GIRLS STATE GOLF STORYLINES

CLASS 6A

At Emporia Municipal Golf Course

NEW CHALLENGE AWAITS TWO-TIME STATE CHAMPION
 
For the past two years, the Class 5A girls state tournament has not only been a competition for Maize’s Kinslea Jones, but a chance to play alongside many of her golfing friends.
 
The Eagles’ reclassification move to 6A this season will be a change for the two-time state champion.
 
“There will definitely be more strangers,” said Jones, who will join Shawnee Mission East sophomore Ella Slicker as returning state medalists in the 6A field when the two-day tournament begins Monday at Emporia Municipal. “I’m excited. It’s something new. To me, it doesn’t really matter, but it’s different.
 
“You get to play against different people, different schools, so it’s exciting.”
 
After leading Maize to a third-place team finish in 5A last October in Hesston, Jones and her Eagle teammates claimed a berth in this year’s 6A state tournament by winning the Wichita North regional last Monday by 47 shots. Jones anchored Maize’s 322 team total with a 2-under-par 69 for medalist honors and her 24^th career high school tournament victory.
 
While victories have come frequently for Jones, a talented group of Wichita-area players has made them challenging.
 
Jones failed to finish first in a high school tournament for just the third time in her career at the season-opening Derby Invitational, when Newton freshman Naomi Koontz birdied the second playoff hole to defeat her after both were tied after nine holes. Andover sophomore Regan Dusenbery sent Jones to another runner-up finish in the Maize South Invitational, firing a 4-under 32 in the nine-hole event at Wichita’s Auburn Hills to top Jones by seven shots.
 
While Jones carded a season-best 65 to win the Buhler Invitational by eight shots over Koontz, other victories were close calls. Jones’ 68 at the Salina South tournament yielded a one-shot victory over Koontz and her 5-under 66 in the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I meet at Derby was two ahead of Koontz. Jones’ third career Hutchinson Invitational victory came in a playoff over Dusenbery after both carded 2-under 69s.
 
Jones’ regional victory at Sim came by three shots over Wichita Southeast freshman Alina Lam.
 
“The margin has definitely been smaller with a lot less room for mess-ups,” said Jones, who won all 10 of her high school tournaments as a freshman and seven each of the last two seasons. “You definitely have to be on to win. A bad day will be a loss.
 
“I can’t really get away with anything this year. It’s definitely kept my game sharp.”
 
In addition to Jones, the Eagles return three other golfers from last year’s state team. Junior Charlotte Kerbs tied for 14^th individually in the 5A tournament, while senior Alexis Elliott was 26^th and junior Emma Hays was 57^th.
 
Elliott shot 77 to finish third at regionals, while Kerbs tied for fourth with an 83.
 
“They’ve both improved so much and broken personal records this year,” Jones said. “They’ve definitely got it going. I think we can give teams a run for their money if we all are on and just play like we know we can. I think people will be surprised at how we do.”
 

OLATHE EAST CATCHES UP WITH TOP 6A TEAMS

The top 6A contenders out of the Kansas City metro area looked to be the same from last year with reigning state champ Olathe Northwest and reigning runner-up Shawnee Mission East leading the way.

But after regionals, Olathe East officially announced that the Hawks would like to throw the hats into the ring.

Olathe East took second during its regional at Brookridge Golf Course in Overland Park. The Hawks finished seven strokes behind Shawnee Mission East. The team’s 328 score was the third best regional score behind the Lancers and 6A newcomer Maize at 322. The Hawks finished three strokes ahead of Olathe Northwest.

Olathe East has been led by sophomore Jenny Sun and junior Addie McKenna. The duo both shot a 76 at regionals to tie for fourth place behind Blue Valley’s Hadley Neese at 73, Shawnee Mission East sophomore Ella Slicker at 74 and junior Ingrid Blacketer at 75. 

The Hawks are hoping that Reese Armstrong, Reese Pritchard and Madi Krug can help Sun and McKenna close the gap on the top teams in 6A. Armstrong and Pritchard have averaged sub-90 this year with the former shooting a 83 and the latter shooting an 84 as their lows this season.


CLASS 5A

At Carey Park Golf Course, Hutchinson
 

FRESHMAN SIRANANA HELPS FILL VOID FOR KAPAUN IN FOUR-PEAT QUEST
 
Kapaun Mt. Carmel returns to the Class 5A state tournament as a three-time defending champion and owner of the best regional team score among the 12 qualifiers.
 
Still, the Crusaders’ path to Hutchinson’s Carey Park has unfolded differently than they might have imagined.
 
Already heading into the season without 2023 graduate and top-five state finisher Alexa Garrett, who signed to play at Long Island University, Kapaun had another player to replace when junior Meg Tilma, last year’s 5A individual runner-up, transferred out of Kapaun.
 
But with returnees Tilly Jones, Maddy Cartwright and Ava Truong joined by standout freshman Ximena Siranana, the Crusaders haven’t missed a beat. Siranana’s 2-under-par 71 on Monday at Wichita’s Rolling Hills helped Kapaun win the Bishop Carroll regional by seven shots over Hays.
 
“She’s brought so much to the team,” said Jones, who finished fifth at regionals to boost Kapaun’s 344 team score. “I don’t know what we’d do without her. She’s so happy and sweet all the time.”
 
Siranana quickly proved she has the game to accompany her good disposition. Prior to her 11-shot regional victory, she won medalist honors at the Greater Wichita Athletic League tournament and led the Crusaders to the team title.
 
“As a freshman, I guess I have pressure on me, but not really pressure to play well,” Siranana said. “Just pressure to show what I can do.”
 
With Jones, a senior, junior Cartwright and sophomore Truong regularly contributing, the Crusaders flexed their depth in winning the GWAL meet by 32 shots, the Dodge City Invitational by 27 and the Carroll Invitational by 26. But Kapaun has delivered in tight spots as well. Truong led the Crusaders to a six-shot victory over three-time reigning Class 3-2-1A champion Pittsburg Colgan in the Wichita North Invitational.
 
At regionals, the Crusaders complemented Siranana’s strong anchor score with enough for a seven-shot victory over Hays, which placed four golfers in the top 10.
 
“Our margin for error when (Meg) was here was a little greater and now that we haven’t had her this year, it’s like, OK, other people have got to carry the slack and they have,” Kapaun coach Marie Thomas said. “Tilly has been fantastic and Ava and Maddy have that experience. It’s a little bit different when you’re the one who has to carry the weight, but they’ve done that and they’ve been great.”
 
Kapaun’s state roster will include sophomore Natalee Runyan and senior Victoria Penaloza. With Maize’s Kinslea Jones, winner of the last two 5A individual titles, moving up to 6A this season, the door is open for a golfer with Siranana’s skills to emerge.
 
“With a freshman, you don’t know anything until it actually happens,” Thomas said. “She has definitely exceeded expectations and has been a welcome and obviously great addition for us. And then as always, our kids have just worked hard.
 
“They know what the tradition has been for Kapaun in golf. We talk about it at the beginning of the year, telling them you guys are the champs and people are going to be gunning for you. But they know what we need to do to get there.”
 

HAYS LOOKS TO PRESSURE KAPAUN FOR TEAM TITLE 

A fixture at the state tournament over the better part of the past two decades, Hays High will look to factor into the team title conversation after a promising showing at regionals. 

The Indians gave three-time reigning champion Kapaun a good battle last week, finishing just seven shots behind the Crusaders (344 to 351) to take regional runner-up honors at Wichita’s Rolling Hills Country Club. 

Hays, which punched its ticket to state for the 18th consecutive year, placed four golfers in the top 10 at the regional tourney. 

Abbie Norris, who was runner-up individually with an 82, finished 11 shots behind champion Xemina Sarinana from Kapaun. Evyn Cox (87) was sixth for Hays and was joined in the top 10 by Ashlynn Banker and Lily Garrison, who tied for ninth with 91s. Jaycee Oakley tied for 14th for the Indians while Avery Augustine was 22nd. 

Tremendous depth has helped Mark Watts’ squad thrive again. 

Norris was the Western Athletic Conference golfer of the year and was joined on the All-WAC first team by Cox, Banker and Oakley, while Garrison and Augustine were second-team picks. 

Hays took fifth at state last year after finishing runner-up in 2021. 
 

ST. JAMES SENIOR LADEN SQUAD TAKES BIG STEP FORWARD TO WIN REGIONALS

St. James Academy enters state looking to go from cut in Day 1 last year to making a serious push for the 5A state team title this year.

The Thunder have nearly the same group, but each member of the team has made major strides from a season ago, leading to the team winning its regional title. 

Junior Katelyn Williams and sophomore Rose Muehlberger shot 84s at Sunflower Hills Golf Course in Bonner Springs to lead the team at regionals. They finished three strokes of St. Thomas Aquinas junior Katherine Adkins for the top spot.

But with seniors Ava Reyes and Anna Leonard finishing just outside the top 10 while seniors Myah Price and Avi Weist landed in the top 20, the Thunder ended up edging out runner-up Blue Valley Southwest by five strokes. St. James’ score of 352 gave them the third best 5A regional score behind Kapaun Mt. Carmel at 344 and Hays at 351.

The team’s positioning within the top 5A teams heading into state is a big jump from the team’s postseason finish last fall. Williams finished 35th at state last year with 189 while Reyes took 46th with a 200. Weist missed the individual cut for Day 2 by one stroke with a 97 and Leonard finished two shots behind her. Senior Myah Price will join this group after not playing at state last year.

Thunder head coach Michael Consiglio credited Williams' production leading this group as the team’s No. 1 golfer.

“She has done a tremendous job on the course and is a fantastic student as well,” Consiglio said.

Consiglio said Muehlberger has been one of the team’s most improved golfers this season. She’s also playing some of her best golf as of late. After hovering around 100 at most tournaments this season, Muehlberger delivered an 86 at Swope Memorial for the third round of the Eastern Kansas League tournament. If anybody thought that performance would be an outlier, Muehlberger proved them wrong real quick with her 84 at regionals. That mark she shared with Williams is the low score for the team this season.

If those two golfers can keep playing at that level, along with the solid performances from the rest of the seniors filling out the varsity squad, St. James has a shot to earn the team’s first team state trophy since taking second in 2019.

“I have been so impressed with our team this season,” Consiglio said. “They are such a fun group to be around and truly have a passion for the game of golf.”

CLASS 4A

At Salina Municipal Golf Course
 

WAMEGO RELOADS, EYES THREE-PEAT IN 4A
 
After completely running away with last year’s Class 4A state championship – winning by a whopping 88 strokes – Wamego was going to come back to the pack this season. You don’t graduate a pair of multi-time state placers, as Wamego did in losing Ashten Pierson (2022 state runner-up) and Kirby Mckee, and not take a pretty big hit.
 
But whether the gap that’s been closed is enough for someone to end Wamego’s two-year regin in 4A remains to be seen. Wamego has reloaded with plenty of new faces, but has maintained the standard of excellence the program has set during Kyrstie Miller’s tenure as coach.
 
Despite replacing a trio of seniors off last year’s state championship team, Wamego returns to the 4A state tournament as the favorite.
 
“It’s been a little different pace this year at practice and some of our early tournaments,” Miller said. “We had three girls who had never played in a (varsity) tournament until this year. They’ve really improved and have spent a lot of time outside practice time really working on their games trying to get better. It’s been fun seeing their progress and success and seeing them light up a bit. I think competing at regionals got some of those nerves out and they’re excited to go to state and see what they can do.”
 
Wamego posted a 367 at Monday’s regional on their home course to beat potential title challenger Hayden by 11 shots. The Red Raiders’ team score was the lowest from any 4A regional with challengers Winfield and Wellington not far behind, posting 369 and 370, respectively at their regional at Wellington.
 
Throw in Pratt, which placed fifth at state a year ago and was right behind Winfield and Wellington with a 396 at regionals, and regional champion Independence (397), and Wamego will have its hands full on Monday and Tuesday at Salina Municipal Golf Course. It’s the same course where the Red Raiders got their first state title two years ago when they edged Winfield by one shot.
 
“It is going to be a fun tournament,” Miller said. “It’s going to be like it was a couple years ago when we pulled it out by one stroke. It’ll be a fun two days and could be anybody’s game. Salina’s a great course to go out and shoot low. It’ll be fun to see everyone compete and grind it out for two days and see who comes out on top.”
 
Wamego returned key pieces this season to build around. Sophomore Addison Douglass burst onto the Class 4A scene last year as a freshman, winning five tournaments and capping her debut high school season with a state title, winning by 17 shots over teammate Pierson after shooting a 150 (74-76) at Emporia Municipal Golf Course.
 
Douglass has been even better this season, winning last week’s regional with a 1-under 69 – her sixth individual win of the season. Among her wins was one at the Washburn Rural/Great Plains Classic where she topped a field that included reigning 6A state champion Ella Slicker of Shawnee Mission East and a host of other top-notch 6A players.
 
One of Douglass’ losses came to senior teammate Sara Springer, who topped her at the Hayden Invitational. Springer has been a key player for each of Wamego’s title teams as well as the runner-up team in 2020.
 
“They’ve been tremendous leaders and done a great job of bringing in the young ones and kind of showing them the way and helping them understand the culture and the work ethic it takes to be a state champion,” Miller said of Douglass and Springer. “The girls have bought into their leadership and taken great strides to improve. They’ve done a great job of filling those spots.”
 
Newcomers Sophia Hellman, Hailey Honeycutt and Lillian Costa made their varsity debuts this year while junior Madeline May returned after playing in a handful of tournaments a year ago. Those four hold the key to Wamego’s title defense and have showed flashes. Hellman, May and Costa all have season-bests in the low 90s  while Honeycutt shot a season-best 18-hole 101 at regionals that tied her for 16^th.
 
If two of the four can shoot below 100 both days at state, Wamego will be in the hunt.
 
“I think they’ll be ready,” Miller said. “They’re all competitors and love competing. I think they’ll handle the pressure just fine. Expectations are high, just as they have been the last few years. They’re expecting to win another state championship and fully believe that they can. That’s the biggest battle sometimes, just believing. If you believe, you get out there and get it done.”
 
Wamego has posted a season-best score of 331, that coming at the Tonganoxie Invitational. Of their top challengers, only Hayden has put up a better team score this year. The Wildcats have had four tournaments where they shot in the 320s, including a season-best 320 at the Seaman Invitational early in the year.
 
Wellington has a season-best of 338 and Winfield has a best of 365.
 
“We haven’t talked about a specific number but looking back at regionals and seeing how many strokes we left out there, the girls know they can shave quite a few strokes off that 367 we just posted,” Miller said. “We just try and focus on this shot, this hole and go hole by hole and see how it ends up in the end.”
 

INDY SENIORS RIDE INTO STATE LOOKING TO KEEP REACHING PRORAM MILESTONES

Independence is riding high off its second straight Southeast Kansas League title and its first regional title in more than four and a half decades.

This team was excited about winning their regional at Stone Creek Golf Course in Chanute, but what really got them excited was the team’s score. Independence shot a 397 to not only finish 18 strokes ahead of runner-up Augusta, but also give them the sixth best regional score in 4A. With Augusta as the seventh highest score, the Bulldogs have to like their chances to advance to Day 2 after missing out on that at last year’s state tournament. 

The Bulldogs are led by a group of seniors in Mattily Brumley, Hadley Hines, Emma Spencer and Anastin Journot.

“Hopefully our experience will help us play calmly and efficiently on Monday,” Reynolds said.

The part that might really push the Bulldogs over the top is that the team’s top golfer this season has not yet played her best golf during the postseason. Sophomore Violet Robins holds the best average and the lowest score for this team this season. Robins averages a 96, a few strokes ahead of Hines and Brumley. She also shot an 85 during the McPherson Invitational on Sept. 14.

But her scores have steadily crept up into the 90s and then the 100s before returning to a 94 at regionals in Chanute. If Robins can not only stay in the low 90s but deliver another score in the 80s, that might push Bulldogs over the top in the team race.

“Violet has worked really hard over the summer and season to earn the No. 1 bag position,” Reynolds said, adding that Hines made a similar improvement to grab the No. 2 spot.

The Bulldogs are hoping that work will pay off by getting the team further than they reached at last year’s state tournament. Last year, Independence missed the Day 2 cut in the team race by 14 strokes. Robins also missed the Day 2 cut by four strokes. Only her older sister Lucy Robins and Brumley played on the second day, with Brumley finishing in 37th with a 206. Behind Robins’ 111 mark on Day 1 were Hines at 112, Journot at 117 and Spencer at 120.

Reynolds thinks his team will fare better, not only from their improvements over the last year, but also because their seniors have already had success at this year’s course.

“As sophomores two years ago, they earned a team berth to Salina and we ended up getting fifth place that season,” Reynolds said. “So they are familiar with the course and this will be their third and final state tournament together.”

It’s their third together, but one Bulldog is getting ready for their fourth state appearance. Brumley has already made team history by being the first Indy girls golfer to play the state tournament as a freshman. So she’ll add another record just by competing on Monday, becoming the first Bulldog to compete in the state tournament all four years.

Brumley and Hines earned All-SEK honors when Hines finished fourth and Brumley finished seventh at the league tournament. Robins finished in eighth.

“All six players push each other to be better and enjoy each other’s successes,” Reynolds said. “That’s why I believe we’re in the position that we are in.”


CLASS 3-1A

At Hesston Golf Course
 

ADDITION OF GERMANY’S KLEINIG TURNS SILVER LAKE INTO SERIOUS CONTENDER FOR 3-2-1A TITLE
 
So much for first impressions.
 
Among the newcomers reporting to the first day of girls golf practice for Silver Lake was Klara Kleinig, a foreign exchange student from Leipzig, Germany. And to be honest, returning Eagle standout Taylor Zordel was quick to cast a blanket judgement on what Kleinig might bring to the team.
 
“The first meeting, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s another foreign exchange student trying something new,’” Zordel admitted.
 
Just as quickly, Zordel admitted she was dead wrong.
 
“The first time we played together, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh! She’s really good!’” Zordel said.
 
Kleinig has indeed been a big-time addition to a Silver Lake team that already returned four players from last year’s team that finished fourth at the Class 3-2-1A state tournament. With Zordel and Kleinig taking turns leading the way, the Eagles have gone undefeated this season, capturing team titles at all nine of their tournaments.
 
That includes a victory at Monday’s Class 3-2-1A regional where Silver Lake’s team score of 345 was not only 18 shots better than runner-up Jefferson West but also was the lowest score from any regional winner by a considerable margin. Colby won the Goodland regional with a 395 and three-time reigning champion St. Mary’s Colgan won the Girard regional with a 413.
 
“This team is full of committed, hard-working players,” Silver Lake coach Kelby Brown said. “That standard was set by some of our seniors who took charge each week and did a great job of bringing a lot of our younger players along.
 
“I think what makes them a special group is they are all extremely competitive with each other and push each other to be better each day. … They just love to compete.”
 
Kleinig has played golf for five years in Germany, taking up the game when her father, Detlef, asked if she wanted to come along with him. But she could only get to the course when her father went, meaning she only practiced about once a week at best.
 
Upon arrival at Silver Lake, not only was there an adjustment to moving to a much smaller town than Leipzig, which has a population of nearly 600,000, but also to her exposure to the game of golf.
 
“I used to practice once a week in Germany, and now we practice 4-5 times per week,” Kleinig said. “I was so tired the first few days.”
 
Kleinig said the courses compare well with what she’s used to playing in Germany, though she admitted she was “shocked how green the courses were.” The biggest transition on the course has been gauging her distances for her clubs.
 
“It’s in yards, that was so difficult,” Kleinig said. “My range finder is set in meters, so that helps me a lot. When I play with different players, they’ll ask me ‘What did you shoot?’ I say, ‘Well I can tell you in meters, but not yards.’ So that was difficult. Other than that, I feel like the courses are pretty similar so it wasn’t that big of an adjustment.”
 
The increased workload has helped Kleinig’s game evolve into the best it’s ever been. She estimated she typically shot in the low 80s, high 70s in Germany. For most of this fall season, Kleinig has shot in the 70s.
 
Kleinig began the season with victories in Silver Lake’s first four tournaments, three of those individual victories and one a two-person scramble with teammate Avri Broxterman. She added a fifth win at the 18-hole Jefferson West Invitational when she shot a season-low 74.
 
“I think the practice has helped me a lot,” Kleinig said. “I didn’t think I would be this good compared to others I’m playing against. I did think I would get better with more practice. But I’m proud of myself and how much I’ve improved. I think I’ve played pretty well. My dad is really proud of me, too.”
 

 
Zordel finished runner-up to Kleinig at Jefferson West and then followed it up with two straight wins in Silver Lake’s next two tournaments. Both Kleinig and Zordel said having each other helped push them to their strong seasons.
 
“It’s like an ego thing, but a fun competition between us,” Kleinig said. “We tease each other when one plays good. She beat me twice last week so I had to come back. I love having good players to play with, it makes me play better.”
 
Zordel agreed.
 
“It has been amazing having another teammate to push me,” she said. “We’re both very competitive so in practice rounds we’re always pushing each other to be better.”
 
Zordel was Silver Lake’s highest finisher at state last year, tying for seventh after shooting a two-day total of 176. She hasn’t finished lower than sixth at any tournament this year while Kleinig hasn’t finished lower than eighth.
 
But Silver Lake’s depth goes beyond its 1-2 punch. Maddie Fieger has posted top 10s in seven of nine tournaments, while Kate Osterhaus has seven top 10s as well. Kailyn Hanni and Avery Wende each have three top 10s and Broxterman has two.
 
One step remains to complete the perfect season, next week’s Class 3-2-1A state meet at Hesston Golf Course. Even though Silver Lake’s regional score was considerably lower than the rest of the state qualifiers, the task won’t be easy.
 
Colgan has won three straight state titles and beat Silver Lake by 113 shots last year, posting a team total of 660. Colby was second with a 717 and Caney Valley took third with a 769.
 
Colgan did graduate three of its top four players from last year’s title team, all of whom were key players for all three championship teams. Colby and Caney also lost several key players from their placing teams a year ago, leaving the chase for this year’s championship wide open.
 
And Zordel believes the Eagles have what it takes to win it all.
 
“I want to put our program here at Silver Lake on the map and win it all,” she said. “We have taken things to another level. We realize how much potential we have and we work hard every day and we’ve risen to the occasion.
 
“I 100% think we can do it. We just need to play our game, not put too much pressure on ourselves, have a little confidence and we do 100% have what it takes.”
 
Kleinig, who said she is hoping to stay in the United States and play collegiately instead of returning to Germany for two more years of high school, is also looking forward to her first state experience.
 
“I’m really excited for state,” she said. “I’ve heard from the parents and they’ve shown me videos of it. I’m kind of nervous about it, having a lot of people watching on 18. But I love that a lot of people do come to watch.
 
“It’s going to be fun.”
 

COLBY LOOKS TO CONTEND AGAIN IN 3-2-1A 

Runner-up for the team title in each of the last four seasons, Colby figures to be on the short list of contenders to unseat three-time reigning champion Pittsburg Colgan.  

Senior Anna Starbuck will look to end a tremendous career on a high note and help the Eagles make another run at a team title.

Starbuck, who is coming off a regional title at Goodland with an 82 was a state champion as a freshman, then took second as a sophomore and was third last year as a junior. Collegiate’s Margaret Ulrich is the two-time reigning state champion. 

Logan Nolan (tied for 3rd) and Natalie Wederski (8th) also notched top-10 finishes at regionals and have produced reliable scores for Colby throughout the season. 

“Anna has had a stellar season,” Colby coach Rick Williams recently told KSHSAA Covered. “Her 18-hole handicap for the season is right at +2. Logan Nolan and Natalie Wederski put in some good time this summer and made a big leap in ability and consistency. 

“We rely on a fourth score that comes from a one of a trio of new golfers, but have been able to piece together a pretty good team score led by Anna going really low.”

There might be an opening for a new team champ after Colgan took heavy graduation losses last year, but the Panthers are formidable once again, led by Molly Swezey and Ava Scripsick. 

Atwood-Rawlins County’s Amelia Bowles could be a dark horse contender for an individual title. Bowles has won several tournaments this season and took second at the Goodland regional with an 85, three shots behind Starbuck.