Prairie View golfer the state champ at two-day tourney
By Roger Sims, Journal staff
WICHITA – It has been four years in coming. But the Prairie View girls golf phenom on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the KSHSAA State Girls Golf Championships attained a goal she set for herself as a freshman.
Prairie View senior Harley Wade is state champion in the Girls Golf for the Class 3–1A Division after shooting an 8 over par in two rounds at the Tallgrass Golf Club at Wichita on Monday and Tuesday. She shot a 76 on the 18-hole course on Monday followed by a 74 on Tuesday to win the tournament by 7 strokes over the second place finisher.
Wade, who competes on the regional amateur golf circuit, has qualified for the state tournament throughout her career at Prairie View, and each year has finished in the top 10 at state. It has been a steady climb to the state title for her, finishing seventh her freshman year in 2023, third place as both a sophomore and a junior, and finally taking gold in the final tournament of her high school career.
This fall she dominated in tournament play, tying for gold at substate in Garnett on Oct. 12; taking second at the Pioneer League meet on Oct. 6; winning meets at Chanute, Columbus, and Fort Scott; and placing in the top seven in the Lawrence (Kan.) Invitational and the Tournament of Champions in Staley, Mo. The tournaments at Lawrence and Staley pitted her against some of the best high school players in both Kansas and Missouri.
However, just as important as her achievement as state champ is her part in bringing the sport to Prairie View, which did not have a separate golf program for girls prior to her freshman year. After being a one-girl team in 2023 being coached by Prairie View activities director Mark Hough, Wade recruited four other girls to join her for the 2024 season.
The district also hired her father and personal coach Roger Wade to coach the newly expanded team in 2024. This year the district hired Scott Bauer as assistant coach and his hiring has allowed the team to split for varsity- and junior varsity-level tournaments that occur on the same day..
This year for the first time, Harley Wade has had a teammate join her at state. Grace Ray also qualified for the state tournament but was 8 strokes over the qualifying score for the second round.
Still, Wade and Ray helped the Lady Buffalos to some strong finishes with the help of teammates Maci Britz and Addyson Woodrum. The team took fourth at the substate tourney in Garnett, but the team wasn’t in the top three finishers and didn’t qualify for state.
With Harley Wade now weighing her options for college next fall, one question that arises will Roger Wade continue as head coach. The younger golfers are reportedly exerting pressure on him to return. However, his one stipulation is that they practice throughout the summer.
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