Introducing the Wichita Eagle high school girls golf All-Metro team for the 2022 season
The Wichita area featured some of the best high school girls golfers in Kansas this season and that star power is highlighted on The Wichita Eagle’s 2022 All-Metro girls golf team.
The All-Metro squad consists of six of the top golfers and a top coach from Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties, based on season-long performance with an emphasis on postseason finishes.
Maize sophomore Kinslea Jones, who won the individual Class 5A state championship for the second straight year, was once again chosen as the Golfer of the Year honors.
Below is the full team:
Regan Dusenbery, Andover freshman
There was no better freshman in the Wichita area than Dusenbery, who won six tournaments, carried a 71.8-stroke average and finished sixth at her first state tournament in Class 5A. Her finest play came towards the end of the season when she posted four straight rounds under par, a 63-hole stretch that saw her finish 9-under and culminated with her winning the AV-CTL Division II championship.
Andover’s Regan Dusenbery: “Looking back on it, I’m happy with how the season went. I’m happy I got to make memories with all of my friends and it was fun having my teammates with me along the way. And it was always fun playing with (fellow All-Metro golfers) because they pushed me and I pushed them. When we’re playing against each other, it’s always a more fun round because we enjoy it.”
Andover coach Ryan Harshaw: “She’s very talented in all phases of the game, but what stood out to me the most was her mental toughness. When things didn’t go quite the way she wanted it to, she was mentally tough enough to shake it off and move forward. The best example of that was the state tournament, where she went triple-triple on the second and third hole and she bounced back and was 6-over par for the next 33 holes. She’s mature beyond her years and being so young and being able to approach the game like that is definitely a gift.”
Alexa Garrett, Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior
It was a fitting ending to a stellar, four-year career at Kapaun for Garrett, who finished with a career-best finish (tied for fourth) at the state tournament, posted a career-low scoring average (74.4 strokes) and helped the Crusaders win their third straight Class 5A team championship. Garrett, who is committed to play Division I golf a Long Island University, becomes the first 4-time All-Metro player in The Eagle’s brief history of the team with a career that saw her notch top-10 finishes at state all four years, win the City League title as a freshman and win a regional title as a sophomore.
Kapaun’s Alexa Garrett: “Golf has definitely been the best part of high school for me, just being able to make certain friendships with my teammates and building a bond through the team. It’s been a really good experience and I thoroughly enjoyed my time golfing at Kapaun.”
Kapaun coach Marie Thomas: “Alexa has been solid for us ever since she came in as a freshman. She’s been incredibly consistent and I know she’s spent a lot of time working to get better and it showed this past season. We always knew we could count on her to be at the top of the leaderboard for us.”
Kinslea Jones, Maize sophomore
Jones ended her sophomore season with a scorching finish, winning her final five tournaments with a combined 10-under par score to repeat as AV-CTL Division I, regional and Class 5A state champion. For the second straight year to start her career, Jones earned the nod as the All-Metro team’s Golfer of the Year after topping yet another loaded field to win her second straight state title. She has now won 17 of 19 tournaments in her high school career and finished this season with a scoring average of 70.1 strokes.
Maize’s Kinslea Jones: “It was very exciting to win again. It’s very rewarding because I worked hard for it and to come back and win again, it was just a lot of fun. And it was fun because of the competition with (fellow All-Metro picks). It makes you feel really good when you win because you know you beat someone who could have beat you. We’re all friends, so it was just a lot of fun this season.”
Maize coach Ben Harlow: “Kinslea really puts in the time and she has a special group around her to keep her going throughout the year. She works very hard and high school golf is just one season during the year for her. Everything she has, she has earned on the golf course.”
Keira Ronsick, Bishop Carroll senior
A strong case can be made for Ronsick as the best girls golfer to ever come through Bishop Carroll, especially after a stellar senior season. Ronsick was the model of consistency, placing no worse than fourth place in all 10 of her tournaments, including two victories and five runner-up performances, and finishing with a 73-stroke scoring average. A 2-time All-Metro selection who is committed to play Division II golf at Newman, Ronsick notched her fourth straight medal in Class 5A with a career-best third-place finish at the state tournament this year.
Carroll’s Keira Ronsick: “I’m pretty proud of myself. I feel like I’ve come a long ways, especially mentally, which is really important. I’m kind of sad that my high school career is over, but I’m looking forward to playing golf for Newman and moving on.”
Carroll coach Mark Berger: “Keira has gotten better and better every year. That’s so impressive because when you were already shooting 78, getting down to 74, 73 takes a lot of work. That doesn’t happen easily. To get down that low, you’re cutting most of the fat off the bone. It’s amazing to see her continue to work and get better and I think she’s going to continue to get better and be amazing in college. She’s meant so much to our program and we’ve had a chance with our team every year because of her.”
Meg Tilma, Kapaun Mt. Carmel sophomore
Another season of stellar play has cemented Tilma’s status as one of the best golfers in Kansas as just a sophomore. She won a total of six tournaments this season with five under-par rounds, most notably a 9-under round at Sierra Hills, a 4-under round at Mariah Hills, a 5-under round at Crestview and a 4-under round at Tex Consolver. Tilma, now a 2-time All-Metro selection, became a first-time City League and regional champion and was three strokes back in second place at the Class 5A state tournament, finishing with a spectacular scoring average of 68.5 strokes.
Kapaun’s Meg Tilma: “This year was super fun and I grew super close to my teammates this year, so I’m sad to see (seniors) Alexa (Garrett), Maddie (Engel) and (Sophia) Gimino leave. And I grew really close with Tilly Jones this year and that was the most fun part, just going on road trips with her and practicing with her. It was one of the most fun seasons I’ve ever had, even though I didn’t have my sister with me.”
Kapaun coach Marie Thomas: “What makes Meg so good is the work ethic that’s just been ingrained in her from her family. I don’t think she started playing golf until maybe the eighth grade, but coming from a family that has a golf background like theirs, she obviously had a lot of natural talent and the work ethic to do it and the foundation from her family to help her.”
Margaret Ulrich, Collegiate sophomore
It was another perfect postseason for Ulrich, who repeated as the AV-CTL Division III-IV champion, regional champion and Class 3-1A state champion in her sophomore campaign. And she defended her titles in dominant fashion, winning all three postseason tournaments by a combined 25 strokes over her competition to earn her second straight All-Metro selection. Ulrich battled against some of the top competition in the Wichita area during the regular season, as she claimed four tournament titles, finished no worse than third place and carried a 72.2-stroke average.
Collegiate’s Margaret Ulrich: “Winning state this time feels a lot different than winning the first time. During state, it was very windy and very cold, so I had to play the right club and know how to play the wind. It was definitely fun to play against (fellow All-Metro golfers) during the season because I’ve played with them for such a long time and it’s just really fun to be able to go up against them.”
Ben Harlow, Maize coach
Behind a scoring lineup of mostly sophomores, Maize peaked at the right time and came away with a third-place team trophy from the Class 5A state tournament. That’s the first state hardware since 2013 for the Eagles; not a bad accomplishment for a squad that finished third in the regional qualifying tournament behind Hays and Bishop Carroll, two teams they edged out at state. Maize was led by 2-time individual state champion Kinslea Jones, but also had key contributions from sophomore Charlotte Kerbs (14th place at state) and junior Alexis Elliott (second in scoring average). The dramatic improvement from sophomore Abigail Cavazos helped spur Maize’s late season run, while senior Kira Packer and sophomore Emma Hays rounded out the team that won three tournaments this season, including the AV-CTL Division I championship. With all four of its top scorers back for next season, the Eagles should once again be one of the stronger teams in Class 5A.
Maize coach Ben Harlow: “We have a great group of girls and most of them were sophomores this season, so playing their second year together was key. When kids play golf every day, you can see the improvements as the season goes along and I’m really proud of how far these girls have come. Charlotte really blossomed throughout the year and then we had another sophomore, Abby, who really improved too. We’re excited to keep building on this season.”
All-Metro second team
Alexis Elliott, Maize junior
Sophia Gimino, Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior
Bella Jones, Bishop Carroll junior
Tilly Jones, Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior
Loralai Millspaugh, Trinity Academy senior
Ava Truong, Kapaun Mt. Carmel freshman
Lindsey Warsnak, Newton senior
Alexa Zweifel, Augusta senior
Marie Thomas, Kapaun Mt. Carmel coach
All-Metro third team
Jaycee Brown, Garden Plain senior
Maddie Cartwright, Kapaun Mt. Carmel sophomore
Arabella Clevenger, Andale senior
Kaitlyn Fowler, Cheney senior
Kayla Jensen, Eisenhower junior
Charlotte Kerbs, Maize sophomore
Ella Kerschen, Bishop Carroll senior
Kiley Maier, Campus junior
Joanie Pauls, Newton coach
This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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