The ultimate goal in high school golf is to have the opportunity to be a state champion, whether it is as an individual or as a member of a championship team. Imagine working for four full seasons to accomplish that goal only to show up to the Ohio State Golf Club feeling terribly sick. Then overcoming that to beat a field of the best players in the state to win the individual State Championship. This is the story of how Siena Maschke, a senior at Laurel School in Shaker Heights, was able to persevere to become the Division 2 individual state champion in 2023. This is also the story of how Siena transformed herself into a top level competitor, a great teammate, and an amazing individual.

The story starts in a very unlikely place: Asia. “I was traveling to Hong Kong with my dad when I was about three,” Siena recalled. The family came upon a driving range and Siena started hitting golf balls. That was the beginning of something special, although not immediately. It wasn’t until she was about six years old that she ever made anything out of golf. Siena ended up joining the First Tee program where she learned the fundamentals of the game and the life skills that have proven to be the ultimate reward that comes out of the game of golf.

Siena did not play golf competitively much before high school and did not get off to the greatest start in her high school career. “I shot a 112 in my first tournament at Lake Forest my freshman year,” she explained. She knew she could do better and looked up to a very successful teammate for help. Jami Morris, who won the Division 2 State Championship as a sophomore and is currently playing golf at Penn State, became Siena’s motivation. “I was inspired by how focused she was,” Siena added. “At first I was intimidated but I became encouraged by what she brought to the course. She showed me what it took to be a state champion.” Following Jami’s leadership by example, Siena continued to work on her game and received some fantastic experience during her freshman year, where Laurel ended up finishing third at the State Tournament and she carded respectable scores of 84 and 85. Jami won the individual tournament once again.

To get to the State Tournament in 2023, Laurel needed to improve over the year. Even with Siena at the top of the lineup, Laurel did not have high external expectations for the season. “We had the same team coming back from last year,” Siena explained. “Four of our top five players were seniors. We had classes together and were friends off the course.” Siena maintained a positive outlook and made sure that her teammates picked up on it. She is very outgoing on the course and would do just about anything to pick up her teammates, whether it was shouting to them in the next fairway, giving them a hug at the end of the round, or shedding actual tears when a teammate had a great round. “Once they saw their improvement, they were encouraged,” Siena said. That improvement was massive. Laurel’s team score at their second event of the season, the Lady Explorer Invitational at Lake Forest, was 404, which put them 16th in a field of 18, albeit some of the top teams in Ohio. At the District Tournament at Good Park Golf Course, Laurel shot 359 to sneak into the third and final qualifying spot for the State Tournament by two strokes over Southeast.

Siena’s individual run started strong in 2023. She received a “coming of age” moment in the Ohio Women’s Open at Scioto over the summer, where she actually finished ahead of Jami Morris, the player she looked up to in high school. She won the Ohio Girls Golf Foundation tournament at Avon Oaks before the high school season started, then won tournaments at Twin Lakes and Pine Hills (in a scorecard playoff). She then lost her swing midway through the season. “Coach (Marti) Hardy and my mom were both telling me it was okay if I didn’t win states, but I was so determined.” Siena worked hard to overcome the adversity along with her coach, Joe Meglen. “He was like my therapist,” she recalled. “I worked on skills, but also mental game and breathing strategies.” She was able to put everything back together and played her best golf when it mattered the most. The State Tournament was on the horizon.

“I haven’t really told anyone else this but I was so sick during the State Tournament,” Siena said. “I went through four bottles of Robitussin. It was at the point where other players were reminding me to take medicine.” She toughed it out for the first day and shot a fantastic score of 70. She was greeted by hugs from her teammates. She was also starting to get attention from other players, parents, and coaches. “I was shocked people knew who I was,” she remembered. High school golfers don’t typically have much experience with sleeping on a lead, because most tournaments are only one day affairs. Siena had a two stroke lead over Garaway’s Sammi Miller going into the second round. “I told myself to stay focused. Don’t get too happy, too upset, and stay stable mentally.” It was a little tougher day and Siena ended up with a 73, but it was plenty enough to earn her the individual title. She ended up winning the State Championship by seven shots over Eva Lim from Columbus Academy and Avery Thompson from Hebron Lakewood. Siena offered this advice as to how she ended up being a State Champion: “Golfing every single day, taking lessons, playing in more tournaments, and learning how to play the golf course are how I did it.”

Siena had many positive things to say about the teammates she was able to play alongside during this magical ride. Fellow seniors Jade Gladue and Liliana Embrescia were the two most improved players from the previous season. “They both showed huge improvement which led to our team success,” Siena said. Every team needs that team player that everyone likes to be around. Stella Kronstain, another senior on the team, was that player according to Siena. “She is one of my best friends,” Siena added. The team will now be in the hands of current sophomore Elizabeth Weingart, who Siena predicts will be their future number one player. “She is my little sister at school. We’ve built a really good relationship and she has improved a ton on the golf course.” Siena is hoping to pass down the State Championship pedigree to Elizabeth.

There is another relationship that Siena treasures and will continue to embrace as she moves on in her golf career and personal life. Marti Hardy, a Spanish teacher, has been Laurel’s golf coach for over twenty years and has seen the growth and development of many talented players and exceptional people. “She opened so many doors for the team and myself,” Siena said. “She is 75 years old and although the golf is a lot, she wants the camaraderie. It keeps her young.” Coach Hardy is a fixture at Laurel. She will take her players out to lunch or dinner, go to school plays and athletic events, write recommendations, and most importantly, provide snacks on the golf course. She also understands the game very well. “She knows people have bad days. She’s always encouraging,” Siena said.

It goes both ways. Coach Hardy was extremely complimentary of Siena, both on and off the golf course. “I would call her genuine,” Coach Hardy explained. “The ways she treats her competition and teammates makes her a great role model. She has been mature since 9th grade. Siena is one of the easiest kids to coach because she came in ready to go.” Coach Hardy bragged of Siena’s respect for her opponents, ability to overcome mistakes, and care for her teammates, coaches, and the golf course. “She is confident without being cocky,” Coach Hardy added. “She is social on the golf course, which helps her not be nervous and not get rattled.” She also bragged about Siena’s role at Laurel, where she is a straight A student, class president, and well liked by her peers and classmates.

Siena will be attending Denison University in the fall and will be playing on the Big Red’s golf team. “Coach (Lauren) Grogan has a drive to win a National Championship and I want to be a part of that,” Siena explained. “I was originally so against being in Ohio but I visited Denison and kept going back, like four times. The community and coaches were interactive and they were the only school that remained engaged. I had lunch with the team and it was like we had always known each other.” She plans to possibly study global commerce and/or psychology.

Siena Maschke is a baker, a chef, a crocheter, and a knitter. She is the editor of the Laurel School magazine, “The Voice”. She is a school ambassador and is part of the “Look Up to Cleveland” Leadership program. And most importantly, she is a State Champion Golfer and an amazing mentor and role model.