Hughes swings his way into Kent State University
Senior J.D. Hughes signed letter of intent to play golf for the university on Nov 13.
JD Hughes represents Kent State in his crewneck.
After many years of hard work and dedication, senior J.D. Hughes has found a college that is a perfect fit for his love of golf: Kent State University.
Hughes signed his NCAA letter of intent on Nov 13 to finalize his commitment to Kent State’s golf program.
Kent State’s golf team is currently ranked 22nd in the nation and plans to keep Hughes very busy as he is expected to “contribute to our success” said head coach Herb Page.
Hughes won the Mid-Penn Title this fall, qualified for the State Tournament, and averaged a score of 70.0 throughout the season. Last fall he made the last cut into the State Tournament with a hole-in-one and ended the season finish 7th in the tournament. He also competed in the U.S Junior Amateur in Utah last summer.
Hughes said, “Being exposed to these big national level tournaments” best prepared him for the college level golf.
“I am personally very pleased that [Hughes] is joining the Kent State Golf Program and I am looking forward to being his coach.”
— Herb Page, Kent State golf head coach
Kent State’s Page has recognized the good qualities from Hughes on and off the golf course describing him as a “first-class young man.”
Page added that Hughes’ “attitude, course management, and composure on the golf course are outstanding.”
Hughes saw Kent State as an “over-all good fit,” as they have “incredible facilities, are a top 10 golf program, and he had good vibes with the coaches.”
During his first semester at the college level, Hughes “will be playing at five major Division I tournaments and competing against the elite, Top-25 teams in the nation on a weekly basis” said Page.
Hughes will have a very busy schedule with strength and conditioning four days week, a full class schedule, and will be practice and playing approximately 20 hours a week, according to Page.
Hughes anticipates that “learning how to manage my time and keeping my head up when things don’t go so great” will be a change from being a high school student-athlete to a college student-athlete.
Beyond his athletic strengths, Hughes’ academic excellence is expected to continue as he majors in business.
Carlisle’s golf head coach Steve Wisner said, “If [Hughes] continues to improve his game, which I think he will, he should be able to contribute to [Kent State’s] team in the near future.”
Page stated, “I am personally very pleased that [Hughes] is joining the Kent State Golf Program and I am looking forward to being his coach.”
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This is Justine Douglas’s second year on staff and writes in the sports section. She is a senior and plays on the school basketball team. Justine enjoys...
