Many stellar high school careers came to an end at the end of the 2025 season. Kristina Chill will leave a lasting impact at Magnificat while Caitrin Coyle, one of the all-time good people, graduated from St. Vincent-St. Mary. Walsh Jesuit sees the departure of Colleen Stadler and Gianna Rodenhauser. St. Joseph will have to navigate the high school golf scene without Emerson Glending, Tess Gibel, and Ellen Mingus. The Jaguars will also bid farewell to coach Maureen Adler, an all-time legend at the school. Laurel will also see the end of an era as Marti Hardy has retired from coaching. She has made an impact on generations of young golfers and will be missed dearly in the high school golf landscape.

Looking ahead to 2026, Magnificat will be a unanimous choice to make another trip down to Dayton after a State runner-up finish in 2025 and a State Championship in 2024. They have a loaded roster featuring sisters Kayla and Korinne Knaze along with superstar Calli Reed and underrated talent Kellen Gleason. Barring any unseen circumstances, Magnificat should be once again representing Northeast Ohio in Dayton in October. Coming up right behind Magnificat will be the Warriors from Walsh Jesuit. Senior Yumi Kohara along with juniors Sarah Vojtko and Vivian Eich lead one of the most talented teams in the area. The question mark for Walsh Jesuit will be their fourth score. They may need to rely on senior Brooke Tercek or they could have another younger player step up. St. Joseph Academy, after graduating their core group of seniors will turn to another dynamic trio that has grown with the program. Ella Babcock, Vera Swartz, and Willa Streeter are all seniors who have plenty of varsity experience to draw from and begin new wave of Jaguars. They will do so under the eye of new coaches Lauren Demirjian and Amanda Schwab. Hathaway Brown looks to be back on the rise. Sophomore Saijal Jawa is an emerging star in the area and fellow sophomore Cece Voelker has put in a ton of work throughout the offseason. Add in junior Adelyn Ehlers and the Blazers will have their voices heard. Under the leadership of new coach Matt Monter and senior Lily Taylor, Hoban should have a successful season in 2026.

Spirits are high in Gates Mills as the Gilmour Academy Lancers have become a power to be reckoned with in Division 2. Sophomore Callie Dennison has taken the reins and is a top player in the program as they look to advance far in the postseason tournaments. Bristol continues to be a strong contender in the eastern part of the area while Ursuline looks to be one of the top small school teams in the Youngstown area. St. Vincent-St. Mary is developing a young roster and looking toward the future. They will rely on transfers Brooklyn and Gracelyn Berkowitz as the Our Lady of the Elms program was eliminated this season. Cardinal had a successful first season as a program in 2025 and will look to build off of it as the program grows. Another very new program, the Firelands Falcons have an ambitious head coach in Jacob Fitzpatrick. They will continually improve as the team grows.

Impact Players

Ella Babcock (SR) St. Joseph Academy
Brooklyn Berkowitz (SR) St. Vincent-St. Mary
McCamey Compan (SR) Pymatuning Valley
Callie Dennison (SO) Gilmour
Vivian Eich (JR) Walsh Jesuit
Adelyn Ehlers (JR) Hathaway Brown
Greta Geib (JR) Laurel
Kellen Gleason (JR) Magnificat
Saijal Jawa (JR) Hathaway Brown
Kayla Knaze (SR) Magnificat
Korinne Knaze (SO) Magnificat
Yumi Kohara (SR) Walsh Jesuit
Nicole Krohn (SR) Hoban
Nina Kumer (JR) Lowellville
Brooke Leedy (SR) Gilmour
Anna Mooney (SR) Lake Center Christian
Kaitlyn Omlor (JR) Cardinal
Calli Reed (JR) Magnificat
Sophia Scianna (SO) Ursuline
Willa Streeter (SR) St. Joseph Academy
Vera Swartz (SR) St. Joseph Academy
Lily Taylor (SR) Hoban
Cecelia Voelker (SO) Hathaway Brown
Sarah Vojtko (JR) Walsh Jesuit
Anistyn Williams (JR) Bristol

Freshmen to Watch

Zuzanna Citak (Firelands)
Sanaya Dubey (Hathaway Brown)
Stella Meyer (SVSM)
Brynn Wagamon (Cardinal)

Bristol Panthers

Head Coach- James Vecchio
Last Year’s Results- 9th at Punderson Sectional

Cardinal Huskies

Head Coach- Mike Topalian
Last Year’s Results- 17th at Punderson Sectional
Coach’s Comments- The Lady Huskies are excited to be back for their second formal season as a squad. The Huskies look to keep building experience and confidence as they progress on their golf journey.

Firelands Falcons

Head Coach- Jacob Fitzpatrick
Last Year’s Results- 15th at The Pines Sectional
Coach’s Comments- I am excited about the potential of this team. Our focus this season will be on building confidence, improving each player’s individual game, fostering a positive team culture, and competing with resilience. If we continue to embrace growth and support one another, I believe this group has the opportunity to achieve great things.

Firestone Falcons

Head Coach- Justin Persinger
Last Year’s Results- DNS at Fox Den Sectional

Gilmour Academy Lancers

Head Coach- John Malloy
Last Year’s Results- 4th at Punderson Sectional, 6th at Good Park District

Hathaway Brown Blazers

Head Coach- Ronald Jones
Last Year’s Results- 5th at Old Avalon Sectional, Match Record: 6-3; Sectional Placement: 1 (single adv. to Districts); Tournament Finishes: 2 top 5 finishes
Coach’s Comments- Although HB will be young by age, our girls are playing quite a bit of golf this summer, coupled with few new student potential, we expect to have another solid and exciting season of golf.

Archbishop Hoban Knights

Head Coach- Matt Monter
Last Year’s Results- 10th at The Elms Sectional, 5-2 in matches, four top-4 finishes in tournaments, Lily Taylor missed qualifying for District by one stroke.
Coach’s Comments- We are exciting for the new season and hope to take a step forward as individuals and as a team this year.

Laurel Gators

Head Coach- Zachary Stenger
Last Year’s Results- 13th at Punderson Sectional
Comments- With the retirement of Marti Hardy, Laurel School has a new Varsity coach, Zachary Stenger, and assistants, former two-time State Champion, Laurel/Penn State golfer, Jami Morris, and JV coach Keith Rush. Together, they will work with a primarily 9th and 10th grade team along with our two Junior Captains, Abby Vasu and Greta Geib. We are looking forward to developing our young golfers into strong competitors this year and in the years to come. 

Lowellville Rockets

Head Coach- Daniel Dougherty
Last Year’s Results- 16th at Pine Lakes Sectional

Magnificat Blue Streaks

Head Coach- Danny Gallagher
Last Year’s Results- 1st at Big Met Sectional, 1st at Tanglewood District, D1 State Runner Up
Coach’s Comments- We are excited to continue to build the golf program at Magnificat and once again have high expectations to be one of the best golf programs in the State of Ohio.

Pymatuning Valley Lakers

Head Coach- Jeff Compan
Last Year’s Results- 14th at Pine Lakes Sectional

St. Joseph Academy Jaguars

Head Coach- Lauren Demirjian and Amanda Schwab
Last Year’s Results- 2nd at Big Met Sectional, 7th at Tanglewood District, Individual E. Glending qualified for States and finished 26th.

St. Vincent-St. Mary Irish

Head Coach- Dirk Hartman
Last Year’s Results- DNS at Fox Den Sectional
Coach’s Comments- Very young team, excited to have 2 transfers from the Lady of The Elms program which folded. This is the first full team we will field in two years.

Ursuline Fighting Irish

Head Coach- Michael Murphy
Last Year’s Results- 10th at Pine Lakes Sectional

Walsh Jesuit Warriors

Head Coach- Bill Reilly
Last Year’s Results- 1st at Fox Den Sectional, 2nd at Tanglewood District, 4th at State Tournament, Winning the sectional championship with a new School scoring record of 294 led by a three underpar 68 from Vivian Eich, 72 from Sarah Vojtko, 73 from Yumi Kohara was a great start to the post season only to be topped by a runner-up District finish and a 4th Place finish at the State Championship
Coach’s Comments- Setting a new school record (294) was a great accomplishment for the girls ,only to be topped by a 4th place finish at the State Tournament in 2025.An accomplishment we hope to build on in 2026. It could well be another fun run!!