Hays’ Sr. Jaycee Oakley nabs WAC Player of Year honor
It was the end of the 2023 fall high school golf season when Garden City HIgh School girls’ coach Chris Duncan met with all of his Lady Buffaloes’ team that had just finished second to champion Hays in the Western Athletic Conference, qualified for the Class 6A state, but was unable to make the cut for the final round at Emporia Municipal Golf Course.
“Those exit meetings was a way to evaluate how the season had gone and then what each of the girls would want to work on in the offseason, the summer and then prepare for the 2024 season,” Duncan said after his sophomore-laden team (5 of 6) won all five WAC tournaments to end Hays’ four-year reign in the conference. “We lost only one senior (Jerika Lopez) and I knew that Ailynn (Anderson) and Brooke (Savolt) would put in the time, playing Central Links summer tournaments with specific goals to work on.”
What Duncan didn’t know is how the remainder of his returning sophomores-to-be (Breckyn Lucas, Megan Burr and newcomer Lakyn Warren) would develop in 2024.
“Getting Lakyn out was something of a surprise, but she like the others got better as the season went along,” Duncan said. “I wanted some of them to do strength training and then work on their games during the summer.”
That hard work and newfound confidence blossomed this fall as the Lady Buffs first showed signs of being the best in the WAC at the season-opening 9-hole event at Smoky Hill Country Club in Hays.
“I felt like we could be competitive, but early on didn’t know how Hays would be since they’ve always been at the top (winning in 2020-21-22-23),” Duncan said.
While Hays’ Jaycee Oakley, who claimed the individual Player of the Year honors by three points over Garden’s Anderson (71.5-68.5), she wasn’t enough as the only returning starter off the previous championship Lady Indians’ teams.
Anderson was chasing Oakley all season, Savolt was rock solid in the four WAC tournaments in which she played (missing Dodge City due to illness), and the big surprise perhaps was Lucas, Duncan said.
“I think Breckyn surprised me to some extend this summer when she played in the Central Links events,” Duncan said. “While I don’t spend a lot of time with their swings (that’s for the golf pros to teach), I did indicate to her that she needs to work on not overswinging and keep the swing under control.”
That seemed to work as Lucas ended up in third place on the all-WAC first team with Savolt placing fourth even with the one missing tournament. Savolt closed out the WAC season with a career-best 3-over-par 74 at Southwind Golf & Dining as the Lady Buffs went 5-0 for a perfect score of 25 points. Hays was second with 20 and Dodge City third with 15. Great Bend and Liberal did not field full teams for some events.
Burr, who has been between fourth and fifth on the team in scoring, but her scores have dramatically lowered from her freshman campaign.
“She just needed to spend more time playing and I saw her at the golf course as much as possible during the summer,” Duncan said. “She’s continuing to improve all areas of her game, but the consistency has also improved.”
The lone senior of the team – Jacya Vargas – has also seen lower scores for the Buffs this season.
“She’s not always in one of our scoring positions, but she’s been an invaluable leader to the younger girls,” Duncan said of Vargas. “But we’ve needed her scores a few times this season and she’s come through with much lower scores.”
Warren, the younger sister of former standout Ryann Warren, did not compete as a freshman, but made the decision to join the team in late summer.
“She has brought her scores down as the season has progressed,” Duncan said. “She’s got some talent, she just needs more time to play, practice and learn how to compete.”
Overall, Duncan would admit that his sophomore class might be a little ahead of schedule in what scores they are shooting. Both Savolt and Anderson have had scores in the 70s, Lucas has broken 90 this season as well.
“I think from the beginning of the season, once we had a couple of tournaments done, we felt we could be more competitive,” Duncan said. “I’d say the Manhattan and Hutchinson tournaments were where I felt we have started to compete with some of the better teams.”
The Buffs have not finished lower than fifth in any tournament of the ’24 campaign.
“We’ve known all along that Brooke and Ailynn were going to be our best players, and they’ve shown great poise and leadership, too, and have improved so much from a year ago. I think there is certainly the thought that if improve as much over the next two years we have a chance to have a pretty good team.”
Garden City’s title was its 14th since the WAC came into existence in the mid-1980s. Hays leads with 17 and Dodge City has 9.
Hays’ Jaycee Oakley nabs WAC Player of the Year honor
When the 2024 fall golf season started with pre-tournament practices back in August, Hays HIgh senior Jaycee Oakley knew things were going to be different for her and her Lady Indians’ teammates.
For the three previous seasons, Oakley had been an integral part of three Western Athletic Conference championships and high finishes in the Class 5A state tournaments.
But the 2023 season in her junior year saw all five of her varsity teammates graduate, leaving her to anchor what would be an inexperienced squad for veteran coach Mark Watts.
Needless to say, Oakley held up her end of the bargain, playing consistently throughout the five WAC tournaments to capture the Player of the Year honors based upon performance in all five conference tournaments.
She finished with 71.5 points to edge Garden City sophomore Ailynn Anderson’s 68.5 points. In her five conference events, Oakley placed first (Hays), second (Dodge City), tied for second (Liberal), first (Great Bend) and second (Garden City). Her highest score of 86 came at Dodge City on a day when the wind blew well above 20 mph. Her lowest round of 76 came at Lake Barton Golf Course during the WAC No. 4 tourney in Great Bend.
“It was definitely a lot different year,” Oakley said upon the conclusion of the conference season. “It was strange but exciting and still fun.”
Two other seniors – Liz Dreiling and Elizabeth Noble – helped provide leadership to the three juniors and one freshman comprising the remainder of the roster.
“They all played and improved and I’m still excited about the season,” said Oakley, who will sign in November to compete at Fort Hays State University next year. “I think one of the things about high school golf is that you can be a good leader by telling them that it is all OK and it’s not that bad. Just enjoy the game the best you can.”
Oakley says most areas of her game – driving, iron play, short game (chipping and putting) have all seen some improvement over the length of her high school career.
“But my iron play is what really got much better this year,” she said. “I have improved my distance accuracy and gotten stronger. My driving has been pretty good. If I’ve become a better putter it’s because I do a better job of finding the line to the hole.”
Clinching the WAC award in the final event was a satisfying way to cap off her final high school regular-season tournament.
“When I was a freshman I couldn’t really see myself winning this, but we’ve had some other outstanding players before me, so each year it felt like it was more of a possibility,” Oakley said. “I knew going into the final tournament that I had a small lead, and in the end I’m super excited and happy to pull it off.”
There has been a series of Lady Indians to finish ahead of the rest of the WAC and Oakley insists keeping the tradition alive is important.
“It’s pretty cool to keep it going and continue having a top player,” Oakley said. “I just really tried to tell myself to enjoy the season and play tournaments one at a time.”
Girls Golf – Final Team Standings
1. Garden City, 25; 2. Hays, 20; 3. Dodge City, 15; 4. Liberal, 4; 5. Great Bend, 0.
(Teams Award Points at each conference tournament on 5-4-3-2-1 basis)
2023 All-Conference Golfers
| FIRST TEAM | SCHOOL | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaycee Oakley | Hays | 71.5 |
| 2 | Ailynn Anderson | Garden City | 68.5 |
| 3 | Breckyn Lucas | Garden City | 60.0 |
| 4 | Brooke Savolt | Garden City | 57.0 |
| 5 | Megan Burr | Garden City | 49.5 |
| 6 | Liz Dreiling | Hays | 44.0 |
| SECOND TEAM | |||
| 7 | Jacya Vargas | Garden City | 40.0 |
| 8 | Breckyn Putnam | Dodge City | 39.5 |
| 9 | Kinley Pfannenstiel | Hays | 334.5 |
| 10 | Ava Erbert | Hays | 29.5 |
| 11 | Rachel Harrold | Dodge City | 22.5 |
| 12 | Lily Butler | Hays | 21.5 |
Coach of the Year: Chris Duncan, Garden City
