HESSTON – Ella Slicker’s investment into her golf game was geared toward a return to the top of Class 6A, a spot she occupied three years ago as a freshman with a state tournament victory that caught her by surprise.
 
All the hours that Slicker, a Shawnee Mission East senior, applied to her craft were intended to make the pursuit of a second 6A individual championship easier when the opportunity arrived.
 
But Slicker discovered during Tuesday’s final round of the Class 6A girls state tournament the heat of the moment can burn intensely. She misfired or miscalculated on a series of iron shots that dwindled her four-shot lead at the start of the day down to one with four holes to play.
 
And even though Slicker protected her advantage from that point, she faced one last test after her approach from the right rough at Hesston Golf Course’s par-4 18^th settled behind the green. After failing to get up and down for par four times in a six-hole stretch, Slicker steadied herself with a solid pitch and 7-foot par putt that gave her a one-shot victory over Manhattan’s Maddie Myers.
 
“It was a very hard day,” Slicker said after her 7-over-par 78 gave her a 36-hole total of 148. “When I had the lead yesterday, I thought, ‘Oh, this is good because I know I can play good under pressure.’ Today, I felt good the first three holes. I made three pars and had some birdie opportunities.
 
“I felt good and then something just went off in my swing. It’s golf. That’s how it works, and I’m just glad I could pull something together for how bad it was today.”
 

Slicker, a Colorado State commit, gave herself a chance to work through imperfections by firing a 1-under 70 on Monday – the tournament’s lone sub-par round. She made four birdies in breezy conditions on the heels of a 3-under 68 that won last week’s 6A regional at Olathe’s Heritage Park.
 
That anchored the Lancers’ opening-day team score of 311 and gave them a six-shot lead over Manhattan.
 
Slicker’s cushion heading into the final 18 holes was four shots over teammate Katie Robinett and five over Myers. Robinett dropped into a tie for seventh with a second-round 82, while Myers, who finished fourth at state as a freshman and third a year ago, kept the pressure on with a 74.
 
When Myers drained a birdie putt at the par-4 14^th and Slicker was unable to get up and down for par after missing the green on her approach, Slicker’s lead was one.
 
“I think with as much wind as there was (Monday), I would underplay it a little bit, which made the chips and putts a little easier,” Slicker said. “And then today I think I overplayed the wind, which just messed with my numbers. The math was all off. Yesterday the numbers were on and today they were off, and sometimes that happens.”
 
The inner battle was something Slicker ultimately could control. That contrasted with her two-year hiatus from being 6A’s top golfer, as former Maize standout Kinslea Jones won the 2023 and 2024 individual titles after the Eagles moved up from 5A. Jones joined the short list of four-time Kansas girls champions, which grew to four on Tuesday when Wamego’s Addison Douglass won her fourth 4A championship with a victory at Hutchinson’s Carey Park.
 

Slicker grew from those battles with Jones and other top 6A competitors. As a sophomore, she led Jones by one shot after the first round at Emporia Municipal before finishing third, seven shots behind the champion. Last fall at Carey Park, Jones wouldn’t be denied her fourth title while Slicker, fourth after the opening round, finished there with a 146 total, seven behind Jones.
 
“It’s been a lot of work,” said Slicker, who shared tears and hugs with Lancers coach Ben Hendricks and her teammates after her victory and Shawnee Mission East’s second straight runner-up finish to Manhattan in the team competition. “I’ve put in a lot of hours. I know I’ve put in the practice, but it’s still a two-day tournament and sometimes it doesn’t end up the way you want it to.
 
“Kinslea won the the last two years and she’s just an incredible person, an incredible player. Playing with her those two years was a blast. I think my freshman year I wasn’t expecting to win it all, so the fact I did made it even more special. And then this year I knew I had a shot because Kinslea wasn’t here. The pressure kind of fell off, but just a little bit.”
 
Myers wasn’t the only Manhattan golfer giving chase to Slicker. Senior Kat Ball, last year’s state runner-up to Jones, carded a 74 in the final round to finish two shots back at 150. Wichita Southeast junior Alina Lam posted consecutive 76s to finish fourth at 152, her third career top-10 state finish. Olathe East’s Jenny Sun also earned her third career top 10, taking fifth at 153.
 
Despite the struggles of her final high school round, Slicker still held all the cards as she lined up her final putt, a slightly uphill attempt. When it disappeared into the hole, her teammates led the cheers for a large crowd gathered near the green.
 
“I definitely was shaking,” Slicker said. “I had a hard chip and hit the chip as best I could, and the putt was definitely a knee shaker. I kind of just hit it and hoped for the best.
 
“I had the line and if it didn’t go in, I’d have a playoff and if it went in, thank God I’m done.”
 

CLASS 6A STATE GOLF
 
At Hesston Golf Course
 
INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS
 
1. Ella Slicker, Shawnee Mission East, 70-78–148; 2. Maddie Myers, Manhattan, 75-74–149; 3. Kat Ball, Manhattan, 76-74–150; 4. Alina Lam, Wichita Southeast, 76-76–152; 5. Jenny Sun, Olathe East, 82-71–153; 6. Savannah Cagle, Olathe West, 79-75–154; 7. (tie) Katie Robinett, Shawnee Mission East, 74-82–156; Gabriela Green, Blue Valley North, 76-80–156; Lily Bahr, Manhattan, 79-77–156; 10. Paige Wildman, Shawnee Mission East, 82-78–160; 11. (tie) Brooke Savolt, Garden City, 80-83–163; Macy York, Blue Valley West, 82-81–163; 13. (tie) Madeline Martin, Mill Valley, 80-84–164; Alaina Evans, Olathe West, 87-77–164; 15. (tie) Ailynn Anderson, Garden City, 78-87–165; Wrenn Burton, Manhattan, 90-75–165; 17. Karmen Hayslett, Blue Valley North, 84-82–166; 18. Lauren Cox, Washburn Rural; 19. (tie) Averie Yates, Olathe West, 78-90–168; Caroline Lee, Blue Valley Northwest, 80-88–168; Jessica Kim, Manhattan, 87-81–168.