Badin Captures First D-I Sectional Title With School-Record Performance
Badin High School's Taylor Zoz smiles before taking a swing Sept. 17, 2026, during the Division I sectional girls golf tournament at WGC Course in Xenia.
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By Rick Cassano
XENIA – It’s safe to say that Badin High School’s girls golf team has grown into this Division I thing.
The Rams are in their third year in D-I and have qualified for the district tournament for the second straight year after claiming their first-ever sectional title Thursday at WGC Golf Course.
“Two years in a row making it to districts in D-I, that’s pretty good stuff,” Badin coach Mike Wolf said. “It’s going to be tough to get to state. There are really good teams in this area. But we can play well and compete.”
BHS set a school record with a 327 on a warm, soggy day in Xenia, besting runner-up Lebanon by 8 strokes. Springboro (337) and Kings (378) also earned trips to district.
The district event will be held at Heatherwoode Golf Club in Springboro on Oct. 6.
“It’s super, super exciting,” said senior Taylor Zoz, who paced the Rams with an 8-over-par 37-42—79 on Thursday. “This was our goal the whole season. We practiced a lot for this. We were ready for this. We knew exactly what we needed to do to get to districts, and that’s what we did.
“I think we are more than capable of getting to state. Our team’s very talented. We all have our moments where we struggle, but we all bounce back pretty quickly. We’re not too much of an emotional team. We get right back to what we’re supposed to be doing.”
Badin topped the sectional field with balance and had four players finish in the Top 10 individually. Zoz took fourth place, followed by sophomore Lexi Martinkovic (39-42—81) in sixth, senior Leah Martinkovic (44-39—83) in seventh and junior Emmy Jacobs (44-40—84) in ninth.
Sophomore Amelia Kessler (49-61—110) placed 40th and rounded out the Rams’ five-player lineup.
“I really liked how it all came together for the team,” said Jacobs, who had never broken 90 before the sectional. “I’m really proud of everyone. We’re all really united. We know when to be serious and when to mess around. I think we can 100 percent get to state. If we can keep this consistency, we can shoot even lower and we’ll have a really good look at state.”
Wolf wasn’t surprised that Badin shined in the sectional. The Rams have had high expectations from Day 1 this season.
“Four girls 84 and under, that was strong,” Wolf said. “They handled the adversity and stayed calm. It’s all or nothing at this point. Every day is single elimination, and they know that. They did what they had to do and made some history.”
The course was a bit wet to start with, then everybody had to deal with a 90-minute weather delay in the afternoon. The Rams had a few holes left to complete when lightning halted play and was soon followed by heavy rain.
“It took a lot of patience because it was pretty slow play,” Zoz said. “The rain delay was a little hard to stay focused through, but the adrenaline was pumping. I think we were all just so ready.
“The course is pretty nice, pretty open, not super difficult, but it does have its challenges. It wasn’t too hot. We all had enough food and water and all that stuff, so it wasn’t too bad.”
Zoz finished the front nine at 2-over-par, then uncorked a triple-bogey 7 on No. 10. That turned out to be her only hole of the day worse than a bogey. She had one birdie.
“No. 10 just wasn’t my hole,” Zoz said. “But I came back after that fine.”
Jacobs felt the best round of her career could’ve been even better. She double-bogeyed the last hole.
“We played this course on Sunday and I really liked it, so I was expecting do better than I did,” Jacobs said. “My putting wasn’t the best. I three-putted a lot. But my driver and my irons have been good because I’ve been working with my swing coach a lot more.
“I just had a really positive attitude. I started off slow and had a few rough holes. I just had to calm down and play the game I know how to play.”
The four individual district qualifiers coming out of WGC were Dayton Carroll’s Michele Everhart (42-46—88) and Madelynn Austria (45-49—94), Talawanda’s Charley Robinson (47-43—90) and Hamilton’s Emery Kuhlman (44-51—96).
Sycamore, Lakota East, Walnut Hills, Anderson, Ursuline, Seton, Mason, Wyoming, Centerville, Bellbrook, Kettering Fairmont and Huber Heights Wayne advanced to districts through the other three D-I sectionals.
Wolf said he knows Badin won’t be one of the favorites to advance to state, at least on paper. But he said his group is focused and ready to give it a shot.
“I like the look in their eyes,” Wolf said. “By the time we get to Heatherwoode, we will have played several district-contending teams. They know somebody’s behind them, and I’d rather do the chasing than be chased.”
Zoz said she won’t be playing in college. She wants her final prep competition to be at state with her teammates at NCR Country Club in Kettering on Oct. 12-13.
“This is an amazing team that I get to play with,” Zoz said. “I play with really good people and we have an amazing coach … he would do anything for all of us and he’s very dedicated. It’s been a great four years. I can’t wait to see how we continue.”
The Rams will participate in the 36-hole Greater Catholic League Coed Division tournament at Walden Ponds Golf Club on Sept. 20 and 27.
