OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Golf isn’t just a seasonal sport at one Kansas City metro high school.
The girls at Shawnee Mission East High School believe it’s time to rise up, and reclaim their spot as state champs in Kansas.
The Lancers women’s golf program has finished in the state final four four times since 2019, including back-to-back state Class 6A State Championships in 2019 and 2020. SME won five of its eight regular season tournaments this season and at last week’s Sunflower League Championship, East successfully defended its conference crown, winning the three-round competition by 67 strokes.
“We feel like this is a strong team,” third-year Lancers Coach Ben Hendricks said.
Hendricks believes all six of his varsity players have the tools to play college golf. Their average team score of 309 hits the target.
“We’ve never been more prepared. They know exactly what to do to prepare. We’ve been working all season really hard. I’m really have proud of their effort,” Hendricks said on Tuesday.
The Lancer ladies feel like there’s unfinished business after finishing as Class 6A runners up a season ago. It’s no matter this school hasn’t won a team state championship in five seasons. Senior Ella Slicker won an individual state title in 2022, and if this team plays up to its potential at next week’s regionals, they’ll get a chance to contend for the school’s ninth girls state golf championship.
“It’s a lot of pressure, and it takes a lot of practice. I think we got lucked out last time, and we’re going to get it this year. It’s going to be very exciting,” Addy Sulivan, SME senior golfer, said.
“I think we can win state. I think we can do it,” Harper Fieser, Lancers freshman golfer, said. “We all play our best, which is what I hope for. That adds up to a great team score and hopefully winning.”
Shawnee Mission East has a busy couple of weeks coming up. KSHSAA state regionals, also known as the substate round, is set for next Tuesday at Heritage Park Golf Course in Olathe. They also hope to play in another KSHSAA Class 6A state tournament, which is planned for October 20-21 in Hesston, Kansas.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Read the full article here
