 1948-49 and Peggy Graham of Beverly Hills is on for 1935-36.

When first learning about Talley when she was a freshman coming up the amateur golf rankings, the first name of course stood out. We’ve been doing this work a long time and had never seen it before. It turns out that Asterisk means “little star” in Greek. She’s been more than a little star since then.

If you don’t know, the last day of the U.S. Women’s Amateur tourney requires 36 holes and not the 18 that most casual golf fans would think. Talley went up against Anna Iwanaga of Japan and clinched the win with a putt on the 26th hole that gave her an eight shot lead with six holes left to play. Iwanaga had a one-shot lead (players either win a hole, lose a hole or they are tied) in the early going, but Asterisk went on a run toward the end of her first 18 holes and at the beginning of the next scheduled 18.

The win was extra-special for Talley since she was the runner-up in the U.S. Amateur two years ago. In 2024, she also teamed with fellow Northern Californian Sarah Lim to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title. It also was emotional for her at the end since her dad, Jim, caddied for her during the week. He gave her a big hug with tears on his face.

The golf world has been following Asterisk for even before 2024. She won the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, one of the top events put on each year by the American Junior Golf Association, at the age of 14. In 2024, Talley was the youngest competitor at the U.S. Women’s Open and also has competed for U.S. teams in the Junior Solheim Cup and Curtis Cup.

Talley has not had the same kind of success in CIF state championship events. She was in the 2025 state finals and had a bad day with a 73, which was tied for 20th. She’s obviously had many more great days since then and because she was representing Chowchilla High in a CIF state event during the school year that also made it possible to consider her for a high school athlete of the year honor.

After Talley won at the U.S. Amateur, there were several stories seen that referred to her as “starting her senior year” this week at Chowchilla. That may not mean she’ll physically be there since a lot of golfers, tennis players and others in similar sports who travel around the world are known to take on-line courses. Most of them that we’ve followed over the years leave high school competition completely after their freshman or sophomore years. Some do the on-line path while others do on-line through the school they’ve been attending.

Like Tiger Woods of Anaheim Western did when he was coming out of high school, Asterisk will be heading to Stanford for college. Like a baseball player coming out of high school who gets picked high in the MLB Draft, it’s possible, however, Talley could turn pro even before going to Stanford happens.

The Golf Channel asked her this question in a follow-up interview after she won the U.S. Amateur: How will you decide whether you’re ready for the pros right away or whether you wanna enjoy a year or two or four, at Stanford?

“Yeah, I think, I guess, just time will tell,” she replied. “Just depending on what happens in this next year or so, will probably decide what I, what I’m gonna do up, in the upcoming fall. But yeah, I think not really thinking too much on it right now or any time soon and just kind of letting the golf game do what it does and see where it takes me.”

So far, it’s taken Talley quite a long way, and quite a long way from the Madera County town that she’s from.

Note: You won’t see 14-year-old Maggie Ma of Irvine on any of our athlete of the year lists. She looks like the next golf prodigy from the Golden State. She’s not eligible for any of our honors since she was only in the eighth grade during the 2025-26 year. She’ll be a freshman this fall. We checked for which high school and couldn’t find it.

ALL-TIME CAL-HI SPORTS
GIRLS STATE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
(Selected by Cal-Hi Sports)

2025-26 – Asterisk Talley, Chowchilla (golf) Jr.
2024-25 – Teagan O’Dell,
Rancho SM Santa Margarita (swimming)
2023-24 – Sadie Engelhardt,
Ventura (track, cross country) Jr.
2022-23 – Juju Watkins,
Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (basketball)
2021-22 – Dalia Frias,
Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (track, cross country)
2020-21 – Paige Sommers,
Westlake Village Westlake (track, pole vault)
2019-20 – Sarah Willis, Norco (basketball, softball)
2018-19 – Haley Jones,
San Jose Archbishop Mitty (basketball)
2017-18 – Gracie Figueroa, Selma (wrestling)
2016-17 – Tara Davis, Agoura Hills Agoura (track)
2015-16 – Elena Bruckner, San Jose Valley Christian (track, volleyball)
2014-15 – Abbey Weitzeil, Saugus (swimming)
2013-14 – Kyla Ross, Aliso Viejo Aliso Niguel (gymnastics)
2012-13 – Chelsea Chenault, Concord Carondelet (swimming)
2011-12 – Kyla Ross, Aliso Viejo Aliso Niguel (gymnastics)
2010-11 – Maggie Steffens, Danville Monte Vista (water polo)
2009-10 – Ashton Purvis, Oakland St. Elizabeth (track)
2008-09 – Jordan Hasay, San Luis Obispo Mission Prep (track)
2007-08 – Jordan Hasay, San Luis Obispo Mission Prep (track) Jr.
2006-07 – Alix Klineman, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (volleyball)
2005-06 – Jayne Appel, Concord Carondelet (water polo, basketball)
2004-05 – Jessica Hardy, Long Beach Wilson (swimming)
2003-04 – Candice Wiggins, La Jolla Country Day (volleyball, basketball)
2002-03 – Alyson Felix, North Hills L.A. Baptist (track)
2001-02 – Julia Pitts, Torrance North (volleyball, basketball, track)
2000-01 – Lashinda Demus, Long Beach Wilson (track)
1999-00 – Monique Henderson, San Diego Morse (track) Jr.
1998-99 – Rometra Craig, San Jose Mitty (basketball, tae kwon do, track) Jr.
1997-98 – Amanda Freed, Garden Grove Pacifica (volleyball, soccer, baseball)
1996-97 – Tayyiba Haneef, Laguna Hills (volleyball, basketball, track)
1995-96 – Kerri Walsh, San Jose Mitty (volleyball, basketball)
1994-95 – Marcy Crouch, Huntington Beach Marina (soccer, softball)
1993-94 – Suzy Powell, Modesto Downey (basketball, track)
1992-93 – Marion Jones, Thousand Oaks (basketball, track)
1991-92 – Marion Jones, Thousand Oaks (basketball, track) Jr.
1990-91 – Marion Jones, Oxnard Rio Mesa (basketball, track) Soph.
1989-90 – Lisa Leslie, Inglewood Morningside (basketball, track)
1988-89 – Janet Evans, Placentia El Dorado (swimming)
1987-88 – Janet Evans, Placentia El Dorado (swimming) Jr.
1986-87 – Michele Granger, Placentia Valencia (softball)
1985-86 – Terri Mann, San Diego Point Loma (basketball, track)
1984-85 – Elaina Oden, Irvine (volleyball, track)
1983-84 – Wendy Brown, Woodside (basketball, track)
1982-83 – Wendy Wyland, Mission Viejo (diving)
1981-82 – Denean Howard, Granada Hills Kennedy (track)
1980-81 – Cheryl Miller, Riverside Polytechnic (basketball)
1979-80 – Sherri Howard, Granada Hills Kennedy (track)
1978-79 – Cynthia Woodhead, Riverside Polytechnic (swimming)
1977-78 – Tracy Austin, Rolling Hills (tennis)
1976-77 – Linda Fratianne, Van Nuys Valley Professional (figure skating)
1975-76 – Jill Sterkel, Hacienda Heights Wilson (swimming)
1974-75 – Barbara Reinalda, Cerritos Valley Christian (basketball, softball)
1973-74 – Mary Decker, Orange (track)
1972-73 – Keena Rothhammer, Santa Clara (swimming)
1971-72 – Mable Fergerson, Pomona Ganesha (track)
1970-71 – Laura Baugh, Long Beach Wilson (golf)
1969-70 – Cathy Rigby, Los Alamitos (gymnastics)
1968-69 – Debbie Meyer, Sacramento Rio Americano (swimming)
1967-68 – Debbie Meyer, Sacramento Rio Americano (swimming)
1966-67 – Debbie Meyer, Sacramento Rio Americano (swimming)
1965-66 – Charlotte Cooke, Compton (track)
1964-65 – Peggy Fleming, Pasadena (figure skating)
1963-64 – Sharon Stouder, Glendora (swimming)
1962-63 – Donna de Varona, Santa Clara (swimming)
1961-62 – Carolyn House, Los Angeles Marshall (swimming)
1960-61 – Billie Jean King, Long Beach Poly (tennis)*
1959-60 – Chris von Saltza, Los Gatos (swimming)
1958-59 – Karen Hantze, San Diego Mission Bay (tennis)
1957-58 – Sylvia Ruuska, Berkeley (swimming)
1956-57 – Barbara Ann Roles, Arcadia (figure skating)
1955-56 – Mimi Arnold, Redwood City Sequoia (tennis)
1954-55 – Mimi Arnold, Redwood City Sequoia (tennis)
1953-54 – Carol Tait, Atherton Menlo-Atherton (swimming)
1952-53 – Barbara Stark, Lafayette Acalanes (swimming)
1951-52 – Paula Jean Myers, Covina (diving)
1950-51 – Maureen Connolly, San Diego Cathedral (tennis)
1949-50 – Maureen Connolly, San Diego Cathedral (tennis)
1948-49 – Marlene Bauer, L.A. unknown (golf)
1947-48 – Zoe Ann Olsen, Oakland (diving)
1946-47 – Zoe Ann Olsen, Oakland (diving)
1945-46 – Zoe Ann Olsen, Oakland (diving)
1944-45 – Nancy Chaffee, Ventura Academy of St. Catherine (tennis)
1943-44 – Jean Doyle, San Diego Point Loma (tennis)
1942-43 – Ann Curtis, S.F. Washington (swimming)
1941-42 – Ann Curtis, S.F. Washington (swimming)
1940-41 – Ann Curtis, S.F. Washington (swimming)
1939-40 – Margorie Gestring, Los Angeles (diving)
1938-39 – Esther Williams, L.A. Washington (swimming)
1937-38 – Margorie Gestring, Los Angeles (diving)
1936-37 – Margorie Gestring, Los Angeles (diving)
1935-36 – Peggy Graham, Beverly Hills (golf)
1934-35 – Margaret Osborne, S.F. Commerce (tennis)
1933-34 – Florence Chadwick, San Diego Hoover (rough water swimming)
1932-33 – Dorothy Poynton, L.A. Fairfax (diving)
1931-32 – Evelyn Furtsch, Tustin (track)
1930-31 – Alice Marble, S.F. Polytechnic (tennis)
1929-30 – Georgia Coleman, L.A. Polytechnic (diving)
1928-29 – Gloria Russell, Berkeley (track)
1927-28 – Georgia Coleman, L.A. Polytechnic (diving)
1926-27 – Georgia Coleman, L.A. Polytechnic (diving)
1925-26 – Helen Jacobs, Berkeley Miss Anna Head’s School (tennis)
1924-25 – Eleanor Garatti, San Rafael (swimming)
1923-24 – Helen Jacobs, Berkeley (tennis)
1922-23 – Helen Wills, Berkeley Miss Anna Head’s School (tennis)
1921-22 – Helen Wills, Berkeley unknown (tennis)
1920-21 – Helen Wills, Berkeley unknown (tennis)
1919-20 – Helen Wills, Berkeley unknown (tennis)
*Known as Billie Jean Moffitt while in high school.

Note: All selections prior to 1978-79 done retroactively through research by our founder, the late Nelson Tennis.

Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports