August 2, 2022
High school golf gets underway Thursday, the first fall sport to start in Ohio for the 2022-23 school year.
In the Stark County area, there's been no shortage of talent in girls golf in recent years, though, two of the state's elite the previous four years have graduated — Madison Reemsnyder and Avery Wright.
The Marlington Dukes, though, return a pair of top 10 individual finishers from their 2021 Division II state runner-up team.
And don't be surprised if some of the state's elite girls golfers emerge from this area over the next couple months.
All high school golfers will be looking to fine-tune their games by the end of September when sectional play gets underway for Divisions II and III, while Division I sectionals are Oct. 3-8. The ultimate goal is a trip to the state tournament (Oct. 14-15 for Division II, Oct. 21-22 for Division I)
Here's a look at 10 Stark County-area high school girls golfers to watch this season:
Kristen Belden
Central Catholic, sr.
Belden helped the Crusaders win a Division II district championship and advance to the state tournament last season. She should once again by the leader for a Central team that features two other returning seniors. Expect the Crusaders to be in the running for another trip to state......
Caroline Harold
Central Catholic, sr.
Harold is another of the players who helped the Crusaders reach the Division II state tournament. She routinely records solid scores and will play a big role if Central is to return to the state tournament this season....