Stella Foy was just happy to play. Winning a state championship? Even better.

The Thornton Academy senior has idiopathic rheumatoid arthritis, which makes her more prone to colds and flus. She wasn’t feeling well before the Class A championship, but decided to play anyway.

It wasn’t her best round, but she finished with four straight pars to shoot a 90 and claim the girls individual title by one stroke over Hampden Academy’s Lily Blanchard.

“I definitely didn’t play the way I normally do,” Foy said. “I mean, I shot 90, so that’s never what you want, but I was really sick before state. I was out of school for like 10 days. So I was just honestly happy to play states. It definitely taught me that you have to have grit, even when you’re playing bad. You got to stick through it.”

Winning the state title and then shooting a 79 to tie for 11th at the New England championship makes Foy the 2025 Varsity Maine Girls Golfer of the Year.

“She has a great attitude, always in the learning mode,” Thornton Academy coach Jeff Camire said. “She just looks at everything — it’s very rare that she gets down on herself. So that kind of attitude has really helped her push through some of the tougher moments that she had this year.”

Although Foy’s health kept her from the SMAA qualifier, Camire was glad Foy had a chance to prove herself at the New England championship.

It capped a high school career that began with a 54 handicap as a freshman.

“Now, this year, I’m a 6.8, so that jump and that, like, it just took a lot of hard work to get there,” Foy said. “I think the biggest thing that helped me was playing in tournaments and just being determined to want to be better, and just a lot of hard work.”

Camire said improvement is a year-round pursuit for Foy.

“She was so dedicated, and I’m not saying just during the season,” Camire said. “… She would do, as I said, fitness things. She’d become stronger, just in better shape. She had lessons with (seven-time Maine Women’s Amateur champion) Abby Spector multiple times throughout the winter, and has done that for the last few years. It’s been amazing to see her process, and she just trusted that the last three years of high school.”

Golf became Foy’s passion, so practicing four or five hours a day was easy. Now she wants to turn that passion into a career. She plans to attend Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, to join the school’s PGA Management program.

So what exactly does Foy want to do in golf after college?

“What I tell people when they ask me that is that I want to make an impact, especially for junior golf and specifically girls golf,” Foy said. “I’m the only (girl) golfer on my varsity team. … In most of my local tournaments, I’ve been the only girl in so many situations. Also, being a girl in a male-dominated sport, there are experiences I’ve had that my peers (who) play my sport never would have had. Being underestimated, you don’t always feel the most included. That’s something I really want to change and pioneer. Get more girls involved in golf and get more girls to love the game like I love the game.”