Here are the results from some tournaments that occurred near the end of the regular season.
(Please keep us updated on tournament results, team/individual accomplishments, and other interesting stories as they develop this postseason!)
Terlesky Invitational
By Alyssa Birch, Boardman HS
The 9th annual Christine Terlesky Lake Club Girls High School Golf Invitational took place on Monday, September 16th with 15 teams competing in two divisions. The Division I teams were Boardman, GlenOak, Medina Highland, Howland, Hubbard, Massillon Jackson, Kent Roosevelt, and Lake. The Division 2 teams were Columbiana, Lakeview, Poland, Southeast, Struthers, West Branch and Ursuline.
In Division 1, Highland won their fourth straight Terlesky title in a row shooting a team score of 319. Massillon Jackson was second (336), Kent Roosevelt third (355), Lake fourth (367), GlenOak fifth (402), Hubbard sixth (420), Howland seventh (428), and Boardman eighth (441). Highland’s Elizabeth Coleman shot an impressive score of 73 to earn Division 1 medalist honors. In Division 2, Ravenna Southeast shot a team score of 350 to take first place honors. Columbiana was second shooting a team score of 379, West Branch third (405), Lakeview fourth (419), Ursuline fifth (434), and Poland finished sixth (462). Southeast’s Taylor Blazek took medalist honors shooting a score of 81.
The tournament is held in honor of Christine Moschella Terlesky, a former Boardman All-State athlete, beloved BHS history teacher and girls basketball and golf coach who battled ALS for almost 8 years before passing away in 2020 at 48 years old. She was an inspiration to so many with her courageous battle. Denise and Dan Gorski, tournament directors credit the success of the tournament to Lake Club owners Ed and Chris Muransky, the entire Lake Club staff, tournament workers, and the generous donations from sponsors who make this tournament possible. Sponsorships also help to finance a $1,000 scholarship to a BHS senior girls basketball player and a $1,000 scholarship to a BHS girls golfer, both in Christine’s name.
Other Tournaments
Springfield High School brought all the teams from Summit County together to participate in the second annual Summit County Cup at Chenoweth Golf Course. The field was divided into big schools and small schools. Walsh Jesuit shot 317 and came out on top among the big schools, holding off Nordonia, which finished with 329. Nordonia’s Julia Gulla did take home medalist honors as she shot 73, two ahead of Hudson’s Emmy Burling. On the small school side, Springfield defended their home turf and took home the trophy with a score of 398. They edged out Archbishop Hoban by the slim margin of two shots. Hoban’s Lily Taylor with a 90 and Nicole Krohn with a 92 took home medalist and runner-up honors.
Conditions were immaculate as always at Canterbury Golf Club in Beachwood, a tournament that highlights the schedules for most teams participating. This year’s champion was Magnificat with a team score of 327. Second place went to Walsh Jesuit with a 340. The tournament medalist was Serena Wu from Solon, who continued her amazing junior year season with a 74. Elizabeth Coleman from Highland finished a shot behind.
In Stark County, the Hoover Vikings won yet another tournament, taking home the Stark County Championship. Paced by Kylie Porter’s 74, Hoover shot a 314 and finished 24 strokes better than their nearest competitor Jackson. Porter’s 74 was good enough for second place, as Zoe Mort from Marlington took home the individual medal with a 73.
Magnificat and Highland, as is traditionally the case, battled it out at Fox Meadow Country Club in Medina to find the victor on the girls side at the Brunswick Co-Ed Classic. Magnificat shot a remarkable 293 to hold off Highland’s 316. Kristina Chill of Magnificat was the medalist with a one under par 71 followed by the Hornets’ Elizabeth Coleman’s even par round of 72. St. Ignatius teamed up with Magnificat to earn the overall championship as both teams ran away on their side of the tournament.
Jessica Porvasnik is a big fan of the year 2024. The former Highland High School and Ohio State University golf standout already has a rather significant list of accomplishments, but now she can add two more huge life events to that list. In August, Jessica tied the knot and married her fiance Sam. Within a month of that momentous occasion, she received notice that she had officially earned a spot on the LPGA Tour.
The moment Jessica found out that she had earned her card is immortalized on Instagram. “How do you guys know that?” Jessica asked in the video. A simple response: “Math.” She had mathematically made the jump every female golfer dreams of and she had not even thought to check into it. “I was like ‘what?'” she explained. There were three events left in the season and she still had some work to do to earn fully exempt status, but one thing was certain: Jessica Porvasnik would be playing on the LPGA Tour in 2025.
Jessica has an untraditional story of her rise in the sport of golf. She was never exposed to the game and her parents were not golfers. “I started kind of late, at age 12,” she said. “I played many other sports and was really into softball. I was visiting my aunt in Battle Creek, Michigan and she suggested we take a golf lesson together.” The pro who gave the lesson was impressed. “Hey, you’re pretty good.” That was all it took. Jessica’s aunt helped her find out that the Highland golf program had a middle school club team. She joined that and made it a point to play with her grandfather every Sunday. Her sister Alicia also picked up the sport around the same time.
Jessica was able to make the Highland varsity team as a freshman. “It was a lot of fun,” she recalled. “It was a family atmosphere for me. It made my game get better just because of the competition. I grew to love the game and loved being with them.” Her best high school memories are the same as pretty much any high school golfer you ask and they include being big into flamingos, singing on van rides, and the camaraderie of the team. One of her goals was to win the individual state championship and she was able to accomplish that goal her senior year. “That was really cool,” she said happily.
It didn’t take Highland golf coach Mary Becker long to know Jessica might be on a different trajectory. “I began to believe that Jessica was a special kid after her freshman year,” Coach Becker explained. “She came back as a sophomore and made a huge jump. Just watching her development, passion and hunger to learn more and more about golf, and how to become a better player was something you saw in her every day.” Going to Ohio State was the right decision, according to Becker. “I was super excited for her to choose Ohio State to play her college golf. Number one, it’s a great national level program with great resources and facilities. Number two, after getting to know coach Hessian from OSU, I knew it was the right choice. She played on the tour and had a track record of developing tour players, which made her program a great fit for Jess.”
Jessica ended up having a stellar career at Ohio State, where she won the Big Ten Tournament her freshman year as an individual while the Buckeyes won it as a team. They ended up winning the conference three of her four years there and also made it to Nationals three of those seasons. After graduating with a degree in finance, Jessica knew she wanted to pursue her golf career. She committed herself and was happy to have more time to dedicate to improving her game. “I could now spend my time focusing on golf, fitness, and nutrition,” she said.
Jessica turned pro in the summer of 2017, right after her graduation. She continues to show appreciation for her coaches from Ohio State, who have been extremely supportive of her and have even caddied in some of her events. She went through LPGA Q-School to try to earn her tour card that fall but did not make it through the first round. She faced similar results the next two years. But she continued to play in state opens and on mini-tours. In 2020, she played on the Women’s All Pro Tour, which had an incentive where the top five on their money list got to skip Stage 1 of Q-School. With her struggles getting through Stage 1, this was exactly what Jessica needed. She won the first event on the WAPT and then the tour shut down due to Covid. “The year was a wash,” she explained. She didn’t back down and was able to get into the top 5 in 2021. In fact, she finished first overall on the WAPT and was able to get status on the Epson Tour as a result of her Q-School performance.
2024 was Jessica’s third season on the Epson Tour. She ended up finishing strong in most tournaments she played in. She had two second place finishes and six top 10s on the Epson Tour. If she finished in the top 10 overall she would receive a full card and 11 to 15 would earn her a partial card. When she found out she had mathematically qualified for the LPGA Tour with three events left, she still had a little work to do. She finished third in the next event to solidify a top 10 finish. With one event left on the Epson Tour, Jessica is sitting in third place and is ready to start making plans for her 2025 season on the LPGA Tour. “It hasn’t quite set in yet,” she said. “I think it will after this last event (at Indian Wells in Palm Springs).”
Jessica is very excited to live the LPGA lifestyle. “I can’t wait to see new courses and travel. I look forward to seeing new places. That was exciting with the Epson Tour. I got to visit a lot of places I had never been to. I can’t wait to see the new places on the LPGA Tour.” She is also excited to visit some of her host families and friends she has made along the way. Many of them still stay in touch and are following her journey.
Jessica has some experience on the big stage. She qualified to play in the 2014 Women’s US Open at Pinehurst. She did not make the cut but still mentioned that it was a great learning experience. She Monday qualified to get into the LPGA event at Toledo at Highland Meadows, where she did make the cut, and at the Pierce Silk Tournament in Virginia. “I haven’t met a lot of people yet,” she said. I’m looking forward to the new journey, meeting new people (she mentioned Nelly Korda), and seeing familiar faces.”
Jessica is ready to face the challenges of being on the top women’s golf tour in the world. There is a lot that goes into being a professional golfer that many people don’t realize. She is currently working on sponsorship deals, finding an agent, and getting a caddie. “I typically pushed (the bag and cart) myself or had my dad, husband, family, or coaches caddy for me,” she explained. She also knows that she needs to constantly work on her game. “I’m still asking people ‘Can you give me a lesson?’ and I am still taking a ton of lessons,” she said. “Your first year on the Epson Tour you are learning the ropes: Pro-Am parties, being in the Pro-Am, etc. I look back and hope my first year on the LPGA Tour will be easier.” She knows that she needs to get advice and continue to ask questions. “Where do I stay? What hotels do you recommend. I didn’t use a lot of the resources on the Epson Tour and it was a learning process. You don’t have a lot of time on the LPGA Tour. You need to perform to keep your card. Going out and asking questions will be huge so I don’t go out and face too many challenges.”
Asking questions is so important. Jessica wanted to remind that to junior players and high school golfers who are looking to make it big one day. “When you are a freshman, be outgoing,” she explained. “Ask the seniors questions. You need to be outgoing and ask questions because it will only help you.” She continued to explain what has worked for her. “The game is growing so much. There are a lot more female golfers right now. Give it your all, stay patient out there: PATIENT AND POSITIVE. It’s a grueling sport. You will have it one day and you won’t have it the next. Stick with it and have fun. That’s the key. I’ve always loved the game. There’s always something to bring me back in and give me that itch. I need to be out there. Most importantly, dream big!”
Jessica also offered some words of wisdom to parents and coaches of young golfers. “Don’t push too soon. I’ve seen a lot of parents make that mistake. If you keep pushing them they are going to get burnt out. Take a step back and be very supportive. They have got to want it themselves. My parents didn’t push me because I had the drive. They would drop me off at the golf course early and pick me up in the evening. I’d spend the whole day there.”
Even those that are not planning to become LPGA pros can really benefit from learning the sport, according to Jessica. “This is a great sport to go play in the business world or go make a bunch of connections. Having a lady in your scramble who plays from the red tees is a huge advantage!”
Coach Mary Becker sums up Jessica’s story perfectly: “Hers is a great story of perseverance and hard work, never giving up on her dream. I could not be happier for her.”
We would like to offer our utmost thanks to Jessica Porvasnik for taking the time to talk about her journey. We wish her the very best and we are really excited to follow her on the LPGA Tour this coming season!
We haven’t posted a tournament update in a while and now that the season is already winding down it’s time to check in on what has been going on in girls golf from late August through the beginning of September.
(Please keep us updated on tournament results, team/individual accomplishments, and other interesting stories as they develop this season!)
The girls golf world loves heading to Avon Oaks Country Club, one of the most supportive clubs in Northeast Ohio for girls golf. The Magnificat Blue Streak Invitational was a huge success with a thrilling finish as Dublin Jerome held off Magnificat by a single stroke. Magnificat’s Cammy Reed defended her home turf with medalist honors and a very impressive -3 round of 69. Emma Myers from Toledo St. Ursula was the runner up with a round of 71.
Great event today at Avon Oaks CC! Congratulations to our team champion Dublin Jerome, our medalist Cammy Reed & our all-tournament team pictured below! Thank you to the entire AOCC staff! @MagnificatGolf @SportsKee1 @avonoaksturf pic.twitter.com/eTecssyfCE
One of the most fun events of the golf season is the Flamingo Frenzy, appropriately hosted at Ridgewood Golf Course in Parma. The teams brought it strong with some amazing flamingo gear and some even better golf. Magnificat continued their impressive season with a victory, shooting a team score of 308 and holding off their rival St. Joseph Academy by ten strokes. Hathaway Brown’s Dixon Hill always seems to have a good day at Ridgewood and she had a phenomenal day this year. Her -5 67 easily took medalist honors. Julia Gulla from Nordonia and past champion Gianna Reginelli from St. Joseph Academy tied for second place.
Huge thank you to Ridgewood and the City of Parma for hosting the Flamingo Frenzy! And to all the teams who came out and made it amazing!
Another staple on the schedule for many teams is the Independence Blue Devil Classic, held at Shawnee Hills. The Highland Hornets were victorious by 18 strokes over the Jackson Polar Bears in a 17 team field. Solon’s Serena Wu and Highland’s Elizabeth Coleman both went 2 under par and tied for medalist honors with scores of 69. Wu and Chester both continued their dominant fall seasons combining for seven total birdies in the round.
Highland shoots a 310 and takes 1st 🥇 place at the Blue Devil Invitational, Shawnee Hills GC. Elizabeth (69) runner up after a 5th scorecard tiebreaker. Solid team win! Elizabeth 69, Mirabella 78, Avery 80, Gabby 83, Kendall 85. pic.twitter.com/eANoe7eCgg
At the beautiful Country Club of Hudson, Highland was able to pull out a victory at the Walsh Jesuit Invitational following their win at Independence. Highland topped a very strong field with a score of 301, followed by Magnificat with a 311. Gracyn Vidovic had an amazing tournament, finishing -4 and three shots ahead of her nearest competitors. Cara Murphy from Jackson and Elizabeth Coleman from Highland tied for second place with scores of 71.
Great day for golf at beautiful CC of Hudson at the Warrior Invitational. Highland takes 1st 🥇 place of 17 teams with a team season low of 301! Elizabeth runner up 71, Mirabella 75 PR 🔥, Kendall 76 PR 🔥, Allie 79 PR 🔥, Avery 80.
Big Met Golf Course will be hosting the west side Sectional tournament starting this year and Rocky River’s Invitational provided a preview of what to expect from the course. Brunswick played a stellar round to easily lap the field for the victory. The Blue Devils shot 338 and their superstar freshman Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble was medalist with a 75 and three Brunswick players finished in the top five. Host Rocky River came in second with 356 and their superstar senior Mia Ginnetti finished runner up individually one stroke back of Ellie with a 76.
Girls shoot 338 to win the Rocky River Invitational by 18 shots at Big Met!!!
Seven teams descended upon Akron and looped around Mud Run Golf Course two times in the Lady Irish Open hosted by St. Vincent-St. Mary. Irish junior Caitrin Coyle shared medalist honors with Ryenne Harpley from Revere with scores of 82. The Minutemen won the tournament with a score of 339, finishing nearly 100 strokes above their nearest competitor. Northwest, led by a 93 from Sadie Villers, was the runner up in the tournament.
Congrats to the Lady Minutemen Golfers who won the St. V. Irish Invitational Saturday at Mud Run GC.
Ryenne Harpley-medalist with 82
Kate Banning 3rd- 84
Maddy Addessi 85 Amrita Deo 88 Ava Sucato 99 Sarah Riley 100
The Hoover Vikings took home another victory at the Mahoning Valley Tournament hosted by Ursuline. The Vikings put up a team score of 322, led by Medalist Ellie Hutzler, who shot a 74. The Polar Bears from Jackson finished in second place with a 335.
Fittingly, it was Columbiana who dominated the Columbiana County tournament, as their two teams took the top two spots in the tournament. Nine of the top ten scores came from the Clippers, who were led by Ellie Jackson’s 82 and Maddie Jackson’s 84. The top non-Columbiana player was Kennedy Lewis from Southern Local, who shot 97.
The Greater Cleveland Conference met up in Medina to take on Bunker Hill Golf Course in their second conference tournament. It was the Brunswick Blue Devils who prevailed with a ten stroke victory over the Strongsville Mustangs. Brunswick’s win put them in command of the conference after also winning the first tournament. Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble from Brunswick absolutely dominated the individual side of the tournament as she shot 72 and was 13 strokes clear of Strongsville’s Hannah Lee, who ended up in second place with an 85.
The girls shoot 356 at Bunker Hill and win GCC #2 by ten shots!
Ellie 72 (hole out EAGLE 🦅 on #16) Rylee 87 Jess 94 Autumn 103 Jensen 103 Abbey 114
The girls will play next in the Blue Devil Classic on Saturday at Shawnee Hills. Great WIN today girls!!! pic.twitter.com/JvfyVnL0f8
Back to back days saw conference tournament action at Fox Den Golf Course in Stow. The fun started with the third Suburban League Tournament on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. While most of the area was watching the debacle that occurred at Cleveland Browns stadium, fourteen schools looked to anchor their spot in the Suburban League standings. Highland put themselves in a commanding lead in the American Division with their third victory in the conference. Their 310 was the lowest score in both divisions. Aurora had their best showing in the conference as they finished second to Highland with a 328. Hudson won the National Division with a 324, 13 shots ahead of Nordonia. Hudson has won two of the first three league tournaments and will look to hold off Nordonia for the league title. Individually, in the National Division, Solon’s Serena Wu continued to dominate as she shot an impressive -4 67. Stow’s Olivia Berlingieri stayed hot as she posted an even par 71 to finish second. In the American Division, it was Gracyn Vidovic from Aurora who shot 69 to take medalist honors. Second was Elizabeth Coleman from Highland with a 72.
Congratulations to Highland and Hudson girls’ golf teams for finishing first in Sub. Lge. tournament # 3 at Fox Den. Gracyn Vidovic (69)-Aurora and Serena Wu (67) – Solon were individual conference medalists. Some great scores on a beautiful day for golf!⛳️⛳️⛳️ pic.twitter.com/hT7GNYA1SH
The third Greater Cleveland Conference tournament at Fox Den was one of the most exciting events of the year. Strongsville and Brunswick battled for 18 holes while scores went back and forth with both teams usually being separated by less than three shots. It came down to the final hole and the Mustangs from Strongsville prevailed by a total of 2 shots, bettering Brunswick 339 to 341 and keeping them alive for a possible share of the conference championship. Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble all but solidified her claim to player of the year with a -1 70. Hannah Lee from Strongsville once again took second place as she put up a 78.
Could not be prouder of these girls. They have fought all season long and played some great golf today. Congratulations to Hannah Lee on finishing 2nd overall with a 78 and Sydney Bass with a PR of 83 and finishing 3rd overall. https://t.co/HFC8VJKdD7
At Mill Creek in Youngstown, Canfield absolutely crushed the competition as they took the crown in the All American Conference tournament. Canfield’s 332 was just under a hundred shots better than their nearest competitor. Howland finished second with a 429. Individually, it was all Cardinals as Miya Cohol took medalist honors with a 79, followed by teammate Alex Conley’s 82 then two more Canfield players. Gianna Ross from Boardman finished 5th overall with an 87.
Congrats to our Lady Cards as they won the AAC Championship today at Mill Creek! Leading the Cards was Miya Cohol-79(Low Medalist),Alex Conley-82,Natalie Sawicki-85,Aubree Philibin-86, and Mia Tisone-91. pic.twitter.com/wWYNHeYTao
Teams are starting to round into form as we hit the peak of the season. 2024 is proving to be an extremely competitive season with some big surprises.
(Please keep us updated on tournament results, team/individual accomplishments, and other interesting stories as they develop this season!)
Heading to the far east part of our coverage area, it is great to welcome the Brookfield Warriors as one of the newest girls golf teams in the state of Ohio. Brookfield is coached by Shawn Hammond and they have gotten off to a very respectable start. We will have an updated page for the Warriors on our site asap.
The week started off with the first of several co-ed events of the year at Arrowhead Golf Club. The host Hoover Vikings swept the tournament by winning on both the girls and boys side with nearly identical scores of 315 and 314 respectively. The boys defeated Canfield on a fifth score tiebreaker. For the girls, Ellie Hutzler, Ava Kemp, and Kylie Porter all shot in the 70s to pace the Vikings as they outplayed Dublin Jerome and Walsh Jesuit.
Hoover wasn’t done with just one tournament win. In historic Zoar, Ohio, the Norse of North Canton also won the Dover Lady Tornado Invitational, bettering their score from Arrowhead by one stroke. They beat second place Jackson by 20 shots. Kylie Porter’s even par 72 was four shots better than Jackson’s Cara Murphy, her closest competition. Led by an 87 from junior Olivia Gant, Lake managed to help the Federal League take all three of the top three spots in the tournament.
At Alliance Country Club, the North Royalton Bears claimed their first tournament victory of the season at the Marilyn Jackson Invitational, besting the Massillon Tigers by 24 strokes and the Louisville Leopards by another 16. Rena Steffas and Lily Pastore matched 95s to lead the Bears to a victorious team score of 387. Marlington’s Zoe Mort continued her impressive run as she claimed the medalist spot with a round of 81. Natalie Warner from Louisville finished second with a 94, one better than the Bear Pair.
Dublin Jerome brought their A team to Mill Creek and dominated the Canfield Invitational with a remarkable team score of 291. Walsh Jesuit edged out Canfield for the runner up spot by one stroke with a 323. Ellie Ryu added another first place trophy to her case as she carded an impressive 68. Scores were low across the board as Caitlyn Mundwiller from Jerome tied Magnificat’s Cammy Reed with a round of 70.
Hathaway Brown checked in with a win at the Chagrin Falls Invitational at Tanglewood as superstar Dixon Hill shot 72 for the Blazers. Look for a lot more news out of Tanglewood as they are under new ownership and have really dedicated themselves to supporting high school golf. Hathaway Brown took a big step forward as they pursue a deep run in the postseason.
At Spring Hills Golf Club in Clinton, the Northwest Indians hosted the Griffiths Cup. The Quakers of New Philadelphia were the tournament champions as they held off Massillon Perry by 10 strokes and the hosts from Northwest by 13. A three way tie for medalist included Sadie Villers from Northwest, Hailey Franks from Canton South, and Kiersten Creighton from New Philadelphia, all shooting rounds of 86.
The Suburban League had a quick turnaround as both the boys and girls headed out to Aurora to play the beautiful Club Walden. The American Division was once again won handily by Highland as they soared to a 31 stroke victory over Aurora, Kent Roosevelt, and Revere. The Hornets shot 314 while the others shot 345. Highland’s Elizabeth Coleman shared the top spot in the American Division with Gracyn Vidovic from Aurora, each shooting 73. The National Division didn’t put up the team scores to compete with Highland, but the individual scores were impressive. Serena Wu from Solon tied Olivia Berlingieri from Stow with three under par rounds of 69. Julia Gulla of Nordonia also went under par with a 71 and Emmy Burling from Hudson added an even par round of 72. Hudson held off Nordonia to win the National Division by two shots, 329 to 331. Hudson and Nordonia are now tied with one tournament victory each, while Highland has won both tournaments on the American side.
The Northeast District Athletic Board has released the Sectional Assignments for the 2024 golf season. On the girls side, they appear very similar to last year’s assignments. The most noticeable change is that Big Met will now be hosting the sectional tournament that had previously been at Springvale and Sweetbriar. We are also assuming that due to division changes around the state, Carrollton and Minerva may be added to the Northeast District for Division I girls golf. If that is the case, they will most likely be added to the sectional tournament at The Elms.
Division II Girls Sectional Tournament Dates Punderson- Monday, September 23rd The Pines- Wednesday, September 25th Pine Lakes- Thursday, September 26th
Division I Girls Sectional Tournament Dates The Elms – Monday, September 30th Big Met- Monday, September 30th Old Avalon- Tuesday, October 1st Fox Den- Wednesday, October 2nd
It was a wild first week of the high school golf season around Northeast Ohio. There were multiple tournaments each day, conference play started in many places, and the talented players in this area made their impact known right off the bat.
(Please keep us updated on tournament results, team/individual accomplishments, and other interesting stories as they develop this season!)
The week started with an invasion of teams from different parts of the state. Columbus was well represented on Monday and Tuesday. Perennial power and state championship favorite Dublin Jerome won the afternoon flight of the Lady Explorer Invitational and Brunswick Tee-Off Classic on back-to-back days. They were joined by New Albany, Olentangy, Olentangy Orange, Granville, and Marysville from Central Ohio. Centerville made their debut in the Lady Explorer Invitational and finished in 5th place. St. Ursula and Notre Dame Academy came from Toledo and each participated in two tournaments.
As expected, the Northeast Ohio teams were all looking up at Magnificat, who finished runner up at the Lady Explorer at Lake Forest Country Club and the Brunswick Tee-Off Classic at Brookledge. After two second place finishes, Magnificat dominated the field at Padua’s Bruin Invitational, taking home the trophy. Gianna Reginelli of St. Joseph Academy had a 74, which was good enough for the individual championship at Pine Hills.
Canfield got off to a fantastic start as they won the morning flight of the Lady Explorer Invitational, which was bolstered by a hole-in-one from Miya Cohol. She ended the tournament with an 84, placing her in 6th place overall. Serena Wu from Solon High School was the individual medalist with an impressive 69 at a very difficult course.
Miya Cohol with an ace on the 3rd hole at Lake Forest. Courtesy of Josh Cohol.
Riverside High School participated in their first ever tournament as a program in the afternoon flight at Lake Forest. They watched along with many others as Dublin Jerome won the team title and Ellie Ryu from Jerome took the individual title with a one under par 71.
Ryu also took home the medalist honors at Brookledge in the Brunswick Tee-Off Classic on Tuesday, beating Highland’s Elizabeth Coleman by one shot, and helping her team to victory.
Coleman had one of the craziest rounds of golf in recent memory on Wednesday during the Suburban League tournament at Good Park in Akron. After taking a 10 on her fifth hole of the day, she birdied five of six holes, put up a 31 on the back, and finished the day with a 75 to take medalist honors in the American Division. The Hornets took the team title as well, finishing 18 strokes above Kent Roosevelt. In the National Division, things were a little tighter as Nordonia edged out Hudson by five strokes in what looks to be a season long battle. Serena Wu once again was the medalist with a great round of 72.
On Monday at Chenoweth, Cloverleaf and Copley came down to the wire at the Springfield Lady Spartan Invitational. Cloverleaf ended up winning the tournament by one shot over the Indians. Medalist honors went to Caitrin Coyle from St. Vincent-St. Mary. In the team competition, Rootstown took third place.
The Greater Cleveland Conference made their way out to Warren to take on Old Avalon, a course known for yielding some low numbers. It didn’t disappoint. Brunswick set multiple school records and took home the first GCC points of the year as they shot a 323 to defeat Strongsville by 15 strokes. Freshman sensation Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble was the medalist with 72 and her teammate Rylee Roth’s personal best 76 was good enough for second.
In Stark County, Hoover continued their amazing run as they won the Federal League Preseason Tournament with a score of 308. Jackson finished second with 335 and Green third with 360. Cara Murphy from Jackson had a career day as she shot six under par 66 to win the tournament in convincing fashion.
Avon snuck past Avon Lake in the nine hole Southwestern Conference Preview Tournament. Kylie Kittrell and Reece Thomas, both from Avon, shared the low round of the day with 42 apiece. Olmsted Falls finished third holding off Berea-Midpark by one shot at Sweetbriar.
Cloverleaf was in complete control at the MAC Preseason Tournament, beating their nearest competitor by a whopping 50 strokes and establishing themselves as the team to beat in the conference. Four Colts took four of the top five spots with sophomore Quinn Malarkey bringing home the top score of 86 at Pine Valley. Malarkey edged out Woodridge’s Dani Slack by four shots.
The Keystone Wildcats looked to defend their home turf at Grey Hawk Golf Course in LaGrange at the LEGGA Preview Tournament. They nearly won the tournament but were narrowly beaten by the Rocky River Pirates, 405-408. Rocky River was able to win without their number one player Mia Ginnetti. Julia Schmid from Rocky River tied with freshman Sophia Clarico from Keystone for the individual honors.
With a score of 340, Tusky Valley won the Preseason Tri-County Conference tournament at Pleasant View. Massillon was the top conference team in the tournament with a score of 372. Garaway’s Kylie Miller won the tournament carding a 75. Zoe Mort of Marlington was the top Tri-County player as she shot 76.
Last Saturday at Twin Lakes, Kent Roosevelt’s Lady Rider Invitational took on Mother Nature. Mother Nature took an early lead as they washed out half of the morning flight and the tournament was switched to a nine hole event. The Rider Invitational got its revenge on Friday as the weather was absolutely perfect. Southeast won the shortened morning flight with an impressive score of 161. Walsh Jesuit had a very strong performance on Friday, putting up a team score of 323 to take home the trophy. Dixon Hill of Hathaway Brown was on fire as she shot a 68 to take the individual medal.
The changing of the guard in the All-American Conference looks to be complete as Canfield has now swept the league in consecutive years and are the heavy favorites to repeat. Coach Dean Conley has a solid foundation and will only see improvement over the next several years. The Cardinals should be a contender for both Districts and have an outside shot at finding a way to Dayton for the State Tournament. Austintown Fitch, Boardman, and Howland will all be in chase mode in 2024.
Head Coach- Dean Conley Last Year’s Results- 4th at Old Avalon Sectional, 13th at Brookledge District, 6-1 AAC Season Champion, AAC Tournament Champions, 3.6 Team GPA (including two 4.0) Coach’s Comments- We’re excited to have an experienced group returning this season led by our two seniors Miya Cohol and Cadence Elford! Last year’s district qualification has really motivated the entire team and they have been working hard since December in our winter and spring programs. We’re also hoping our tough schedule will allow us to see how competitive we can be at the end of the season.
The Chagrin Valley Conference will be broken up into two divisions in 2024. The division breakdown can be found by visiting the CVC Page on our website. Both the Chagrin and Valley divisions look to be very competitive as the season approaches.
The Chagrin Division has typically been dominated by the Independence Blue Devils. Independence will still be strong in 2024, led by seniors Macey McGhee and Maria DeCapua, but will face some stiff competition from both Orange and Chagrin Falls. Orange saw the emergence of Anuja Patel last season and she will lead the Lions while having a strong supporting cast. Freshman Elizabeth Pollock will have an immediate impact for Chagrin Falls and could be a contender for conference Player of the Year. Lutheran West and Hawken will both bring in young teams looking to build for the future. Cuyahoga Heights and Fairview look to have small rosters and will rely on their returning players to mentor their incoming teammates.
In the Valley Division, two teams are poised to make strong postseason runs and will likely be fighting for the division crown. Edgewood returns their entire starting lineup and have a legitimate shot to find a way to Akron to compete in the State Tournament. Led by Annie Johnston and Avery Vencill, the Warriors will look to improve a little more after a very successful 2023 season. The Pirates from Perry High School will be right up there with the Warriors. Senior Addie Trefzger and junior Jillian Peters will take on the workload for Perry as they look to contend in the CVC and the end of the year tournaments. Madison always fields a solid team and will have a good balance of both experience and new players. Geneva is another team that is building for the future along with both Berkshire and Lakeside.
Impact Players
Kelly Anderson (SR) Fairview Jocelyn Bancroft (SR) Madison Reagan Burnight (JR) Chagrin Falls Keira Chang (JR) Hawken Sarah Cybulski (JR) Geneva Brooke DiBell (SO) Lakeside Maria DiCapua (SR) Independence Juliana Faraguna (SR) West Geauga Kelia Goines (SR) Cuyahoga Heights Kennedy Hughes (SO) Lutheran West Annie Johnston (JR) Edgewood Grace Louden (SR) Berkshire Tessa Kemelhar (SR) Orange Macey McGhee (SR) Independence Zoe Naus (JR) Edgewood Anuja Patel (SO) Orange Jillian Peters (JR) Perry Addy Trefzger (SR) Perry Avery Vencill (SR) Edgewood
Freshmen to Watch
Samara Harris (Lutheran West) Elizabeth Pollock (Chagrin Falls) Jules Stilley (Lutheran West) Saviana Taylor (Cuyahoga Heights)
Head Coach- Kristin Reboul Last Year’s Results- 5th at Punderson Sectional Coach’s Comments- We are excited for the 2024 season. We are grateful for our terrific combination of returning player leadership and experience combined with abundant interest and incoming talent.
Head Coach- Christina Fischer Last Year’s Results- 7th at Punderson Sectional, 17-0 regular season record, CVC Valley Division Co-Champs, Annie Johnston district qualifier Coach’s Comments- With a good core of returning golfers, our expectations for the season are optimistic that we can continue to be a strong program and be competitive in every match. Players to watch are Avery Vencill, Annie Johnston and Zoe Naus as they are our solid core of returning golfers that have good averages for both 9 and 18 holes. Very excited in the growing number of golfers on the team this season. We have a total of 18 golfers and am hopeful that, even though many are new to the game, they will begin to develop into contributing team players. The returning golfers will be a good influence on their development.
Head Coach- Cody Kovach Last Year’s Results- 6th at Punderson Sectional, 9-6 dual meet record, 2nd place Berkshire Invitational, 3rd place in CVC Chagrin, Anuja Patel qualified for districts as freshman Coach’s Comments- This team has a group of girls have some lofty goals. They know they can compete with any team and know they can make it far in the postseason. Taking it one shot at a time and making sure they don’t get to high or too low will be the key. We have great leadership with co-captains Anuja Patel and Tessa Kemelhar. This team is excited to play this year.
The Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference did not have a champion in 2023, but the league features several teams that had successful seasons and will be back and competitive in 2024. Columbiana will once again come in as the favorite and as a team that has a legitimate chance to advance out of districts. The Clippers have built a deep program with many players capable of contributing every match. Numbers are also good for Southern Local, who are definitely seen as a program on the rise in the Youngstown area. United will not be able to replace legendary star Mati Zines but her legacy will live one with her returning teammates. East Palestine will need some impactful new players in order to compete in 2024.
Impact Players
Kayla Bland (JR) East Palestine Ellie Jackson (SR) Columbiana Maddie Jackson (SO) Columbiana Kennedy Lewis (SR) Southern Local Hailey Muntean (SR) Columbiana Emma Murphy (JR) United
Freshmen to Watch
Grace Jones (United) Alexa Kinneman (Southern Local)
Head Coach- Chad Moreschi Last Year’s Results- 4th at Pine Lakes Sectional, 8th at Good Park District, Record 12-3, 1st Place EOAC tournament, 1st place: Terlesky Invitational @ The Lake Club, 4th place :Tam O’ Shanter Invitational Coach’s Comments- We have our entire team returning after a successful year and 8th place finish at districts last year. This team is motivated to make a run for the state tournament this year.
Head Coach- Gerard Grimm Last Year’s Results- 6th at Pine Lakes Sectional, 6-4, 1 District Qualifier (Paige Riggs) Coach’s Comments- This group of young woman have put in a ton of work in the off-season. We are blessed that after just 3 short seasons of Southern Local Girls Golf, we will be able to have two separate varsity girls golf teams for the first time. The coaches are very proud of what the girls have built.
Head Coach- Stacey Zines Last Year’s Results- 6th at Pine Lakes Sectional, 7-6 last year; Matilyn Zines (2024 grad) was sectional and district champion and placed 8th at state. Coach’s Comments- These girls are so much fun to be around. They work hard and know how to have fun playing a very difficult sport.
As is typically the case, the Federal League looks to be strong in 2024. Coming off a memorable run to the State Tournament in 2023, the Hoover Vikings return their entire starting lineup and will look to make a return trip to States, this time at NCR Country Club. The Jackson Polar Bears are in a good position to be Hoover’s closest challenger, also returning a good chunk of their district qualifying squad last season. Green will have an above average roster and will be looking to make a run to the District Tournament this season. GlenOak could be a much improved team and will probably turn some heads as they work through their league schedule. Lake looks to be in a bit of a rebuild but do have some young players coming up the pipeline to be competitive in the future. Perry looks to have some stability in their coaching staff and are headed in the right direction while Canton McKinley is looking to rebuild and gain more interest in the program.
Impact Players
Leah Dang (SO) Green Addie Duclei (JR) Perry Alyssa Evans (SR) Hoover Milena Grametbauer (SR) Jackson Kamdyn Hershberger (SR) GlenOak Ellie Hutzler (SO) Hoover Ava Kemp (SR) Hoover Cara Murphy (SR) Jackson Kylie Porter (SR) Hoover Charlotte Raketich (JR) Jackson Zoe Schnyders (SO) McKinley Brooke Shocklee (JR) Green Sydney Shocklee (SR) Green Grace Swihart (JR) Lake
Freshmen to Watch
Charlie Brophy (Lake) Olivia Dougherty (GlenOak) Gia Remark (Hoover)
Head Coach- Scott McCahan Last Year’s Results- 6th at The Elms Sectional Coach’s Comments- We have a nice mixture of returning experience and incoming freshmen. Offseason work will ultimately determine how well they improve this year.
Head Coach- Jake Shocklee Last Year’s Results- 4th at The Elms Sectional, 15th at Brookledge District, 4th place in Federal League Coach’s Comments- Solid group of returning players that qualified for Districts last season. Need to have a couple young ladies step up and fill varsity roles in order to compete with the top teams. We are looking forward to the challenge! GO BULLDOGS!!
Head Coach- Scott Snyder Last Year’s Results- 1st at The Elms Sectional, 4th at Brookledge District, 9th at State Tournament, Federal League Champions (undefeated) Coach’s Comments- We return 4 of our top 5 from last season, so we are hopeful for another good season. With a few key JV players improving, there’s no doubt we could be very competitive throughout the year.
Head Coach- Teal Harvey Last Year’s Results- 2nd at The Elms Sectional, 9th at Brookledge District, 2nd in league Coach’s Comments- Looking to build off of last year with four varsity starters returning. Once again, we will be playing in some very good non-league tournaments throughout the state. Combine that with the always strong play our Federal League matches provide us, we hope that our team will be prepared when postseason play begins.
Head Coach- Michael Yoder Last Year’s Results- 3rd at The Elms Sectional, 16th at Brookledge District, 8-2 in matches Coach’s Comments- We graduated 8 experienced players in the last two years. We will be young this year and return three girls that lettered last year. We are looking to our returning Junior players to provide leadership to this team and hoping that our underclassmen will be ready to play
A two team race emerged in the Greater Cleveland Conference in 2023 as the Medina Bees and Strongsville Mustangs battled for conference supremacy. Medina was able to hold off Strongsville as they both won the conference and qualified for the District Tournament. The Bees, under new coach Laura Stauffenger, will have a good amount of work to do in order to repeat as they lost a once in a generation group of four seniors last year. Strongsville will also be trying to overcome a big loss, senior Natalie Kostalnick, who led the Mustangs for four years. That will leave Hannah Lee as the top player for Strongsville. If these two teams cannot hold their perennial positions at the top of the conference, it could leave room for the Brunswick Blue Devils to take control. Brunswick returns a young base of players and will have one of the biggest impact freshmen in Northeast Ohio, Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble. Shaker Heights will lose superstar Emily Lamb and will need some of their returning players to step up and show a good deal of improvement. Mentor is a team that could always contend because of shear numbers, although they do not have the star power at the top of the lineup. Cleveland Heights will have a new coach and will be in building mode.
Impact Players
Sydney Bass (SR) Strongsville Jessica Buzinski (JR) Brunswick Corinne Christeon (JR) Medina Morgan Deeringer (SR) Medina Hannah Lee (SR) Strongsville Sarah Morris (SR) Mentor Rylee Roth (SO) Brunswick Santina Wilson (SR) Shaker Heights
Head Coach- Chad Thompson Last Year’s Results- 8th at Springvale Sectional, 3rd in the GCC Coach’s Comments- We are extremely proud of the work that some of our players have put into this offseason so far. We have a total of 6 kids in our program that are signed up for summer tournaments. Jess Buzinski will be a junior and brings two years of varsity golf experience to the table. She made tremendous improvements in her sophomore season, dropping her career low (83) by over ten shots. Rylee Roth will be a sophomore, and returns after a fantastic freshman season. She has worked hard to improve throughout the winter and just recently posted her career low (86) on the NOPGA Tour. We will also add a very good junior player to our lineup this season with incoming freshman Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble. She has been playing competitive golf on the AJGA, Golfweek, NOPGA, and US Kids Tours since she could walk, and we are extremely excited for her to be a part of our program. These three will make up the core of our lineup, with Teigan Dryer (10th) and Autumn Muslusky (10th) being added into the mix. The expectations for our program will be higher this season. We expect to compete in the GCC and hope to win our first team conference championship in school history. We also think we will be much more competitive at the Sectional Tournament, and have the goal of making it to Districts as a team for the first time in school history. Brunswick would like to thank all the teams in NE Ohio that believe in the direction of our program and have invited us to their events! We are fortunate to be able to strengthen our schedule every year, and look forward to seeing how we stack up against all of the great teams in our area!
Head Coach- Laura Stauffenger Last Year’s Results- 3rd at Springvale Sectional, 12th at Brookledge District, Record: 6-2, Greater Cleveland Conference Champions
Head Coach- James Hrusovsky Last Year’s Results- 11th at Old Avalon Sectional, Finished 4th in the conference. Coach’s Comments- We are going to be a young group this year but Seniors, Sarah Morris and Genna Zagar will bring a lot of experience to the group. The girls have put in a lot of work this winter, spring and summer. I am excited to see what they bring to the course this fall!
Head Coach- Joe Welsch Last Year’s Results- 9th at Fox Den Sectional, 6-5 in 9-hole matches. Emily Lamb qualified for Districts as an individual. Coach’s Comments- We have been improving and made great strides from start to finish last year. We went from shooting a 496 at our first tournament to a 388 at Sectionals-Fox Den for a 9th/15 finish. Losing a 3 time district qualifier in Emily Lamb is difficult to replace, but we have many girls ready to make tremendous growth. Senior Gracie Turner, who shot a 93 at Sectionals last year and Addie Prude (SO) will be players to watch this upcoming season.
Head Coach- Kevin Weir Last Year’s Results- 4th at Springvale Sectional, 10th at Brookledge District, 2nd in the GCC Coach’s Comments- We lost two key members to graduation last year from our squad, but have a handful of seniors who look to build off the momentum from the 2023 season.
Ohio High School Golf 