The spring sports season is rolling through tournament time for many of the Ashland area’s college athletes.
A variety of local golfers have been part of some standout efforts, led by Ohio State’s Tyler Sabo, an Ashland High School graduate who helped lead the Buckeyes in the recent Big Ten Championship.
Former Arrows Klaira Paramore (Ashland University), Kamden Mowry (John Carroll University) and Emma Packard (University of Mount Union) all helped steer their golf teams into their respective NCAA Tournaments as well.
Others from around the area have excelled on both the softball field and around the track.
Below is a look at some former athletes from Ashland, Crestview, Hillsdale, Loudonville and Mapleton consistently in action during the current spring sports college season.
Ashland
• Following up on a big redshirt freshman season, Sabo continued his successes this spring, most recently guiding the Ohio State men’s golf team to fifth place Sunday at the Big Ten Championship.
In the three-round event, Sabo finished with an even-par 210 (69-69-72), knocking down four birdies in his final round to finish seventh overall as an individual.
Unfortunately, Ohio State was not among the teams selected Wednesday to compete in the NCAA Men’s Golf Regionals.
Earlier this month, Sabo helped OSU win the 13-team Robert Kepler Intercollegiate, claiming 14th overall in the three-round event (75-77-70), and he helped the Buckeyes nab their first victory of the season just before that in the 14-team Buckeye Classic (22nd individually, 77-71-70).
In late March at the 17-team Valspar Intercollegiate Invitational, Sabo was one of three Bucks at 5-over-par (74-68-76).
Away from the Ohio State schedule, Sabo also was in action Tuesday in a U.S. Open Local Qualifier at Weymouth Country Club in Medina. Dealing with windy and rainy weather, his even-par 72 made him one of six linksters to move on from the site to Final Qualifying for the 125th U.S. Open Championship in June.
• Also at Ohio State, sophomore Hailey Lang has chipped in for the No. 22-ranked OSU softball team this season.
The Buckeyes (43-11-1, 16-6 Big Ten) are closing in on the Big Ten Tournament and Lang collected the first home run of her college career in a win April 16 at Dayton, following that up with her second this past weekend in a 2-0 win over Illinois.
Lang has made four starts for Ohio State this season and has totaled five hits, four runs and seven RBIs.
• Another former Arrow on the college softball diamond, junior Brandilyn Reymer has been a go-to pitcher for the NCAA Division II squad at Eckerd College.
The right-hander has a 14-10 record in the circle and a 2.53 ERA. Reymer has thrown 19 complete games in her 25 starts, totaling 149.2 innings pitched for the Tritons (29-18, 15-12 Sunshine State Conference).
• Back on the golf course, the NCAA Division II women’s squad at Ashland University has locked up its second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, helped in part by Ashland High School graduate Klaira Paramore.
A junior, Paramore tied for 16th in the recent Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship, firing a three-round 236 (74-85-77) that included five birdies.
Earlier this month, the former Arrow was 57th in the 18-team Missouri-St. Louis Spring Invitational with another five birdies, carding an overall 243 (81-80-82).
Paramore and the Eagles are back in the postseason for the 12th time in their history and will be one of 17 teams at the East Super Regional (May 5-7).
• More success on the links has come from Ashland graduate Kamden Mowry, who has been a key contributor this spring at John Carroll University.
The Blue Streaks just capped a huge effort in the three-day Ohio Athletic Conference Championship on Sunday, winning the tournament title for the seventh and final time while locking up a spot in the NCAA Division III Championships from May 20 to 23.
Mowry was a huge part of the crown, closing a steady weekend with an 8-over-par 222 (74-73-75) to finish tied for eighth individually and claim All-OAC laurels.
The sophomore also played well recently as the No. 2 man for the Blue Streaks in the two-day Caschera/DiCillo Classic, tying for third overall in the 13-team event with a 1-over-par 145 (71-74).
Meanwhile, at the 16-team Camp Lejeune Intercollegiate in the first week of March, Mowry matched a team-best finish with a tie for 33rd following his three-round 223 (75-75-73).
• Another OAC golfer, former Arrow Emma Packard was a key performer recently for the NCAA Division III University of Mount Union women’s squad.
The Purple Raiders captured their first OAC Championship since 2019 last Sunday, and Packard recovered from a tough opening round to tie for 10th at 345 (96-82-84-83), earning All-OAC honors as a sophomore in the process.
Mount Union will compete in the NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championship in mid-May.
• For the men’s golf squad at NCAA Division III Ohio Northern University, Ashland graduate Aidan Chandler has turned in a total of 14 rounds combined in the fall and spring seasons.
The junior notched a 13th-place effort April 4 at the Heidelberg Invitational with an 8-over 80, and he also carded sub-80 rounds this spring at both the Muskingum Spring Invitational and the Jimmy Hanlin Golf Classic.
Crestview
• A senior for the NCAA Division II men’s track and field team at Hillsdale College, Ross Kuhn finished in a personal-best 3:47.34 to win the 1,500-meter run at the GINA Relays on April 19.
That clocking was an NCAA provisional mark and less than a second from the Hillsdale school record.
Running the 800 at the Calvin Knight Invite on April 13, Kuhn also placed fourth in a personal-best 1:54.70.
• Also on the track this spring is former Cougar Morgan Welch, a runner for NAIA Grace College.
On April 19, the junior was runner-up in the 800 (2:20.17) during action at Tiffin University.
Welch also finished in sixth place in the 800 (2:20.41) at a 20-team event at Cedarville University in late March.
• The NAIA Mount Vernon Nazarene University softball team has rolled to a 28-20 season so far (19-17 Crossroads League), with a little help from Sophie Durbin.
Just a freshman, the former Crestview standout has kicked off her college career with action in 23 games. Durbin has 11 hits, 12 runs, 9 RBIs and 4 stolen bases so far for the Cougars, reaching base at a .379 clip.
Hillsdale
• The NCAA Division II Ashland University softball team saw its season come to a close Wednesday in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament following a pair of losses.
A huge part of a solid season for the Eagles (23-23, 13-11 G-MAC), however, was former Hillsdale pitcher Bryn Grabowski. The senior tossed 68.2 innings this spring, finishing with a 3.01 ERA and a 5-8 record in 18 appearances (13 starts).
Grabowski had 66 strikeouts from the circle as well, closing out her two seasons at AU with a 12-14 combined record and a 3.03 ERA in 148.1 innings.
• A member of the NCAA Division II University of Findlay women’s track and field team, Jordan Taylor continues to add to her legacy with the Oilers.
The graduate student was part of the school’s record-setting 4×100 relay team at the Hillsdale College Tune-Up last Friday, as the quartet’s 44.43 also was an NCAA Provisional Standard.
That same day, Taylor’s victory in the 200 meters came in 23.43, another UF record and provisional standard.
A week earlier, Taylor was part of an additional school record and provisional standard with the Findlay 4×400 relay at the Virginia Challenge, with a second-place finish in 3:37.08.
At the same meet, Taylor gathered another provisional standard in the 100 meters (fifth in 11.57).
Loudonville
• On the links this spring for the NCAA Division III University of Mount Union men’s golf squad, former Redbird Owen Hinkle has turned in a few solid performances.
Over the weekend, Hinkle had the second-lowest score for the sixth-place Purple Raiders in the OAC Championship, carding a three-round 228 (75-74-79) to finish at 14-over-par and tie for 17th individually.
The Purple Raiders also were in action last Monday in the Dan Caschera Classic, where Hinkle finished as their No. 2 scorer with a 157 (79-78).
A week before that, the senior carded a 76 in the Spring Phipps Memorial, and in late March, Hinkle’s two-round 152 (78-74) was good enough for a Top 10 finish in the 12-team Mount Union Spring Invitational.
• A sophomore on the NCAA Division II Walsh University women’s track and field team, Mackenzie Cutlip has been a top performer in the javelin.
She was third in the event Monday at the Walsh Tune-up and also placed third at the College of Wooster on April 7.
When the Cavaliers kicked off their outdoor season in late March at the Stark County Challenge, Cutlip nabbed first place in the triple jump.
Mapleton
• Evan Dennison has had a fine spring for the NCAA Division III men’s golf team at Ohio Northern, where he kicked off the season schedule in late March by taking medalist honors at the Muskingum Invitational.
The junior’s 3-under-par 143 (71-72) was his career-low for 36 holes by 13 strokes.
Also this spring, Dennison’s 1-over-par 73 on April 10 at the OAC Spring Preview had him tied for ninth out of 66 linksters.
• Sisters Heidi and Holly Earl were off and running in their college softball careers as freshmen for NCAA Division II Ursuline College this spring, both starting in all 40 games this season for the Arrows (10-30, 7-17 G-MAC).
Holly finished second on the team in batting average (.357) and on-base percentage (.385) while leading the squad with 21 RBIs. Six of her 46 hits were doubles.
Heidi, meanwhile, put together 22 hits, 7 doubles, 11 runs and 9 RBIs for UC.
• Kaylee Haines is now in her third season as a steady contributor for the NCAA Division I Niagara University softball program.
The former Mountie has 16 starts and has played in 22 games this season for the Purple Eagles (9-30, 6-16 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). Thus far, she has totaled 10 hits, 3 doubles, 4 runs and 4 RBIs.
Note
Area high school athletic directors and local readers can submit names of current college athletes to the Source. Anyone with information can send them to doughaidet19@gmail.com for inclusion in the next edition of college notes.
