Athlete of the week

Brett Slaten is headed back to familiar territory.

The Notre Dame senior earned his fourth straight trip to the state golf tournament by finishing third at the Class 3 District 1 meet at Crown Pointe Golf Course.

Slaten shot a 78 to finish third on the par-72 course. He was one of four Notre Dame players to qualify for the state tournament this season.

"This is Brett's fourth year to qualify for state, and each year he's gotten better," Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim said after Monday's district meet. "He puts a lot of work into it and he's done a great job for Notre Dame."

Slaten consistently has been among Notre Dame's top golfers this season, and he hopes that his hot streak carries over to the state tournament May 18 and 19 at Fremont Hills Country Club in Nixa. He'll tee off at 9:15 a.m. on hole No. 10 on May 18. He'll try to improve on his last two finishes at the state meet. He finished with an 81-82--163, tied for 34th, as a junior, a 77-81--158, tied for 56th, as a sophomore and an 89-95--184, tied for 113th, as a freshman.