The Youngstown State women’s golf team will begin its 2022-23 season on Saturday as it hosts the YSU Kickoff at Mill Creek Golf Course in Boardman, Ohio.
This weekend’s event will feature four other schools including Niagara, Northern Kentucky, Mount Union and Thiel. The teams will play 18 holes on Mill Creek’s North Course in the one-day event. Tee times off No. 1 are set to begin at 1:20 pm, and the final tee time is slated for 3:08 pm The course will play approximately 6,089 yards and par is 72. There will be no live scoring and results will be posted following the conclusion of play.
Head Coach Nate Miklos has announced that YSU’s lineup will feature Puthita Khuanrudee, Titita Loudtragulngam, Maddie Smithco, Lizzie Saur spirit Christina Lewis. In addition, Chaela Barnett, Kelly Hutton, Adena Rugola spirit Danae Rugola will be competing as individuals.
YSU’s Tee Times:
- Lewis – 1:47 p.m
- Feces – 1:56 pm
- Smithco – 2:05 p.m
- Loudtragulngam – 2:14 pm
- Khuanrudee – 2:23 pm
- Hutton – 2:41 p.m
- Barnett – 2:50 p.m
- A. Rugola – 2:59 pm
- D. Rugola – 3:08 pm
Mill Creek Golf Course is located at 1 West Golf Drive, Boardman, Ohio 44512. Admission for fans is free.
Season Preview
Khuanrudee Returns for Fifth Year
- Puthita Khuanrudee returns for a fifth season as a Penguin in 2022-23. She was named First-Team All-Horizon League for the second straight season and for the third time in her career in 2021-22. She is just the fourth player in school history to earn first-team all-league honors three times. She joins Gina Abruzzino, Samantha Formeck and Katie Roger. Khuanrudee was also named Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2018-19.
- Khuanrudee competed in six tournaments and 14 rounds last season. She ranked second on the team with a 76.6 strokes-per-round average. Khuanrudee’s 76.6 strokes-per-round average ranks as the 10th-lowest single-season scoring average in program history. Impressively, she now owns four of the 10-lowest single-season scoring averages in school history.
- Khuanrudee finished tied for second at the 2022 Horizon League Championships to earn a spot on the Horizon League All-Tournament Team for the second straight season.
Rugola Coming Off All-League Season
- Senior Danae Rugola was named Second-Team All-Horizon League to garner all-league honors for the first time in her career in 2021-22. The Uniontown, Pa., native competed in all 12 tournaments last season. She averaged a team and career-best 76.1 strokes per round with a low round of 68.
- Rugola’s 76.1 strokes-per-round average ranks tied for the seventh-lowest single-season scoring average in school history. Rugola was YSU’s top finisher in eight of 11 stroke-play events last season. She earned four top-10 finishes and seven top-15 finishes while placing in the top 25 in nine of 11 stroke-play events.
- Rugola was named to the Horizon League All-Academic Team following the 2021-22 season for her combined performance on the course and in the classroom. In addition, she was named a WGCA All-American Scholar for the third consecutive campaign.
Returning Experience
- In addition to Khuanrudee and Rugola, the Penguins return a number of other experienced players in 2022-23.
- Senior Christina Lewis has competed in 26 of the 28 tournaments that YSU has played since she joined the program in 2019-20. She matched her career-low round of 72 and averaged 79.3 strokes per round while competing in 10 tournaments last season. Lewis was named a WGCA All-American Scholar for the third straight season in 2021-22.
- Junior Maddie Smithco has participated in 15 tournaments over her first two seasons as a Penguin. She posted a career-best 79.2 strokes-per-round average and a career-low round of 71 while competing in 10 events last season. Smithco was named a WGCA All-American Scholar for the first time in her career in 2021-22.
- Sophomore Lizzie Saur was one of two Penguins to compete in all 12 tournaments and 28 rounds during the 2021-22 campaign. Saur’s 28 rounds played are tied for the fifth most in a season in program history. As a true freshman, Saur averaged 78.3 strokes per round with a low round of 73 while earning four top-20 finishes. She was also named a WGCA All-American Scholar in 2021-22.
- Sophomore Kelly Hutton competed in three tournaments and six rounds as a true freshman in 2021-22.
Talented Newcomers
- In addition to its core of returning players, YSU has also added three talented newcomers to its 2022-23 roster.
- Junior Titita Loudtragulngam will be in her first season as a Penguin after competing in 10 tournaments and 30 rounds over two seasons at Tulsa. She averaged 76.7 strokes per round with a low round of 72 as a sophomore in 2021-22. Loudtragulngam helped lead the Golden Hurricane to the 2021 American Athletic Conference championship as a freshman in 2020-21. She tied for 19th at the AAC Championship with a three-round 228 (80-74-74).
- True freshman Chaela Barnett was the Philadelphia Catholic League overall season point leader and MVP for Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in 2021. She was also the Pennsylvania State District 12 champion in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Barnett, who was a Pennsylvania state finals qualifier in 2019 and 2021, recorded an 18-hole scoring average of 78.8 for the 2021 season.
- True freshman Adena Rugola was a four-year letter winner, a three-year captain on the boys’ varsity golf team and a four-time First-Team All-County Golf Team selection at Uniontown Area High School. She was two-time PIAA state qualifier, earning a sixth-place finish with a round of 77 in 2021. Rugola recorded a low nine-hole round of 33, a low 18-hole round of 70 and a low 36-hole score of 147 (75-72).
Roster Composition
- Youngstown State will enter the 2022-23 season with plenty of experience, as five of the team’s nine players are upperclassmen. The roster includes three seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.
- The Penguins have two players from Ohio, five from Pennsylvania and two from Thailand. The roster features one player from the Mahoning Valley and four from western Pennsylvania.
For news and updates throughout the fall season, follow the YSU women’s golf program on Twitter @YSUWomensGolf