Since taking over the Cardinal Huskies’ golf program five years ago, Coach Mike Topalian has reshaped things and built a solid foundation for the boys’ team. His efforts are also bearing fruit with the girls, as the Huskies will have its first girls’ varsity golf team in school history this year.
“It is something that I have been wanting to do for a while,” the six-year coach said. “I have had one or two girls in years gone by, but this is a special group. Five or six of them got together last spring and really decided they were going to commit so it is just another great opportunity for female student-athletes to excel in the classroom as well as doing another sport.”
The Huskie girls’ golf team will consist of junior Cecilia Kaplan, sophomore Cambrya Kitzmiller, sophomore Hope Hickcox, sophomore Kara Everett, sophomore Layla Marcum and sophomore Kaitlyn Omlor. They will host dual matches and tournaments at Pleasant Hills Golf Course in Burton.
Kitzmiller is the only returning varsity player as she competed last year on the squad as the only girl playing with the boys.
According to Topalian, Kitzmiller will be setting the tone from the start for her new teammates.
“Cambrya is an amazing young lady,” Topalian noted. “I have known her a very long time and she has always been one of my favorite students when she was in my classroom. I have kept tabs throughout the years and seen all that she has done in other sports, so it is a big blessing because the girls look to her to be the role model, she is a quiet and strong leader.”
“I want to tell them don’t be hard on yourself because golf is a very hard sport and I just want to show them that because I did play alone with the boys last year and that was not always easy,” Kitzmiller noted.
The Huskie girls will begin their first varsity season in a news conference, as it marks the first year that Cardinal will compete as members of the Northeastern Athletic Conference.
Topalian acknowledged the difficulty in finding dual matches for the girls, because even with the addition of Cardinal, there are only two other schools in the Conference that have a girls’ varsity golf team, so it is unlikely the Huskies will compete for a league title in their first year in the NAC.
He added that most NAC schools field boys’ varsity golf teams, but it still has not caught on with the girls. Topalian said that he is optimistic the interest in girls’ golf will grow in the coming years, and Cardinal can help promote the sport.
“There is some really good boys’ golf that is being played in the NAC with Pymatuning Valley, Badger and Bristol,” Topalian said. “They have had some tremendous years in the last handful of years and some really good players have come through those schools.”
With Kitzmiller being the only golfer with several years of experience, the Huskie girls’ first varsity season will be a season that promotes individual growth rather than team records. Topalian said that it is not a situation he is unaccustomed to, being in a similar spot with the boys when he became Cardinal’s golf coach five years ago.
In a short span, the Cardinal boys have grown into a formidable program and Topalian said that he can envision a similar path for the girls, especially since all six players will be eligible to return next season to continue laying a foundation.
“I think it is a good starting point and it will start something good, and we will have a great girls’ golf team,” Everett said. “Our coach is an amazing coach and so he will make sure that we are great.”
Although the Cardinal girls lack experience, Topalian said each player possesses raw athletic skills thanks to their experiences in other sports including volleyball, cross country, cheerleading, flag line and basketball.
In addition to being an athletic bunch, Kaplan said that the team’s natural friendship will play a huge role in their quest for success in the fall season.
“I think that it really helps because it adds a level of trust that you don’t have with complete strangers and we already know each other and have those bonding times,” she said.
Ultimately the Cardinal girls’ first season as a varsity golf team will not only be a starting point but has the potential to be a springboard to draw future interested student-athletes into the fray.
“We are very eager to be the first Cardinal girls’ golf team because it just leaves a mark in Cardinal history and we are very excited to try our best,” Omlor said.
