The Magnificat Blue Streaks are headed to Akron to defend their State Championship. The Blue Streaks put up a team score of 301 at Tanglewood Golf Club on Thursday to win the District Title for the fifth consecutive year. Sophomore Calli Reed led Magnificat with a round of 70, one under par. Joining Magnificat will be Walsh Jesuit (314), Highland (316), and Canfield (324). Revere shot an impressive 326, missing out by two shots, and Hoover’s 329 was good for sixth place.
The individual medalist was Elizabeth Coleman from Highland, whose four under par round of 67 was good enough to finish three shots above the rest of the field. Serena Wu from Solon (70), Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble from Brunswick (72), Ellie Hutzler from Hoover (73), and Emerson Glending from St. Joseph Academy (75) were the four individual qualifiers.
The State Tournament will take place Sunday, October 12th and Monday, October 13th at the Fazio Course at Firestone Country Club. Best of luck to all the Northeast District teams!
JE Good Park Golf Course in Akron, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, was the stage on Wednesday for the girls Northeast District Championship tournament in Division 2. The course routing has not changed much over those hundred years, but the trees have definitely matured. Winning at Good Park means navigating through the huge oak trees that line most of the fairways and figuring out some tricky greens along the hilly Akron property.
The Keystone Wildcats handled the narrow corridors at Good Park perfectly as they won the school’s first ever District Championship. “We felt all along we had a very good chance to make it to States,” head coach Dave Slee said. “I don’t usually check scores until we get to about hole 14,” he mentioned. “When I checked our scores and we had a nice lead we felt pretty comfortable but most of the girls didn’t want to hear anything until they finished.” Keystone was led by sophomore phenom Sophia Clarico, who has quickly become one of the top players in Northeast Ohio. Clarico’s seven over par 78 was good enough for 4th place individually and was plenty enough to lead her team to the tournament victory. Caseabella Fye played in the fourth spot in the lineup but shot Keystone’s second best score with an 85, which was also her best round of the year according to Slee. Alexis Askew shot 87 and Kennedy Accavallo added an 89 to complete Keystone’s impressive round of 339. Abriella Schnell shot 96 to round out the scoring for the Wildcats. Slee attributed his team’s success to both process and offseason work. “There wasn’t one big moment that made us feel that we would win but a whole day of very solid golf was played by all five girls. This team spent most of their summer playing tournament and league golf. They never let up during the season and making it to the state tournament has been their goal since last season. We are thrilled to be here and look forward to seeing what they can accomplish next week.” Keystone will head to Heatherwoode Golf Club in Springboro to compete in the State Tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Joining the Wildcats will be the Chagrin Falls Tigers, who will be playing in the State Tournament for the second straight season. Chagrin Falls used the same formula as Keystone to play a stellar round of golf. Their superstar sophomore is Elizabeth Pollock, who was the tournament medalist, shooting an impressive three over par 74. Pollock had four birdies, including three on the back nine, as she led all scorers. Head Coach Kristin Reboul speaks very highly of her top athlete. “She inspires everyone with her dedication, strong work ethic, and kindness,” Reboul said. Natalie Vernosky added an 88, Kate Murphy shot 93, and Ella Catney carded 96 to complete Chagrin Falls’ team sore of 351. Lainey Holmes shot 100 for the Tigers. “Three of the players were part of last year’s squad,” Reboul explained, “and that experience has fueled their motivation since the very beginning of the season.” As is usually the case, effort and attitude were the factors that led to Chagrin’s success. “At Good Park, the team energy was fantastic,” stated Reboul. “Each player stayed positive, managed their games on the tight course with great club selections and never gave up.”
Anuja Patel walked up to the tee knowing she would need to go low in order to make her own personal second trip to the State Tournament. Patel, a junior from Orange High School, was last year’s medalist with a 70. She didn’t go quite as low this year, but her experience at the District Tournament proved valuable as she shot 75 and easily advanced. “She got off to a solid start playing very smart golf putting her ball in great spots to get birdie looks,” Coach Cody Kovach explained. “Around the middle of her round a couple of unfortunate 3 putts on some fast greens frustrated her. And although she bent she didn’t break and finished strong in her typical fashion finishing last 6 at even par.” Was Anuja happy with her round? Not really, according to Kovach. “She would likely say not really. Anuja’s level of preparation and her expectations are unlike any athlete I’ve had to privilege to coach. My role with her is more to keep things into perspective and remind her in many cases she isn’t playing as bad as she feels when these situations will arise.” When those times come, mental toughness comes into play. “It’s golf, so sometimes the outcome will sting and all we can do is move onto the next hole,” said Kovach. “She has said before regardless of the situation (whether she is at the top or bottom of the leaderboard) she is always going to play her best golf. With this attitude and hopefully a few putts that fall for her she can finish where she wants to at Heatherwoode.”
Edgewood High School had a difficult year that was plagued by team injuries. They were back to full strength by the time Sectionals arrived, but the team fell just short of qualifying through the most difficult Division 2 Sectional in the state at Punderson Golf Course. Senior Annie Johnston had to qualify for the District Tournament on her own, which she did alongside freshman teammate Payton Lamson. Johnston played a career round at Good Park and qualified for the State Tournament by shooting a 77. She has been a staple of Edgewood’s recent success and according to coach Christina Fischer, she deserves the honor. “Annie struggled a little the first few holes with a double bogey, par, bogey to begin her round,” Fischer stated. “Once she strung five pars together, we knew that she was in the zone and that her going to state could be a reality. Her second nine began with a birdie on hole number one followed by 2 pars. She gave one back on hole number 4, but it was a tough pin placement on the par three.” Then the round got special. “The turning point for me, and probably her, was her eagle from 80 yards out on hole number 5. She followed it up with a great par on number 6. By that time, the field was really down to Anuja and Annie.” But there was more going on than just a two person race. “The other thing we were keeping an eye on was the team scores. Keystone and Chagrin were in command for the most part, but Chagrin slipped a bit towards the end and our fear was that if Southeast was able to get the second team spot, Chagrin’s Elizabeth Pollock would be the number one individual moving Annie down to #3 behind Anuja.” Chagrin was able to hang on and claim the second spot. Fischer gave some insight into her and Annie’s mindset, “We truly did not want to celebrate until we saw the final team scores posted to seal Annie’s number two individual spot.” They were able to celebrate as soon as the scores were finally added up. “I am so happy for her,” Fisher said proudly. “The amount of work she puts into the game, the love she has for the game and the fact this is her senior year make this one pretty sweet. It was also special to be able to celebrate the moment with her family, school administrators and personnel, coaches and her friends.”
Southeast claimed the first non-advancing spot, six strokes behind Chagrin Falls, followed by Columbiana and Lake Catholic. Olivia Norris from Lakeview tied Clarico’s 78, one shy of Johnston’s qualifying number. Avery Robinette, a freshman from Champion shot 80, and will likely find her way to the State Tournament in the future.
Congratulations to all our District qualifiers and best of luck in the State Tournament!
Four team spots and four individual spots to the State Tournament are up for grabs at Brookledge Golf Club on Wednesday, October 11th. Sixteen Division 1 teams and sixteen individuals from non-qualifying teams punched their tickets to Brookledge last week. Here is all the information you need to follow along with the District Tournament.
Live scoring can be purchased through the OHSAA Golf App
The Course
Brookledge Golf Club
Par 71 5,337 Yards (District Tees) Architect- Arthur Hills
Brookledge Golf Club is nestled on over 120 acres of rolling hills and woodlands, the challenging Arthur Hills layout is unlike any other in the area. The club was opened in 1992 and has consistently improved throughout the years, now ranked as the ninth best golf course in Ohio per PGA.com’s ranking. The course is always in excellent condition and has recently undergone irrigation and bunker improvements to make the course even better! (from Brookledge Official Website)
Aurora won the Old Avalon Sectional with a score of 314. They finished second in the Suburban League American Division and Brooklyn Millard finished as the conference Player of the Year. The team won the Parma Flamingo Frenzy and Millard was the medalist in that tournament. Aurora’s top two players, Millard and Gracyn Vidovic, make up one of the best tandems in the state of Ohio and will look to carry the team to Columbus.
Canfield snuck into the fourth spot at the Old Avalon Sectional, edging out Stow by one shot. They are the champions of the All American Conference. Their best tournament finish was 5th in the morning flight of the Hudson Lady Explorer Invitational. Canfield has a young core that will gain some valuable experience competing in the District Tournament as a group.
Green finished fourth at The Elms Sectional with a team score of 365. Green has two fourth place tournament finishes, The Elms Sectional Preview and the Summit County Cup. They also finished fourth in the Federal League this fall. Freshman Leah Dang has emerged as a top player for Green and the two Shocklee sisters, Sydney and Brooke, have both become more consistent players.
The Blazers from Hathaway Brown finished second in the Old Avalon Sectional, ten shots behind Aurora. They have third place finishes in the morning flight of the Lady Explorer Invitational, the Lady Bruin Invitational, and the Canterbury Invitational. Hathaway Brown has one of the most talented players in Northeast Ohio, junior Dixon Hill, and she is joined by a young core group of layers that will leave a lasting legacy at HB.
Highland won the Fox Den Sectional with a team score of 293, led by medalist Paige McKendry’s personal best score of 67. Coming off a fourth place finish at the 2022 State Tournament and returning every scoring player, Highland has had an expectedly good 2023 campaign. They easily won the Suburban League American Division and took the top spot in four separate tournaments. They are led by superstar Isabella Goyette but are at least six deep in quality players.
Hoover took the top spot at The Elms Sectional with a very good team score of 324 while Ava Kemp tied with Jackson’s Cara Murphy for medalist honors. Hoover was the champion of the Federal League again in 2023 coming off finishing 8th in the state in 2022. Hoover raced up three tournament wins this fall, the Mahoning Valley Invitational, Dover’s Lady Tornado Invitational, and the Stark County Championships. They are led by the duo of Kemp and Kylie Porter but have really thrived after the emergence of freshman Ellie Hutzler.
Hudson Explorers
Coach- Bobby Bolin
Projected Lineup 1. Emmy Burling (JR) 2. Sherry Du (SR) 3. Julia Van Bokkelen (JR) 4. Elena Varga (FR) 5. Ellie Davis (SR)
Hudson finished third at the Fox Den Sectional with a team score of 319, two shots short of second place Walsh Jesuit. The Explorers were the champions of the National Division of the Suburban League, winning three of the four tournaments. They had second place finishes at the Flamingo Frenzy and the Summit County Cup with a third place finish at the Brunswick Tee-Off Classic. Emmy Burling has had a strong 2023 season along with Sherry Du, and in order to advance Hudson will need good performances from Julia Van Bokkelen, Elena Varga, and Ellie Davis.
Jackson finished the season on a high note with a second place showing at The Elms Sectional. Cara Murphy also tied for the individual Sectional Championship. Jackson was second place in the Federal League this year and had strong showings in many tournaments. They had three second place finishes, the Lady Tornado Invitational, the Mahoning Valley Invitational, and the Stark County Championships. Murphy is the star of the show for the Polar Bears but will also be able to rely on help from any of the other four players at Districts.
Kent Roosevelt had a good showing at the Old Avalon Sectional with a score of 330, good enough for third place. The Rough Riders finished in third place this season in the Suburban League’s American Conference behind Highland and Aurora. They had one tournament win this season at Hudson’s Lady Explorer Invitational and a second place finish at the Terlesky Invitational. The team is led by senior Maddie Kost with a strong supporting cast.
After losing a couple very strong seniors to graduation, the Lake Blue Streaks reloaded and were able to finish third at The Elms Sectional. They also managed a third place finish in the always strong Federal League. Their best tournament finishes this year were at the Lady Tornado Invitational and the Stark County Championships, both third place. The Blue Streaks are led by three experienced seniors who look to have a strong finish to their high school careers.
The Blue Streaks of Magnificat easily won the Springvale Sectional with an amazing team score of 287, 41 strokes ahead of second place St. Joseph Academy. Magnificat won four Northeast Ohio tournaments behind one of the deepest teams in the state. They are led by national phenom Cara Heisterkamp and get plenty of help from Cammy Reed, Maureen O’Leary, Kristina Chill, and freshman Kayla Knaze. The Blue Streaks will look to all five of their stars to punch their ticket to Columbus.
Medina came home from Springvale Golf Course with a third place Sectional finish and a trip to the District Tournament. This postseason run capped off an impressive regular season for the senior-led Bees, who won three of the four Greater Cleveland Conference tournaments to take the league title. in regular season tournaments, the Bees finished fourth at both the Hudson morning wave and the Brunswick Tee-Off Classic. Stella Burns had a breakout year and she leads one of the strongest senior classes in Medina history.
Nordonia had a magical season in 2022 and started their 2023 run with a strong fourth place finish in a very competitive Sectional Tournament at Fox Den. The Knights finished third in the Suburban League National Conference while junior Julia Gulla was the Player of the Year. Nordonia’s best tournament finish this year was a third place finish at Chenoweth in the Summit County Cup. Gulla and senior Brooke Barnes both willshould up good numbers at the District Tournament and will look to get assistance from of their sophomore teammates.
The St. Joseph Jaguars have steadily risen to be one of the top teams on the west side of Cleveland over the past few years, as shown by their second place finish at the Springvale Sectional. Their best tournament finish was second place at the Mahoning Valley Invitational at Yankee Run Golf Course. St. Joseph is led by Gianna Reginelli, who has been a star since she arrived on Rocky River Drive. Emerson Glending has had a stellar sophomore campaign and the supporting cast is rounding into form.
Strongsville got out of the Springvale Sectional with a team score of 344, which was good for fourth place. The Mustangs were nearly edged out by Medina in the Greater Cleveland Conference after the two teams went down to the wire in the final league tournament. Senior Natalie Kostalnick did take home the conference Player of the Year award. Strongsville took third place in the Kent Lady Rider Invitational for their best tournament finish of the year. Kostalnick is complemented by Hannah Lee, who had a great day at Springvale, and Kendall Grau, who has been playing the best golf of her career over the past couple weeks.
Walsh Jesuit had their best performance of the season at the right time, as they shot 317 to take home second place at the Fox Den Sectional, two shots ahead of Hudson. The Warriors handily won the Crown Conference Championship in its final year year while senior Annie Stencel was the Player of the Year. Walsh finished second in the Lady Bruin Invitational at Pine Hills and added two third place finishes on top of that. Stencel will lead a young squad to Brookledge and look to get to Columbus to finish off a great high school career.
The Individuals
Gabby Berlingieri (Stow)
Shot 77 to finish tied for second individual Old Avalon Sectional
Medalist at Summit County Cup at Chenoweth
First Team All Suburban League
Olivia Berlingieri (Stow)
Shot 77 to finish tied for second individual at Old Avalon Sectional
First Team All Suburban League
2nd Place at Suburban League #3 at Fox Den
Mia Ginnetti (Rocky River)
Shot 82 to finish fourth individual at Springvale Sectional
2nd Place at Rocky River Invitational at Big Met
Medalist at LEGGA Postseason Tournament at Springvale
Madison Harpley (Revere)
Shot 79 to finish third individual at Fox Den Sectional
15th overall in Suburban League American Division
Shot 85 at Suburban League #1 at Old Avalon
Chloe Holton (Rocky River)
Shot 81 to finish third individual at Springvale Sectional
Medalist at Rocky River Invitational
2nd at LEGGA Postseason Tournament at Springvale
Lauren Iannetta (Eastlake North)
Shot 75 to finish tied for first individual at Fox Den Sectional
Medalist at Western Reserve Conference Tournament at Erie Shores
Set school record by shooting 71 at WRC Tournament at Erie Shores
Emily Lamb (Shaker Heights)
Shot 75 to finish tied for first individual at Fox Den Sectional
2nd overall in Greater Cleveland Conference
Finished 2nd twice and 3rd once in GCC tournaments
Saumya Mahajan (Revere)
Shot 81 to finish fourth individual at Fox Den Sectional
19th overall in Suburban League American Division
Shot 90 in Suburban League #3 at Fox Den
Zoe Mort (Marlington)
Shot 77 to finish first individual at The Elms Sectional
Medalist at Elms Sectional Preview, Marilyn Jackson Invitational, Stark County Championships
Medalist at Tri-County Conference Postseason Tournament at Zoar Village
Anna Myers (Louisville)
Shot 88 to finish tied for third individual at The Elms Sectional (advanced in playoff)
Shot 84 at Tri-County Tournament at Zoar Village
Shot 86 at Stark County Championships at Pleasant View
Madigan O’Leary (Avon)
Shot 77 to finish first individual at Springvale Sectional
Tied for second place in Southwestern Conference Tournament at Springvale
Shot 76 at Edison Invitational at Thunderbird Hills (3rd Place)
Sarah Quayle (Avon Lake)
Shot 79 to finish second individual at Springvale Sectional
Southwestern Conference Player of the Year
Medalist at Southwestern Conference Tournament at Springvale
Sophia Rivera (Boardman)
Shot 79 to finish fourth individual at Old Avalon Sectional
Medalist at All-American Conference Tournament
Shot 77 at All-American Conference Tournament
Caroline Roush (Copley)
Shot 88 to finish tied for third individual at The Elms Sectional (advanced in playoff)
22nd overall in Suburban League American Conference
Shot 84 at Suburban League #1 at Old Avalon
Natalie Ullum (Perry- Mass)
Shot 83 to finish second individual at The Elms Sectional
21st at Federal League Preseason Tournament at The Elms
27th at Federal League Postseason Tournament at The Elms
Serena Wu (Solon)
Shot 68 to finish first individual and medalist at Old Avalon Sectional
Ohio High School Golf 