Witmer accepts Longwood offer

By Joe Scalzo

The South Range senior golfer accepted a full scholarship to the school.

Last month, when South Range senior Ariel Witmer won an individual state golf title in Division II, she got so many calls she had to shut her phone off.

“I couldn’t take it anymore,” she said.

A few days later, she was walking down the hallway at school and kept hearing people yell, “State champ!”

“I don’t know if people see me in a different way,” she said. “I guess they do.”

The attention wasn’t limited to her classmates — college recruiters have been chasing Witmer for the past few months. She ended their pursuit on Tuesday by signing with Longwood University, a Division I school in Farmville, Va.

“They have a really good golf team and the girls are amazing,” Witmer said. “Everyone was really nice and the campus is really nice. And it’s small. I like small.”

Witmer, who had partial scholarship offers from YSU, Cleveland State and Akron, accepted a full ride from Longwood. She’s a little worried about being homesick — “I’m not used to being away from home for that long,” she said — but she’s not worried about being snow-sick.

“The other day they were out practicing when it’s snowing up here,” she said.

Witmer, a four-year letterwinner, is leaning toward a major in music or biology. A three-time state qualifier, she won this year’s state championship by eight strokes. It was the first year for Div. II competition in Ohio.

Witmer is one of several area athletes to sign early. Fitch senior catcher Jason Bagoly recently signed with Kent State, and Canfield senior pitcher Justin Turocy will join his brother at the University of Akron.