Bears could be on verge
Girls return bulk from successful ’16 season
Paige Rider and her North Royalton teammates are hoping to win a Suburban League championship this fall. Photo by BRUCE BILLOW
North Royalton’s girls golf team turned a corner in 2016. The Bears now are hoping to race around the bend entirely.
North Royalton finished third in the Suburban League National Conference last season. They were just eight strokes off Wadsworth’s winning pace.
The Bears then flirted with advancing to districts as a team. They played sixth in the Ellsworth Meadows Sectional with a team of mostly underclassmen.
“With our top four players returning from last year’s team, there’s no doubt that we’re very excited for the 2017 season,” Bears coach Nick Neumesiter said. “These girls already set school records last year for nine-hole team score, 18-hole team score, and equaled the best conference finish in program history.”
Current senior Megan Grospitch, a two-time team MVP who averaged 42.5 shots per nine holes last season, returns to lead a veteran team. Also back are senior Gabby Horvath (46.3 per nine), junior Paige Rider (46.3) and sophomore Alexa Belardo. Horvath and Rider were second-team All-SL honorees, while Belardo received an honorable mention.
Emily Doleh and Jessica Tuttle graduated from the 2016 lineup. At about 50 strokes per nine holes, they were good players, but the Bears should have replacements of at least that caliber ready to go.
New to the lineup are seniors Jenny Lutz and Kaytie Kieklak, both JV players a year ago. Juniors Sammy Horvath and Allison Jadlos, and sophomore Brenna Groh all will start the year on the JV team but could play their way into some varsity starts.
The team has a bona fide star at the top in Grospitch, who placed fourth in the SL last season. Grospitch, The Post’s North Royalton Female Athlete of the Year last year, earned an individual berth to the district tournament, which was loaded with talent.
Right behind her, Horvanth is capable of going in the low-40s, or even better, in a given round. That gives the Bears a very nice starting punch.
“With Megan and Gabby’s strong leadership, and the overall experience in our lineup, they have the chance to be the strongest girls golf team that North Royalton has had,” Neumeister said. “The conference should be very competitive, though, with Hudson, Wadsworth, and Brecksville all returning strong lineups. If our girls can play to their potential, this can be a very special season for the Lady Bears.”
Boys golf
The Bears had a strong finish to the season. After placing third in the Suburban League National Conference tournament, they duplicated that mark in the Windmill Lakes Division I District, earning a spot in the Pine Hills District.
They played solid golf in the district tourney, placing 15th, but in a loaded field were more than 15 strokes away from advancing to state.
Blake Rudy, Tyler Snyder, Jacob Shook and Logan Kieklak all graduated from the 2016 squad. Expected back are seniors Tyler Frey and Kyle Nowak, both of whom were in the starting lineup in the postseason. Frey and Nowak turned in two of the Bears’ top three scores at the district tournament.
North Royalton finished third in the Suburban League National Conference last season. They were just eight strokes off Wadsworth’s winning pace.
The Bears then flirted with advancing to districts as a team. They played sixth in the Ellsworth Meadows Sectional with a team of mostly underclassmen.
“With our top four players returning from last year’s team, there’s no doubt that we’re very excited for the 2017 season,” Bears coach Nick Neumesiter said. “These girls already set school records last year for nine-hole team score, 18-hole team score, and equaled the best conference finish in program history.”
Current senior Megan Grospitch, a two-time team MVP who averaged 42.5 shots per nine holes last season, returns to lead a veteran team. Also back are senior Gabby Horvath (46.3 per nine), junior Paige Rider (46.3) and sophomore Alexa Belardo. Horvath and Rider were second-team All-SL honorees, while Belardo received an honorable mention.
Emily Doleh and Jessica Tuttle graduated from the 2016 lineup. At about 50 strokes per nine holes, they were good players, but the Bears should have replacements of at least that caliber ready to go.
New to the lineup are seniors Jenny Lutz and Kaytie Kieklak, both JV players a year ago. Juniors Sammy Horvath and Allison Jadlos, and sophomore Brenna Groh all will start the year on the JV team but could play their way into some varsity starts.
The team has a bona fide star at the top in Grospitch, who placed fourth in the SL last season. Grospitch, The Post’s North Royalton Female Athlete of the Year last year, earned an individual berth to the district tournament, which was loaded with talent.
Right behind her, Horvanth is capable of going in the low-40s, or even better, in a given round. That gives the Bears a very nice starting punch.
“With Megan and Gabby’s strong leadership, and the overall experience in our lineup, they have the chance to be the strongest girls golf team that North Royalton has had,” Neumeister said. “The conference should be very competitive, though, with Hudson, Wadsworth, and Brecksville all returning strong lineups. If our girls can play to their potential, this can be a very special season for the Lady Bears.”
Boys golf
The Bears had a strong finish to the season. After placing third in the Suburban League National Conference tournament, they duplicated that mark in the Windmill Lakes Division I District, earning a spot in the Pine Hills District.
They played solid golf in the district tourney, placing 15th, but in a loaded field were more than 15 strokes away from advancing to state.
Blake Rudy, Tyler Snyder, Jacob Shook and Logan Kieklak all graduated from the 2016 squad. Expected back are seniors Tyler Frey and Kyle Nowak, both of whom were in the starting lineup in the postseason. Frey and Nowak turned in two of the Bears’ top three scores at the district tournament.