JEKYLL ISLAND - For the first time since 2004 when Lauren Darnell eamed individual honors while leading Gainesville to a Class AAA team title, Red Elephant girls golf boasts the state's best; and she is literally building on a legacy.

With an 8-under-par performance over the two-day Class 5A State Girls Golf Tournament at Jekyll Island, freshmen Addison Peeples earned low-medalist honors by two strokes over Johns Creek's Aerin Kim Tuesday. Peeples is the daughter of Kingsley (Barrett) Peeples, a Gainesville Athletics Hall of Fame member and 2001 GHS graduate who held course over a four-year span from 1998-2001, winning four straight state championships: a run not known to another individual or program in the Red Elephant athletics' 120-plus years competing.

Peeples' win helped her team to a fourth-place finish and a little history of its own as just the 10th Gainesville girls team to finish in the state's top five; first to do it since 2014 when Meg Callahan, Ashleigh Bishop, and Morgan Reece finished second. GHS began state's second day in fifth place.

Peeples came into Day 2 in contention, having shot a 67 through the first day's 18; good for a 3-under par and third-place standing; three shots off the lead. Any confidence felt after Monday's play, however, was gleaned from the end result and a title still being within reach as a result, not the journey of the day which ended with back-nine struggles to the tune of five even pars and two bogeys. Peeples had to call on that results-based confidence early Tuesday as play began where it finished the day prior: her first nine of Day 2 would be the prior day's last nine.

After starting strong with a birdie on the par-5 first hole Peeples reverted back to Monday's struggles - bogeying and shooting even on the next two - before beginning a five-hole run that not only put her in the lead, but separated her from the field and proved dominance is in her DNA. Peeples birdied holes four through eight, creating a three-way tie atop the leaderboard on five before taking sole possession of first on six. When all was said and halfway done, Peeples went from 1-under after three, to a 6-under par 67 after nine; and from third to a secure first.

While Peeples added two more birdies to her flock on the back nine, seven holes of even pars and bogeys allowed for a Gladiator-like rally from second-place finisher Kim, who finished third to Peeples earlier this month in the area tournament.