Eudora graduate Joellen Vogt will head to Florida to compete in the National Christian College Athletic Association Women’s Golf Championship. 

It’s a challenge that years of experience and success in high school prepared her for. 

As a Cardinal, Vogt traveled to the state tournament by herself for three years, which helped her learn how to compete on a big stage, even when she had to do it alone. 

“It’s a little bit of deja vu for me to go to a national tournament by myself,” Vogt said.

The tournament, which features the best golfers at Christian colleges across the country, will be a new type of challenge. 

“College golf is a whole different world,” said Vogt, who graduated high school in 2024. “And the level of competition with international students and students from around the country is completely different than anything I had ever played against in high school.”

Vogt qualified for the national tournament by being the highest individual placer not on the winning team. She finished fourth overall. 

The tournament in Florida will include more than golf. Players will also participate in a welcome dinner and collect items to donate to a local food pantry. 

“It is pretty cool that they are able to do that with a golf tournament and be able to help the community that’s there while we’re just coming to have some fun and play golf,” she said.

Vogt is in her second year of college golf. After a stellar four-year career in Eudora, she was the first Cardinals girls golfer to play in college and joined Barton Community College for a season. But last year, she decided it wasn’t the right fit for her, and so she entered the transfer portal and ended up at Central Christian College of Kansas. 

Vogt said it worked perfectly for her to land at Central Christian. Not only do they have a great golf program, but the school also has a pre-veterinary program that aligns with Vogt’s career goals. Plus, it’s just a short drive from her grandparents. 

“I liked the smaller college feel,” she said. “And coming from a small high school, I liked the community feel of a small school that you wouldn’t necessarily find at a large university.”

Central Christian golf coach Kyle Moody said he had recruited Vogt out of high school and was glad to see her join the team this season.

“She enjoys the opportunity to play golf,” Moody said. “She’s competitive, but she also enjoys golf. So every time she goes out, she has a good time. Even if she’s not playing particularly well, she’s got a smile on her face.”

Vogt has a busy schedule as an athlete and a pre-veterinary major. She said she balances the busy workload by taking some online classes and trying to complete her homework early before traveling for golf. 

Moody said her work ethic is evident on and off the course.

“She puts a lot of work in,” Moody said. “Sometimes that means she’s coming in at eight in the morning and going to the course and working early so that she can get all the practice time that everybody else gets.”

Vogt’s high school head coach, Susan DeVoe, said Vogt always could push through challenges, a quality that will help her on the national stage. 

“She has the wherewithal to have the perseverance where even if, you know, there’s a bad shot or a bad round, just to bounce back,” DeVoe said. 

But DeVoe said one of Vogt’s most valuable qualities was her team-focused mindset.

After three years of medaling at state as an individual, Vogt wasn’t satisfied. She worked to help the whole team improve and, during her senior year, led them to qualify for state as a team. The golf team has now qualified for state multiple times.

“She was excited to have made it for herself, but she wanted the team to be better so that she could go with a team,” DeVoe said.

Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]