A variety of Ashland County high school graduates have been in action for college sports programs this fall and the Ashland Source has put together details on some of the top-performing athletes with local roots.
Area high school athletic directors submitted names of current athletes in action to the Source. Anyone with information on other former Ashland County athletes contributing to their teams this fall on the college level can send them along to doughaidet19@gmail.com.
Ashland
• A three-time Ohio Cardinal Conference Player of the Year for the Arrows in golf, Tyler Sabo kicked off his redshirt freshman season on the Ohio State men’s golf team with flair. He debuted as a scoring member for the Buckeyes, logging a three-round, 1-under-par 212 (73-69-70) to tie for 46th in the Maui Jim Intercollegiate. For its part, Ohio State was fourth out of 15 teams, with the squad’s 815 total score setting a program record. Also an OSU record was its second-round 267, a program-low for 18 holes.
On Oct. 3, the Buckeyes finished runner-up to Alabama in the 11-team Hamptons Invitational. Sabo competed as an individual for Ohio State, logging a 76-73-84 (233) card for the three rounds.
• At Eastern Michigan University, Anna Watson capped a record-setting two days last week at the Shirley Spork Invitational. The senior golfer tied the EMU 54-hole record with a 5-under 211, firing a 72-71-68 for the three rounds at Eagle Crest Golf Course. Her 68 in the final round was just two strokes off the school record and led Eastern Michigan to fourth place as a team.
Prior to that, Watson began her senior season at the A-Ga-Ming Invitational, with her three-round 236 (80-78-78) tying her for 48th. She followed that with a 231 (82-76-73) for a 38th-place tie at the Brittany Kelly Cardinal Classic and, more recently at the Red Bandanna Invitational, Watson closed September with a team-low 232 (81-72-79) to place 24th — the 16th top-25 finish of her college career.
• Max Watson has opened his senior season on the Florida Southern Division II men’s golf team with a pair of performances. He fired a 6-over-par 222 (75-75-72) to tie for 31st while the Moccasins won the National Preview in Winter Haven, Fla. A week later, Florida Southern placed 10th in the Mizuno Intercollegiate, where Watson carded a 17-over 233 (75-78-80) to tie for 91st.
• At Ashland University, the women’s soccer team is putting together a record-setting type of season and has been ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II for five weeks now. A key component to the Eagles success has been Ashland native McKinley Mendenhall, a junior who entered this season ranked eighth in AU history for career assists.
Mendenhall has played in all 11 games for AU (10-0-1), tallying three more assists (21 for her career) to go along with 11 shots on goal and two goals – one coming against Ferris State, which was ranked No. 4 at the time of their meeting.
• Kristian Gehrisch is a junior defensive tackle for the Ashland University football team, which has opened its season 3-3 (3-1 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference). Gehrisch has been a steady contributor for the Eagles, totaling 18 tackles, including two tackles for loss and a sack against defending NCAA Division II national champion Ferris State in Week 2.
• Also at Ashland University, Klaira Paramore is in her sophomore campaign on the women’s golf team. She kicked off her season as AU’s top team performer in the UC Invitational with a two-day 147 (74-73) to lead the team to a third-place finish out of 16.
Paramore again led Ashland in its next event, Ohio Dominican’s Champions of Women’s Golf tournament, by carding a 12th-place 153 (78-75) over two days. The Eagles placed fourth as a team.
More recently, the former Arrow led AU to the title at the Eagle Invitational at the Ashland Golf Club to round out her September action, placing third overall with a 156 (79-77).
• Back on the football field, former Arrows record-setting wide receiver Jon Metzger has collected some early numbers for Division II Hillsdale College (1-5, 1-3 GMAC). Through six games, he’s totaled five catches for 62 yards, with his best outing coming at Michigan Tech, where he had three catches for 23 yards.
• In Division III, Josh Bever is putting a cap on a hugely successful career at Ohio Northern University. The senior defensive lineman has 34 tackles and four sacks for the Polar Bears (1-4, 1-3 Ohio Athletic Conference). Impressively, he has averaged almost a sack a game for his career, currently totaling 34 in 39 games at ONU, where he’s finished in the top 5 in sacks in the conference every season.
• Cole Garrison is a senior defensive lineman at Kenyon College (1-5, 1-3 North Coast Athletic Conference). He’s compiled 18 total tackles in six games, including four tackles for loss.
Crestview
• Former CHS volleyball standout Kenedi Goon landed some big honors last Monday when she was named the Great Midwest Athletic Conference South Division Offensive Athlete of the Week for Tiffin University (10-8, 5-5). She had 28 total kills in three matches two weeks ago to help push the Dragons into second place in the GMAC South.
Goon leads Tiffin in kills (180) and sets (69) for the season, adding 65 total blocks and 53 digs to her numbers. For her career, the junior and former Firelands Conference Player of the Year has 578 kills, 251 sets, 189 digs and 156 total blocks.
• The Ashland University volleyball team, meanwhile, is riding a four-match win streak during a 15-4 season (9-1 GMAC) thus far, and former Cougar Sarah Kohne has played a role in that fast start. With action in eight matches, she has been her best at the net, where she has 14 total blocks.
• At Hillsdale College, Ross Kuhn has been a steady scorer for the cross country team this season, as the Chargers have two wins and a second-place finish as a squad. The junior has collected his best overall finishes of fourth (5K in 15:25 at the Diemer Classic), 14th (8K in 26:11 at the Lansing Cross Country Invitational) and 14th (26:12 in the Wayne State Warrior Challenge).
Hillsdale
• One season after playing in all 11 games for the Hillsdale College football team, Ty Williams has played in the first six for the Chargers this year. The junior H-back and former Wayne County Athletic League Player of the Year has nine catches for 59 yards.
Loudonville
• Like Ashland High School graduate McKinley Mendenhall, former Redbird Sydney Polen has been a critical performer for the No. 1-ranked Ashland University women’s soccer team. The freshman, who was a two-time Mid-Buckeye Conference Player of the Year for the Redbirds, scored a pair of goals on two shots against Kentucky Wesleyan two weeks ago.
Polen has played in all 11 games for the Eagles, scoring additional goals against Cedarville and Lake Erie while totaling 12 shots and an assist thus far this season.
• Katie Seboe is off to a solid start as a freshman for Division III Geneva College. The middle hitter has tallied 87 kills, 15 aces, five assists, 26 total blocks and 23 digs for the Golden Tornadoes (8-7).
Mapleton
• After setting MHS records for single-season and career tackles, Bryar Ramey is working on his third varsity letter for the Division III Ohio Wesleyan football team. The junior linebacker is second on the team with 43 total tackles (2.5 for loss) and has an interception in five games this season for the Battling Bishops (3-3, 2-2 North Coast Athletic Conference).
