Local golfers reflect on stellar seasons

Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

Payton Donnelly had quite a career golfing for St. Ursula Academy.
Her sister, Kennedy, has a chance to be even better.
The Arrows, who finished ninth in Division I, were led by the Donnelly sisters, who finished first and tied for second, respectively, on the team, at the state tournament. Payton Donnelly shot a 165 (87-78), good for 43rd, and Kennedy Donnelly finished with a 166 (86-80), tied with Emma Myers (87-79). Hannah Chung shot a 172 (83-89), good for 53rd, and Sophia Antypas finished with a 175 (89-86).
St. Ursula got to Columbus after winning district and sectional titles, both in convincing fashion.
Coach Jim McGowan talked about the team and how the season went.
“It went well. We are by far the strongest team in the Northwest District and typically are,” McGowan said. “A few of the teams from Dayton and Columbus are just very strong. St. Ursula has a long history as the best team in the district and most (of the) girls who have played golf in grade school and want to grow on a successful, proven team come to SUA. Our program is year-round and helps develop golfers who want to play after high school.”
Payton Donnelly, a senior who was named the Three Rivers Athletic Conference Player of the Year for the third time, is also a three-time state qualifier.
“She works very hard, she puts in the time,” McGowan said of Donnelly. “She has learned all the aspects of her swing and has a nice knowledge of the game.”
McGowan also praised Kennedy Donnelly.
“Kennedy plays with a freedom that I like. She aims and fires – nothing technical,” said McGowan. “She is long already, which is a big thing. If she puts in some time on her short game, she will be spectacular.”
The Donnelly sisters, who live in Curtice, are the daughters of Mike and Tracy, known to many in the area for playing and coaching at Clay. (Mike is also the athletic director at St. Ursula, and Tracy works at Northview High School.)
About a month ago, St. Ursula won the TRAC title with 81 points, followed by Notre Dame Academy (67.5), Clay (43.5), Findlay (42), Whitmer (36) and Fremont Ross (13.5).
The Arrows won the tournament with a 317 at Stone Ridge Golf Club. Notre Dame Academy was second with 344 strokes, followed by Whitmer (394), Clay (396), Findlay (397) and Fremont Ross (456).
Chung was the medalist at the TRAC Tournament, shooting a 75 at Stone Ridge Golf Club, and Myers finished second (78) with Donnelly coming in third (79).
In Oregon, the Clay Eagles qualified for the district tournament for the second consecutive season.
Clay also finished third in the TRAC, fifth at sectionals and eighth at districts.
The Eagles were fifth at sectionals, holding off Whitmer, 409-414, for the final qualifying spot.
Rebekah McVicker, who earned second-team honors in the TRAC, shot a 96 (48-48), followed by Isabelle Vriezelaar, who finished with a 101 (47-54), Hannah Berning, who had a 103 (48-55), Camryn Reiter, who shot a 109 (55-54), and Emma Martin, who finished with a 115 (56-59).
Berning was given honorable-mention distinction in the conference and McVicker and Vriezelaar were also named honorable mention in the district.
The team has come a long way since the beginning of the season.
“I thought we came out of the gate not playing up to our potential,” said Clay coach Kevin Crosson. “Through the end of August and throughout September, the girls improved dramatically. We were hoping to finish second in the TRAC. Traditionally, St. Ursula or Notre Dame will be No. 1 or No. 2, and we were hoping to slide into No. 2. We beat Findlay at Maumee Bay on the front and the back, and we beat Findlay by one stroke at the tournament to finish just ahead of them. The girls definitely put the work in throughout the season.
“Overall, it was a great year. I’m sure some girls would’ve liked to play better on some days than on other days, that’s how golf goes. It was a fantastic year with great kids who are very coachable. We had 15 kids on the squad this year. We are graduating seven seniors, so I have to do some recruiting to (get our numbers up). We have a very promising future. With the girls we have coming back, the JV team, we should be competitive heading into the Northern Lakes League next year.”
The top golfers were Berning, McVicker and Vriezelaar with Martin and Reiter filling in nicely. Leah Malin also saw some varsity action, as did Kaylee and Kelsey Vasko.
“Positions No. 4-9 were kind of a tossup because the scores were so close, so every week we did have a qualifier to see who would play varsity,” Crosson said. “Sectionals, district and state, you play five girls for four scores. There was big-time competition there throughout the season. It was competition, and competition is always good.”