Shawnee Mission East junior Katie Robinett has been nominated for the Midwest PGA Junior Student-Athlete Award, an honor her former teammate Ella Slicker won in 2024.

Milburn Country Club golf professionals Zack Proffitt and Dakota Soukup nominated Robinett for the award, which recognizes one male and one female student-athlete from Kansas and Missouri each year, the SM East Harbinger reported on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Candidates must excel in athletics, sportsmanship, leadership, citizenship and community outreach, and carry at least a 3.5 GPA, according to the Midwest PGA.

Robinett carries a 4.5 GPA.

"She's a great golfer," Proffitt told the Harbinger. "And she's an even better human being."

Proffitt is a PGA of America member. He and Soukup, an assistant golf professional at the Overland Park club, cited Robinett's habit of bringing friends to Milburn and helping them learn the sport as a key reason for the nomination. Golf professionals select nominees directly; there is no application process.

Robinett tied for seventh at last year's Class 6A state tournament with a 156, while Slicker won her second straight state title at 148 before heading to Colorado State.

Robinett first stepped on a golf course at age 2. Her father, Trent Robinett, who played golf on scholarship at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, brought Katie and her older twin sisters, Hanna and Hope, to Milburn as children. Hannah went on to play golf at the University of Tulsa.

By eighth grade, Robinett was splitting time between competitive dance and golf. Dance consumed 12 hours a week, not counting weekend competitions and rehearsals. She chose golf.

Robinett told the Harbinger it was a hard decision, but she liked golf better and saw it as a lifelong sport.

She now practices from 3 to 7 p.m. daily after school, completes homework, and sometimes fits in an additional golf workout. She misses one to two school days per week for tournaments and has played more than 80 tournaments in her career.

Milburn Country Club has produced multiple Midwest PGA honorees. Luke Smith won 2025 Golf Professional of the Year, and Rob Shipman earned Teacher and Coach of the Year, according to PGA Magazine.

Robinett is setting up college visits and hopes to play golf at the next level. The Midwest PGA has not announced a timeline for the 2026 award winner. The SM East girls golf team was scheduled to compete Wednesday, Sept. 30, at Eagle Bend Golf Course.