Notre Dame de Sion’s Propeck wins Kenneth Smith Award as KC area’s top female golfer

Megan Propeck, winner of Missouri’s Class 2 state high school golf tournament three of her four years at Notre Dame de Sion High, is this year’s winner of the annual Kenneth Smith Award as the top high school golfer in the KC Metro.

Propeck, a senior, was given the award without the customary ceremony because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The award is sponsored by the Kenneth L. and Eva S. Smith Foundation and is presented each year to the area’s top boys and girls golfers.

Nominees, submitted by golf coaches and athletics directors, are judged in four areas: performance in high school golf tournaments, academic achievement, leadership on the golf team and in other aspects of school, and community service through school, church or other activities.

This fall, Propeck won six of seven tournaments in which she competed and placed second in the other, shooting under par at six of those seven events. She won the district tournament and then claimed her third Class 2 championship with a record finish of 6-under.

The Notre Dame de Sion team captain rates No. 49 internationally in the Rolex AJGA junior golf rankings and 18th among those in the graduating class of 2021.

She’s also a weighted 4.462 GPA student who volunteers through National Honor Society and S.A.D.D., Students Against Destructive Decisions. She also volunteers with the AJGA Leadership Links Program, through which she’s organized fund-raising events for the past four years benefiting First Tee of Greater Kansas City.

Propeck will attend the University of Virginia on scholarship.

”Megan is a team player, even during the most challenging times,” said Notre Dame de Sion coach Dana Hoeper. “In preparation for the state championship tournament, Megan sacrificed valuable personal practice time in order to help several teammates playing in their first state championship tournament.

“She walked with them as they played their practice round, offering encouragement and tips on course management, competitive thinking, stress control, etc.”

In recognition of Propeck’s achievements, the Kenneth L. and Eva S. Smith Foundation is contributing $5,000 to First Tee of Greater Kansas City to support their child development programs.

The boys’ Kenneth Smith Award will be presented next spring at the conclusion of the boys’ high school golf season.