2025 GIRLS GOLF SEASON PREVIEW
Manhattan
CLASS 6A
2024 State champion: Manhattan
2024 State runner-up: Shawnee Mission East
2024 Individual champion: Kinslea Jones, Maize
2024 Review: Maize’s Kinslea Jones put herself in rarified air by becoming a four-time individual state champion. Jones joined Columbus’ Jill Simpson (1992-95) and Blue Valley West’s Julia Misemer (2018-21) as the only four-time state champions in the history of KSHSAA girls golf. Jones cemented her four-peat by notching four birdies over her last 10 holes, finishing with a two-day 139 at Hutchinson’s Carey Park.
Manhattan brought home its first team state championship since 2008. The Indians left no doubt, carding a two-day 593 to win by 29 strokes over runner-up Shawnee Mission East. It was the program’s 12th state team title. Kat Ball led Manhattan with back-to-back 71s to place second individually, just three shots back of Jones. Ball was joined in the top three by teammate Maddie Myers, who finished with a 145, three shots back of second. Manhattan's Kaitlyn Lagabed also cracked the top five with a 150, and Lily Bahr tied for 20th for the Indians. Runner-up
Shawnee Mission East put five golfers in the top 20 – Ella Slicker (fourth), Ingrid Blacketer (tied for 12th), Katie Robinett (15th), Faith Grecian (tied for 18th) and Addy Sulivan (tie for 20th). Reece Randall and Natalie Peterson led
Washburn Rural to a third-place effort. Randall tied for 10th and Peterson tied for 12th.
Maize took fourth behind Jones’ individual title.
Blue Valley North placed fifth, led by a tied-for-16th showing from Gabriela Green.
Blue Valley West also qualified for Day 2 and took sixth.
2025 Contenders: Manhattan should be well equipped to make a strong repeat bid. The Indians are led by a pair of possible title contenders in senior Kat Ball and junior Maddie Myers. Ball was the individual runner-up last year while Myers took third. Manhattan graduated a top-five state placer in Kaitlyn Lagabed but the Indians also bring back a couple other key returners in Wrenn Burton and Lily Bahr. Ella Slicker, a state champion as a freshman in 2022, is back to lead
Shawnee Mission East after the Lancers took second last year. After her title, Slicker took third at state as a sophomore and fourth last year as a junior. East also returns Katie Robinett, who placed 15th at state last year, but the Lancers graduated three top-20 placers in Ingrid Blacketer (12th), Faith Grecian (18th) and Addy Sullivan (20th).
Washburn Rural took third last year but graduated two top-15 placers in Reece Randall (tied for 10th) and Natalie Peterson (tied for 12th). However, Lauren Cox is back to help lead the Junior Blues after just missing out on a medal last year, tying for 22nd.
Maize, fourth last year, graduated one of the state’s all-time elite players in Jones, now at the University of Kansas. Jayden Ramsey placed 31st for the Eagles last year as a junior.
Blue Valley North placed fifth last year. Senior Gabriela Green tied for 16th at state last year for the Mustangs.
Blue Valley West was sixth a year ago but graduated a pair of top-35 finishers. Sophomore Macy York and junior Remi Mouber are back for the Jaguars after placing in the top 40 at state last year.
Olathe West’s Savannah Cagle should be a factor in 6A as a senior. Cagle took fifth as a freshman and sixth as a sophomore but was forced to withdraw from state last year after battling an illness.
Olathe East senior Jenny Sun is also one of the top golfers in 6A. She tied for fifth at state last year. Other returning top-20 medalists include
Wichita Southeast’s Alina Lam (tied for seventh),
Olathe South’s Caroline Parks (tied for 16th) and
Garden City’s Brooke Savolt (tied for 18th.)
Kapaun Mt. Carmel
CLASS 5A
2024 State champion: Kapaun Mt. Carmel
2024 State runner-up: St. James
2024 Individual champion: Ximena Sarinana, Kapaun Mt. Carmel
2024 Review: Kapaun Mt. Carmel notched a championship sweep for the second straight year. The Crusaders won their fifth consecutive team title and Ximena Sarinana captured her second straight individual title. The then-sophomore rode a red-hot start in the second round to build a lead before holding off all contenders down the stretch at Salina Municipal Golf Course. Sarinana shot a 2-over-par 142 for the tournament, edging Andover’s Regan Dusenbery by two strokes. Kapaun carded a two-day 649 to best runner-up St. James Academy by eight shots. Kapaun left with five top-20 medalists. Emma Nguyen placed 10th with a 162, followed by Maddy Cartwright in 11th with a 163 while Remi Hartley and Claire Runyan shared 16th at 172.
St. James provided a strong challenge. The Thunder’s second-place showing was fueled by freshmen Lynn Powell and Caroline Zacharias, who placed fifth and eighth, respectively. Rose Muehlberger was 13th and Katelyn Williams took 15th to round out the team scores for the Thunder.
Newton’s Naomi Koontz took third place individually with a 147, followed by
Elise Eckert, who took fourth with a 150 to finish her junior season at
Emporia.
St. Thomas Aquinas was a distant third in the team standings, led by Katherine Adkins, who tied for 6th. Fourth-place
Blue Valley Southwest had two top-20 medalists in Sophia Johnson (tied for sixth) and Sienna Burdine (tied for 19th). Mary Bina placed 12th to lead Bishop Carroll to a fifth-place team finish.
Seaman also made it to Day 2, taking sixth.
The Vikings were led by Jaycee Zimmerman’s 18th-place showing.
2025 Contenders: Led by two-time defending individual champion Ximena Sarinana,
Kapaun will be eying its sixth consecutive team title. Sarinana is halfway to becoming a four-time champion after winning as a freshman and sophomore. Kapaun also returns two other top-20 medalists from 2024 in Emma Nguyen (10th) and Remi Hartley (tied for 16th). The Crusaders did graduate two other top-20 placers in Maddy Cartwright (11th) and Claire Runyan (tied for 16th).
St. James, runner-up 2024, has enough firepower to make another strong push at a title. The Thunder bring back three of their four top-15 placers from last year in sophomores Lynn Powell (fifth) and Caroline Zacharias (eighth), and senior Rose Muehlberger (13th). St. James did graduate a top-15 placer in Katelyn Williams.
Aquinas, third last year, graduated its top player in Katherine Adkins, who tied for sixth last year. Braelyn Elledge finished in 26th at state last year for the Saints as a junior.
Blue Valley Southwest took third place in the team standings in 2024 and returns Sophia Johnson, who tied for sixth last year as a junior.
Seaman will get a huge boost from the transfer of Elise Eckert, a three-time top-20 placer for Emporia. Eckert placed fourth for the Spartans after taking fifth as a sophomore and 14th as a freshman. The Vikings also return two top-25 placers in Kaitlynn Frye and Makenna Stuke off last year's fourth-place team. Challengers to Sarinana for the individual title include
Andover’s Regan Dusenbery and
Newton’s Naomi Koontz. Dusenbery, a University of Minnesota commit, has been the state runner-up for two straight years. Koontz took third as a sophomore last season. Other returning top-20 placers include
Arkansas City’s Aspen Colquhoun (14th) and
De Soto’s McKenzie Laster (tied for 19th). In addition to Dusenbery, Andover
also returns Isabel Hawley, who tied for 26th at state last year.
Hayden
CLASS 4A
2024 State champion: Hayden
2024 State runner-up: Wellington
2024 Individual champion: Addison Douglass, Wamego
2024 Review: Flying under the radar throughout the regular season,
Hayden delivered in the postseason for the second straight year to defend its 4A title. The Wildcats finished with a two-day total of 698 to beat Wellington by 15 shots. Lauren Borjon led Hayden with a third-place finish. The Wildcats had two other top-20 medalists in Izzy Glotzbach (tied for 12th) and Addyson Baer (tied for 16th).
Wamego’s Addison Douglass notched her third straight championship in dominant fashion, pulling away for a 10-shot victory with an even-par 142 for the tournament.
Wellington’s second-place effort was fueled by three golfers in the top 20 – Taryn Viramontes (sixth), Claire Ginter (14th) and Presley Cornejo (20th).
McPherson took third, led by Brodie Kuhn’s fifth-place finish. Andi Buschbom tied for 12th for the Bullpups. Kaylee Cox placed seventh to lead
Augusta to a fourth-place showing.
Buhler took fifth behind a ninth-place showing from Anika Paulsud while
Baldwin placed sixth with Peyton Wright leading the way by taking eighth.
Winfield’s Lilli Sympson was the individual runner-up with a two-day 152 total.
Bishop Miege’s Ashley Myers took fourth.
2025 Contenders: After Maize’s Kinslea Jones last year became just the third four-time state champion in KSHSAA girls’ golf history,
Wamego’s Addison Douglass has a chance to add her name to the list. Douglass took the drama out of the state individual title battle last year at Hesston Golf Course, pulling away down the stretch to win by 10 strokes with a two-day even par 142. Douglass has committed to play golf at Appalachian State University. Two-time reigning champion
Hayden returns plenty of firepower, led by three-time state placer Lauren Borjon, who took third in 4A last year as a junior. Senior Izzy Glotzbach has also played a key role in the Wildcats’ championships the last two years. Glotzbach tied for 12th at state last year. Hayden did graduate a top-20 medalist in Addyson Baer (tied for 16th) but should still have solid depth in 2025. Brooke Johnson tied for 34th at state last year as a sophomore for Hayden.
Wellington, runner-up in 2024, is primed for another strong season, bringing back three top-20 placers. Taryn Viramontes led the Crusaders with a sixth-place showing last year, followed by Clarie Ginter (tied for 14th) and Presley Cornejo (20th).
McPherson, third in 2024, also returns a pair of top-15 placers in Brodie Kuhn (fifth) and Andi Buschbom (tied for 12th). Junior Kaylee Cox will look to lead
Augusta to another solid year after finishing seventh last year. Other key returners for the
Orioles, who were fourth at state a year ago, include Gabby Rettig and Ellasyn Mettling, who tied for 22nd and 26th at the 4A meet last year, respectively.
Wamego, champions in 2021 and 2022, will look to get back to state as a team after not advancing out of a tough regional last year. Led by the three-time reigning champion Douglass, Wamego also returns junior Lillian Costa, who qualified for state as an individual last year and finished 24th. Each of last year’s top-five state placers are set to return, including runner-up Lilli Sympson from
Winfield and
Bishop Miege’s Ashley Myers (fourth). Other returning top-20 medalists include
Baldwin’s Peyton Wright (eighth),
Buhler’s Anika Paulsrud (ninth),
Concordia’s Mya Niehues,
Eudora’s Marleigh Grant (11th),
Ottawa’s Kathy Gillett (tied for 14th),
Chanute’s Delaney Hastings (tied for 18th) and
Independence’s Violet Robins (tied for 18th).
St. Mary's Colgan
CLASS 3-2-1A
2024 State champion: St. Mary’s Colgan
2024 State runner-up: Silver Lake
2024 Individual champion: Amelia Bowles, Rawlins County
2024 Review: St. Mary’s Colgan captured its fourth team title over the last five years in dramatic fashion, using a fifth-score tiebreaker to deny Silver Lake’s bid for back-to-back titles. The final round began with four teams within nine shots of 18-hole leader Caney Valley, but Colgan and Silver Lake rose to the top with both posting two-round, four-player scores of 718. Colgan’s slimmest of separation came from senior Kate Smith, whose 99 trumped Silver Lake’s fifth-best score by one shot. Ava Scripsick tied for ninth to earn her fourth individual top-20 state medal and lead the way for Colgan, which also got top-20 finishes from Danielle Yaghmour (11th) and Molly Swezey (tied for 20th). The battle for the individual title was just as captivating.
Rawlins County’s Amelia Bowles rolled in a 20-foot birdie on the 18th hole for a one-shot victory over three-time state champion Margaret Ulrich of
Wichita Collegiate. Bowles carded rounds of 71 and 76 for a two-day 147, narrowly denying Ulrich’s bid to become a four-time champ. After breaking through for its first state team title in 2023,
Silver Lake’s bid for a repeat was led by Taylor Zordel, who tied for fourth at the state meet. The Eagles also got top 15 finishes from Kailyn Hanni (13th) and Makenna Miller (tied for 14th).
Goodland capped a season of near-perfection with a third-place finish after winning all of its previous tournaments. Allison Cure finished fifth and sophomore Natalie Cure tied for seventh to lead the Cowgirls, who also got a 12th-place showing from Tori Jones. Izzy Higgins and Katelin Lohmann each tied for 14th to lead
Jefferson West to fourth place as a team. Day 1 leader
Caney Valley settled for fifth place. The Bullpups had two top-20 medalists – Aiva Price (19th) and Marayah Gulick (tied for 20th). Logan Nolan took seventh place to help lead
Colby to sixth place as a team.
Prairie View’s Harley Wade placed third individually, 10 shots back of Bowles.
2025 Contenders: Formed in 2019, the
St. Mary’s Colgan girls’ golf program has quickly established itself as a powerhouse. The Panthers have captured four of the last five Class 3-2-1A titles. They will have to reload this year after graduating five seniors, including standouts Ava Scripsick and Molly Swezey. Junior Danielle Yaghmour is the lone returner from the state tournament lineup. She is a two-time top-15 state placer.
Silver Lake won the 2023 title before losing to Colgan on a fifth-score tiebreaker and settling for runner-up last year. The Eagles are in a similar boat as the Panthers, losing leader Taylor Zordel and three others off last year’s team. Three-sport star Kaylin Hanni, who placed 13th last year, is back to lead Silver Lake.
Goodland, which took third at state last year, is a possible title favorite after returning three standouts in Allison Cure, Natalie Cure and Tori Jones. Allison Cure, the reigning Great West Activities Conference player of the year, led the Cowgirls at state by tying for fifth place, followed by Natalie Cure and Jones, who tied for seventh and 12th, respectively. Goodland was undefeated in every tournament heading into state last year.
Jefferson West took fourth last year. The Tigers return one top-20 medalist in Izzy Higgins but graduated another in Katelin Lohmann. Higgins and Lohmann tied for 14th at state last year.
Caney Valley raced out to a Day 1 lead at the state meet last year but cooled off in the second round to finish fifth. The Bullpups have four returning starters including Aiva Price, who finished 19th at state.
Colby had earned five straight runner-up finishes as a team before taking sixth last year. They graduated last year’s leader in Logan Nolan, who tied for seventh at state. A new individual 3-2-1A champion will be crowned after
Rawlins County’s Amelia Bowles capped her career with a state title last October.
Collegiate’s Margaret Ulrich had won the last three state titles before taking second to Bowles by a stroke last year.
Prairie View’s Harley Wade is the top returning finisher from the 3-2-1A meet, placing third last year with a 157 total.
Osage City’s Peyton Pitts tied for fifth with Allison Cure last year as a junior. Other returners from last year’s top 20 include
Jayhawk-Linn’s Celeste Schneider (ninth) and
TMP-Marian’s Brynn Schoepf (tied for 14th).
NOTE: Classifications for the 2025-26 school year had not been released at the time of publication. Teams featured could potentially fall into a different classification once those have been determined.