College Notes
This is the third in a three-part series of Ashland Source highlighting area high school graduates who performed consistently during their fall, winter and spring sports seasons at the college level during the 2025-26 school year. Featured schools include Ashland, Crestview, Hillsdale, Loudonville and Mapleton.
The following is a look at those in action during the 2026 spring sports campaign.
Ashland
● After making five starts as a sophomore, Hailey Lang took off this spring as the starting catcher for the NCAA Division I softball program at The Ohio State University.
A record-holding hitter for the Arrows, Lang finished her season batting .307 with 31 hits – more than half of them for extra bases (8 doubles, 7 home runs, 1 triple). The righty also collected 22 RBIs and scored 15 runs while posting a .421 on-base percentage.
All told, Lang played in 44 games for the Buckeyes (26-27, 13-11 Big Ten), but had the end of her season hindered by a hand injury that limited her to a variety of pinch-hit appearances.
● A pitching staple for the NCAA Division II softball program at Eckerd College, Brandilyn Reymer had a career-best year in the circle as a senior this spring and was named the team’s MVP.
The right-hander started 29 games and tossed 26 complete games for the Tritons (33-13, 21-9 Sunshine State Conference), doing so with a career-high 191.2 innings pitched and a career-low 1.79 ERA. Reymer struck out an EC-record 248 batters while putting together a 21-8 record.
The final start of her season was a win against No. 1-ranked Saint Leo, as she allowed just one earned run in seven innings while whiffing nine in a 4-2 victory that snapped the Lions’ 38-game win streak.
Reymer was named a second-team all-region pitcher and was second-team All-SSC as well, leading the conference in strikeouts and innings pitched.
● Once again a steady performer for the NCAA Division I men’s golf program at Ohio State University, Tyler Sabo closed out his redshirt junior season by firing a 15-over-par 225 in the three-round Big Ten Championship (76-76-73) to tie for 74th individually.
Earlier during the spring, he was the top performer for the Buckeyes in the Hoosier Collegiate with a 22nd-place score of 223 (75-75-73). And when the squad took second out of 16 teams in the Robert Kepler Invitational, Sabo’s 5-under-par 211 (70-70-71) tied for ninth.
For the 2025-26 campaign, Sabo had a career-low 72.1 average and shot six rounds in the 60s. He had four Top 20 finishes individually.
● Also on the links as a former AHS All-Ohioan was Klaira Paramore at NCAA Division II Ashland University. The senior finished her career playing in every tournament for the Eagles during her time, with her final performance coming in the East Regional Tournament.
Paramore finished that event tied for 59th with a 248 (79-85-84). Prior to that, the senior helped the Eagles nab second place in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championships, as her three-round 233 (86-76-71) had her tied for 14th.
At the Belterra Classic in late March, Paramore won the individual title with a 220 (77-74-69), with her third-round score giving her the fourth-best single-day score in AU history.
● In a solid finish to her junior year, former Ashland golfer Emma Packard was a key contributor for the NCAA Division III University of Mount Union.
Packard rounded out her 2025-26 campaign as one of two All-Ohio Athletic Conference linksters for the Purple Raiders, finishing in a tie for 10th at the OAC Championship Tournament with a three-round 247 (82-79-86).
The junior closed her year with an 82.7 average across 20 rounds.
● For the men’s golf squad at NCAA Division III John Carroll University, Kamden Mowry rounded out his junior season this spring.
His top effort came at the Mount Union Invitational, where his two-round 152 (75-77) landed him in eighth place overall as the Blue Streaks took third as a team.
● Putting the finishing touches on his golfing career at NCAA Division III Ohio Northern University, Aidan Chandler was awarded the program’s Ultimate Polar Bear Award for the 2025-26 season, recognizing him as the top student-athlete in the ONU program for his performance, character and representation of the university.
On the course, Chandler logged 13 rounds for the full year, posting a 79.8 average for 18 holes. His spring-low performance came at the OAC Preview, where he carded a 79.
● At NCAA Division I Ohio University, Luke Bryant was a sophomore pitcher for the Bobcats. A former two-time Ohio Cardinal Conference Pitcher of the Year for the Arrows, the right-hander made 11 appearances this spring.
Despite not getting a win for OU (11-43), Bryant finished his season with 27 innings on the mound, totaling 16 strikeouts and making eight starts.
● A first-year golfer for the NCAA Division III program at John Carroll University, Kyah Huckleberry had a solid finish this spring, tying for 19th in the seven-team North Coast Athletic Championships with a three-round 262 (90-89-83) for the fifth-place Blue Streaks.
In April, the former Arrow was 10th in the seven-team Eva Shorb Weiskopf Invitational with a 178 (87-91), and her top March performance came with a two-round 171 (87-84) in the 16-team Savannah Invitational.
● Part of a wave of Ashland High School-to-Ashland University tracksters, Vivian Walter made a big splash in her freshman outdoor campaign.
The hurdler helped guide the Eagle women to second place at the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships after taking the runner-up spot in the 100-meter hurdles (14.27) and finishing sixth in the 400 hurdles (1:04.83).
Earlier in the spring, Walter went for second and third place at the Ashland Alumni Open in the 100 hurdles (14.43) and the 400 hurdles (1:05.25), respectively.
● After a state-qualifying career at AHS, hurdler Jayden Goings collected a few big outings for the Ashland University track team this spring.
The freshman took second place in the 400-meter hurdles at the Ashland Alumni Open (55.33), adding finishes of fourth (55.91) and seventh (56.25) in the same event at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational and the Otterbein Twilight Meet, respectively.
Goings also was part of the AU 4×400 relay that had a pair of Top 5 performances for AU at those same two events.
● Also running for the Eagles this spring was senior Emilie Lemon. She collected sixth place in the 1,500 at the Ashland Alumni Open (4:52.41) before taking 10th in the same event at the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships (4:49.18).
● A junior for Ashland University track specializing in the high jump, Landon McFrederick landed some solid placements at a pair of outings.
His 6-5.5 clearance at the G-MAC Outdoor Championships was good for seventh place and he landed fifth a few weeks earlier at the Mount Union Homon Invitational at 6-4.75.
● Another former Arrow also honored this spring was Racquel Ward, who starred during her time at NAIA Siena Heights University as a softball player. She was inducted into the SHU Athletics Hall of Fame.
A two-way standout for the Saints, Ward is the only SHU player ever to earn Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year laurels, doing so in 2018.
She was a two-time All-WHAC first-team pick who helped guide Siena Heights to an NAIA National Tournament appearance in 2019. When Ward graduated, she was second for the program in career batting average (.419), sixth in career pitching wins (35), seventh in ERA (2.47) and ninth in both innings pitched (353.2) and strikeouts (204).
● Additional Ashland High School graduates rostered on college squads this spring were Ashland University’s Chaden Sampson (freshman in track), Jacob Holbrook (freshman in track) and Adria Brock (freshman in track); Gordon College’s Asher Stefaniuk (freshman in track); Clarion University’s Tyler Holt (freshman in baseball); Tiffin University’s Alex Grissinger (freshman in baseball); Wilmington College’s Ethan Bunce (sophomore in baseball); and Ohio Northern’s Kendyl Stone (sophomore in track).
Crestview
● One of the best distance runners in the history of the Hillsdale College track program, Ross Kuhn put a cap on his career in late May at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships.
Already an All-American in the 1,500-meter run in 2025, Kuhn finished 11th in the country in a time of 3:52.34 in the event.
He closed his time with the Chargers as the program’s record-holder in both the indoor mile and the outdoor 1,500.
● Also starring on the track as a senior distance runner this spring was former Cougar Morgan Welch. Competing at the NCCAA National Championships for NAIA Grace College, she was a national runner-up in the 1,500 (4:52.20) and a sixth-place finisher in the 800 (2:20.59), while also competing on the fourth-place 4×400 relay (4:07.69).
The senior was the NCCAA National Track Athlete of the Week in late April, and when she closed her career in late May, Welch competed on the Lancers’ 4×800 relay at the NAIA National Championships. That quartet placed 23rd in 9:21.54.
● Chesnie Patton didn’t waste any time becoming an impact softball player for the NCAA Division II program at Cedarville University.
The freshman was the second-most active pitcher for the Yellow Jackets (18-34, 10-14 Great Midwest Athletic Conference), putting together 27 appearances and striking out 55 in 105.1 innings. Patton posted a 7-12 record and a 4.52 ERA, notching a team-high seven complete games.
At the plate, the former Cougar batted .288, totaling 15 hits (3 doubles), 12 RBIs and 7 runs scored.
● The softball program at Cuyahoga Community College had one of the best seasons in its history in 2026, advancing to the NJCAA Division II World Series for the fourth time. A huge part in the run for the Triceratops (33-8) was sophomore Sophie Durbin.
Usually the leadoff hitter for Tri-C, Durbin was named an Ohio Community College Athletic Conference first-teamer, as she collected 55 hits, 54 runs, 30 RBIs and 20 steals in 42 games played. Durbin batted .417 and had an on-base percentage of .494, totaling 8 doubles, 3 triples and 2 homers.
Tri-C ended the spring with the title in the OCCAC (16-1 record) and a Great Lakes District A Championship.
● Terra State Community College put together a 12-13 campaign this spring and former Cougar Kalee Hamman was a big contributor out of the gates as a freshman.
At the plate, the outfielder hit .324, collecting 24 hits (5 doubles), 15 RBIs and 7 runs. As a pitcher, Hamman threw a team-high 54 innings in her 13 appearances, finishing with a 2-4 record and 31 strikeouts.
● Additional Crestview High School graduates rostered on college squads this spring were John Tackett at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (junior in track) and Tanner Moore at Ashland University (junior in track).
Hillsdale
● Only a freshman on the NCAA Division III women’s golf team at Muskingum University, Dally Meek closed out her spring by earning honorable-mention laurels on the All-Ohio Athletic Conference squad.
Meek was the third-best MU scorer at the OAC Championships with a 26th-place, three-round 269 (95-85-89). Meanwhile, her best effort of the spring came in the Otterbein Spring Invite, where her two-round 165 (79-86) led the Muskies and landed her in fourth overall.
● The NCAA Division III men’s golf program at Mount Union captured the Ohio Athletic Conference title this spring – its first team championship since 2011 – and former Hillsdale linkster Jax Rogers earned time as an individual performer for the squad.
Now a sophomore, Rogers tied for 11th with a 6-over-par 77 at the Baldwin Wallace Spring Shootout. That came a week after he carded a 159 (79-80) in the Mount Union Spring Invitational, his best multi-round performance of the spring for the Purple Raiders.
● In his second year of baseball for NCAA Division III Thiel College, Jack Fickes saw action in more than half of the Tomcats’ 38 games, starting 15.
The former Falcon All-Ohioan and outfielder finished with 8 hits, 9 runs scored and a .400 on-base percentage that was boosted by him being hit by a pitch nine times.
● Additional Hillsdale High School graduates rostered on college squads this spring were Lacey Fickes at Heidelberg University (senior in softball) and Taylor Morgan at the University of Findlay (junior in softball).
Loudonville
● A junior in track for the NCAA Division II program at Walsh University, Mackenzie Cutlip had a solid spring for the Cavaliers.
During the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships, she took the top finish for the Walsh women with her 37.06-meter throw in the javelin placing her third on the podium. Cutlip also performed in the 4×100-meter relay, the long jump and the triple jump at those championships.
Earlier in the season during an event at the University of Akron, she was runner-up in the javelin (38.42 meters).
● Additional Loudonville High School graduates rostered on college squads this spring were Judah Layton at Ohio Christian University (freshman in men’s golf) and Isaac Gessner at Mount Vernon Nazarene University (junior in men’s golf).
Mapleton
● Ursuline College finished its NCAA Division II softball season with a 20-26 record (10-14 Great Midwest Athletic Conference). A lot of the success for the Arrows was due to sisters Heidi and Holly Earl.
The Mapleton graduates both started all 46 games for UC as sophomores, finishing at or near the top of plenty of hitting categories for the squad.
A shortstop, Heidi Earl led the Arrows in batting average (.359), slugging (.559), OPS (.936), hits (52), RBIs (31), doubles (15), triples (4) and steals (6). She also scored 21 runs and smacked a pair of home runs.
Holly Earl, meanwhile, batted .333 and totaled 51 hits, 26 RBIs, 21 runs, 6 doubles and 5 steals as Ursuline’s catcher.
● Competing as a senior for the men’s golf team at NCAA Division III Ohio Northern University, Evan Dennison had a few highlights this spring.
The former Mountie helped the Polar Bears claim first place in the Wooster Spring Invitational with a 13th-place 79. That outing followed a seventh-place 149 (71-78) at the Polar Beaver Spring Easter Classic.
During the Ohio Athletic Conference Preview, Dennison carded a 75, and the senior’s 154 a few days earlier at the Heidelberg Snowballs Chance Tournament (79-75) was good for third place. His 77.7 average for the 2025-26 season was a career-best performance.
● Additional Mapleton High School graduates rostered on college squads this spring were Niagara University’s Kaylee Haines (senior in softball), the University of Rio Grande’s Tyson Welch (freshman in baseball) and Ashland University’s Scotty Hickey (freshman in track).
