By Jayson Henderson

Kansas State senior Haley Vargas has been named the Big 12 Women’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2023-24 season, as announced by the conference office Wednesday. Vargas is the first Wildcat to receive this honor.

This recognition adds to her recent academic achievements, including being named to the Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholars Team and earning First Team Academic All-Big 12 honors for the fourth time. Vargas maintained a 4.0 GPA while majoring in conflict resolution.

Vargas concluded her five-year career at K-State with a 75.32 career scoring average, ranking fourth in program history. She also finished fourth in career rounds played with 128. Vargas recorded two of the top 11 rounds in school history and two of the top 25 lowest 54-hole scores.

During the 2023-24 season, Vargas achieved a 73.50 scoring average, the third-best in school history. Her season included an individual victory at the White Sands Invitational in The Bahamas, leading the Wildcats to their first team championship since 2019. Vargas posted four top-20 finishes and had 12 rounds of even- or under-par golf, with 87.5% of her rounds counting toward the team score.