Natalie Kostalnick from Strongsville High School is a Student Scholar Athlete with a 4.3 grade point average, the Greater Cleveland Conference Golfer of the Year for the past two seasons, and a future veterinarian who is already shadowing at some of the largest clinics in the Cleveland area. If those accomplishments and aspirations were all that made Natalie who she has become, it would be an amazing story. But there is more.

Since 2016, Natalie has worked to raise over $25,000 to donate to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus working for a non-profit she started called Drive Out Child Cancer. “There are kids who cannot get out of their hospital rooms for days or even months to do the things they love,” Natalie explained. After playing in a tournament at Ohio State, Natalie and her father made it their mission to raise money for those individuals who need it the most. “I went to the local bar that my family eats at and cleaned bar stools and bar rails. I made $100 and came up with my own $150 more.” She became the first person to donate money to Nationwide that way and decided she could help even more, leading to the beginning of her nonprofit. She mentioned that it has been hard to get the fundraising going since the Covid pandemic, but she is working hard to get it back on track.

Natalie Kostalnick started playing golf at the age of eight. The story began at Mr. Divot’s Sports Center in North Royalton where she was watching her sister hit softballs at the batting cages. “I was not talented enough to hit a softball,” Natalie recalled, “so my dad sent me and my mom to grab me a cut down shaft golf club. And now I’m 10 years into playing the sport.” She started playing in tournaments shortly after that and realized that she had talent when she started to see her name appearing at the top of those leaderboards.

As soon as Natalie stepped on the golf course her freshman year she immediately became the number one player on the team. “I was horrified to play on the team,” she said. “I was going to be the youngest one with some of the best scores. I was definitely intimidated. But there was nothing to worry about because they all welcomed me without any hesitation.” One player that had a huge impact on Natalie is Madison Gilbert, who is one year ahead of Natalie and a recent graduate who will be attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. “We were in elementary school together,” Natalie said. “She is the person I would run to when we had to pick partners at practice. When we have conversations she always listens and gives me the best advice.” Those conversations range from golf to traditional teenage girl talk. “I am very sad to see her leave this year but I know she will go on and do AMAZING things at Miami. Everyone needs a Madison!”

According to Strongsville coach Kevin Weir, “Natalie has changed the culture of our program and has turned it into a contender each year.” They won back-to-back Greater Cleveland Conference Championships in 2021 and 2022, with 2021 being their first in a decade. Natalie led the Mustangs to the District Tournament her freshman year by shooting an 83 at the Sectional Tournament at Sweetbriar Golf Course and followed it up with an 83 at Districts at Ellsworth Meadows. The Sectional Tournament was moved to Springvale Golf Course in 2021, a move that helped Natalie take her game to a whole new level as her 74 helped Strongsville finish in second place. Again, she performed well at the District Tournament at Brookledge with an 82, earning a top 20 finish. She matched her 74 at Sectionals this past season. Natalie knew that she had played well, but was not sure exactly how well. “I did not keep score in my head. When I heard I shot 74 I was honestly surprised. My game felt good but not that good.” It was that good. Natalie finished tied for second place overall in the tournament and her team advanced to Districts yet again.

The weather worsened for Districts at Brookledge in 2022 and high scores were common all around the golf course. Natalie was disappointed with an 89. “The temperature was everywhere,” she said. “It’s hard to play with multiple layers.” That was not meant to be an excuse because other factors were at play. “I also think that nerves got the best of me,” she added. “It is hard to play with the top players in your area and keep that off your mind. It’s much easier said than done.” She is already looking at it as a learning experience.

Natalie is also very happy to share what she has already learned and her experiences with her younger teammates. “I try to give advice (not only golf), try to help them with the game, and I am just always an open ear to help them with anything,” she said. She has had a huge impact on one player for sure. The number two player on the Strongsville varsity team is Hannah Lee, a talented up and coming junior who has some serious golf skills. “It’s amazing to see the golfer and the person that she has become in the last two years,” Natalie said proudly. “I hope I’ve taught her a few things before I leave next year.” What are some of those things? “I try to help her out as much as I can, like reminding her to not four-putt at least once a round,” she responded with a smile. “We know each other’s attitudes and know when we need to be consoled and when to leave each other alone.” Some teams struggle with building chemistry, but because of Natalie along with her past and current teammates, Strongsville is not one of them. “I am very lucky to have such a tight knit team,” she explained.

Coach Weir agrees that Natalie has been a transformative influence on his program. “Natalie has completely changed who Strongsville Golf is as a program since she has been a freshman,” he explained. “Natalie is a natural leader and has shown it since day one.” He added that she is the player who keeps the rest of the team on the same page, and has been doing it since she was named a captain as a sophomore. Coach Weir added, “She communicates with the team as needed during the offseason and makes sure everyone is doing okay on and off the course during the season.”

Coach Weir mentioned that one of the keys to being successful in high school golf is using the summer to improve. Between the end of the school year and the beginning of August, the time typically goes by very quickly. Natalie tries to simulate the rigor of the high school season when she plays over the summer. She typically plays in well over ten tournaments and gets out as often as possible to get practice rounds in. There is one key aspect to all of the practice and competition. “I make sure that I am prioritizing having fun,” she said. Some of the most fun that many junior golfers have over the summer is at the Hudson Junior Invitational, which takes place toward the end of June each year. Natalie was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to play in the Hudson Junior last summer. “It was hard with my dad not being there because he was out of town, but my friends came out to watch,” Natalie explained. “It was also nice to get paired up with one of my friends (Isabella Paez from Magnificat) for the first two rounds.”

An amazing quality shared by the talented high school golfers in Northeast Ohio is how they are able to excel on the golf course while still having a huge impact on their respective communities as well. Natalie Kostalnick is another fine example of a top tier golfer whose impact reaches far beyond the fairways and greens. Coach Weir put it perfectly: “She has the biggest heart and is truly willing to do anything for anyone.”