Junior Girls Golf
2024
by Loretta Gerber
Ohio State is not hosting any boys or girls state golf tournaments this coming season, and this led the OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) to find new sites and schedules for all three boys and two girls divisions in 2024. This change has allowed all divisions to play the same long weekend in three separate locations. Girls Division I will be hosted by NCR Country Club’s North Course in Kettering, and girls Division II will move to Firestone Country Club’s Fazio Course in Akron.
Division I Sectional Tournament, The Elms Country Club (par 72), Monday, September 30
Qualifiers: Top 4 teams and 4 individuals not on a qualifying team
The undefeated Hoover Vikings girls golf team finished their 2023-24 season with a 6 overall win and a 6-league win to reign as Federal League Champs. The Jackson Polar Bears finished in a close second to the Vikings with a 5-1 overall and 5-1 in league play. The remaining five teams were Lake, Green, Glenoak, Perry, and McKinley.
In postseason play on Monday, September 30, the Vikings recorded a convincing sectional tournament win at The Elms Country Club led by sophomore Ellie Hutzler and eventual medalist with a 1-under-par 71. They won the team title with 305 over second place Jackson Polar Bears with 328. The Vikings sectional win comes on the heels of team titles at the Stark County Championships and Federal League Postseason Tournament, shooting 303 in the league tournament at The Elms, which resulted in the Vikings sweeping the county, league and sectional titles in the same season for the first time. Also, Ellie Hutzler’s win extended the Vikings’ run of sectional medalists to three straight years with senior Ava Kemp finishing first in 2022-23 and Ellie finishing fourth with a 78 last year in her first postseason tournament.
The Federal League won all four team qualifying berths for the district tournament to be held at Brookledge Golf Club on Tuesday, September 8, with Jackson finishing in second (328), Green in third (346), and Lake was fourth (374), edging Cloverleaf by one stroke for the final district berth. Individually, Marlington senior Zoe Mort finished second overall with an even par 72. Cloverleaf sophomore Quinn Malarkey (87), Massillon Washington freshman Edisa Plants (89), and Copley sophomore Anna Yacknow (90) rounded out the remaining district berths from non-qualifying teams.
A note of interest concerning Massillon’s Edisa Plants, who never played in a competitive round of golf until her 2024 high school season as a freshman. Edisa is in the process of being adopted by Robbie and Lydia Plants. Lydia Plants met Edisa while on a mission trip to Uganda in 2014. She was taught golf by Robbie Plants and a pro based in Uganda where she played recreationally in her late preteen years. Edisa attends Kidron Central Christian while playing golf for Massillon as Central Christian does not have a team.
Division I District Tournament, Brookledge Golf Club (par 71), Tuesday, October 8
Qualifiers: Top 4 teams and 4 individuals not on a qualifying team
Districts as they say are a different beast than sectional tournaments. Although the Vikings appeared well on their way to a state tournament berth for the first eight holes, they then struggled but finished third with a 327, ten strokes behind Walsh Jesuit and just one stroke better than Medina Highland. The Vikings were led by senior Kylie Porter with 79. Sophomore Ellie Hutzler and senior Ava Kemp both shot 80 while senior Alyssa Evans finished with 88, rounding out Hoover’s scoring. Jackson Polar Bears finished 7th with 344, Green 15th with 369, and Lake 16th with 393.
Marlington Dukes senior Zoe Mort shot 76, earning her one of the four individual state berths and a return to state for the first time since her freshman year in 2021. She helped Marlington finish as Division II state runner-up and tied for ninth individually that year, shooting a two-round score of 159 at The Ohio State’s Gray Course. In 2022, Marlington moved up to Division I. She did not qualify in 2022 but was one shot shy last season.
Solon junior Serena Wu won medalist honors with 70.
Division I State Tournament, NCR Country Club North Course (par 70), Monday-Tuesday, October 14-15, 12 Teams, 72 Players
Playing on Ohio high school golf’s biggest stage is nothing new for the Vikings as they secured a Division I state berth for the third straight year following the district tournament at Brookledge Golf Club. As mentioned previously, the 2024 state tournament will be played on a new course at the NCR Country Club in Kettering.
Junior Amelia Mohler will play at state for the first time while Ellie Hutzler will make her second appearance. Kylie Porter, Ava Kemp, and Alyssa Evans will end their high school careers with a third trip.
Although the Vikings finished sixth in the Division I state tournament, they shaved 10 strokes off their first round score and finished with a two-day total of 672. Ellie Hutzler, who came in 18th place, led the Vikings with 159 (81-78); Kylie Porter tied for 23rd at 162 (84-78); Ava Kemp tied for 25th at 163 (80-83); Amelia Mohler tied for 55th at 188 (96-92). Alyssa Evans came in 62nd place at 193 (98-95).
Zoe Mort tied for 12th place at 154 (81-73) as an individual qualifier.
Rocky River Magnificat led the whole tournament to win the state championship with a two-day score of 618. Magnificat won the state title over defending champion Dublin Jerome by 16 strokes.
Sycamore High School junior Eva Becerril shot 143 (75-68) to claim the Division I girls individual state championship.
Division II Northeast Sectional Tournament, The Pines Golf Club (par 72), Wednesday, September 25
Qualifiers: Top 4 teams and 4 individuals not on a qualifying team
The teams of Keystone, East Canton, Tuslaw, and Canton South advanced to the district tournament to be held on Wednesday, October 2, at Good Park Golf Course. Hillsdale senior Dally Meek, Norwayne junior Kylie Hostettler, Dalton senior Madison Wade, and Elyria Catholic junior Nicole Ferguson advanced individually. East Canton senior Mia Steigerwald won medalist honors by one stroke with 82 to help her team win second place.
A note of interest concerning the teams of Tuslaw and Canton South. Tuslaw competed with one sophomore and four freshmen, which was easily the youngest full team at The Pines. Canton South competed with two juniors, two sophomores, and one freshman.
Division II District Tournament, Good Park Golf Course (par 71), Wednesday, October 2
Qualifiers: Top 2 teams and 2 individuals not on a qualifying team
Unfortunately, the East Canton Hornets, Canton South Wildcats, and Tuslaw Mustangs did not qualify in the district tournament to advance to state play. East Canton placed seventh with a team score of 387, and Canton South finished in eleventh place with 418 followed by Tuslaw in twelfth place with 438.
Ravenna Southeast and Chagrin Falls advanced to state as a team with 351 and 355, respectively. Pepper Pike Orange sophomore Anuja Patel and Youngstown Cardinal Mooney junior Katie Pregibon qualified individually. Katie Pregibon shot 78, and Anuja Patel won medalist honors with 70.
Division II East District Sectional, Carroll Meadows Golf Course (par 71), Tuesday, September 24
Qualifiers: Top six teams and six individuals not on a qualifying team
The team of Tusky Valley placed first with 316, Sugarcreek Garaway second with 328, Beverly Fort Frye third with 336, Meadowbrook fourth with 367, Sandy Valley fifth with 368, and Ridgewood placed sixth with 374. Sandy Valley junior Ava Schoeppner shot 77, junior Ashlynn Glaser 91, sophomore Charlei Stenger 91, and senior Peyton Nicholson 109. All six teams will advance to the district tournament at Cambridge Country Club in Byesville.
Individual qualifiers were: St. Clairsville junior Olivia Baker, Harrison Central senior Kaily Banal, Malvern senior Lauren Brown, Barnesville sophomore Kennedy Little, River View junior Kortner Mickle, and Malvern junior Kami Rayborn.
Fort Frye sophomore Khoen Courson and St. Clairsville junior Olivia Baker tied for medalist honors with 74.
Division II District, Cambridge Country Club (par 72 ), Wednesday, October 2
Qualifiers: One team and one individual not on a qualifying team
Garaway advanced to the state championship with 344. Fort Frye senior Denay Layton qualified individually with 75. Denay Layton and Garaway sophomore Kylie Miller shared medalist honors with 75.
Sandy Valley finished sixth with 422.
District II State, Firestone Country Club Fazio Course (par 70 ), Sunday-Monday, October 13-14, 12 teams, 72 players
Gahanna Columbus Academy won their third consecutive state championship convincingly with a team score of 668 by 27 shots over runner-up Cincinnati Madeira with 695.
Sophomore Eva Lim shot a first round 72 with a closing 71 (143) to win the individual state championship and medalist honors by four shots.
SCWAGA Scholarship Winner
Lake High graduate Audrey Nichols is the recipient of SCWAGA’s Betty Kerby Peppard Scholarship, awarding $1,000 for the very first time. Prior to 2024, scholarships were mostly awarded in the amount of $500. Audrey is SCWAGA's 41st scholarship recipient. Our Scholarship Application is available on our website at scwaga.com for further information.
Audrey will attend and play golf for Ohio Wesleyan. She plans to major in accounting.
We extend our best wishes to Audrey in the pursuit of her degree and continued success golfing for the Battling Bishops.
