North Union alum Nick Reeder competes as a member of the Kent State Tuscarawas men’s golf team in the fall portion of the 2021 season. The Golden Eagles will compete again in the spring. (Photo submitted)
With the conclusion of the 2021 collegiate golf season, North Union High School alum Nick Reeder became the fourth golfer and ninth Kent State University Tuscarawas athlete to earn All-American status as a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).
Reeder, a 2019 graduate of North Union High School, was honored as a second-team All-American this season after he completed the USCAA National Golf Championships in mid-October.
“I knew I would be a bit nervous going in,” Reeder said. “I was able to hold on… I was pretty pleased about that.”
The current KSU Tuscarawas sophomore opened with a round of 37/37/74 and finished sixth as an individual competing on Penn State University’s Blue Course, located in State College, PA.
The team finished with its fifth consecutive top 10 finish at the 2021 championships, which went over two days.
Reeder continued with a final round of 40/40/80 during tough conditions — tallying three birdies and 20 pars — tying for 14th place in the individual standings.
Reeder finished as a medalist in two consecutive tournaments earlier in the season with a pair of 78 scores in both the Golden Eagle and PSU Greater Allegheny invitationals.
He also shot for 75 at the Westminster Titan Invitational, placing third overall.
Highlighting his accomplishments this year, Reeder was awarded the title of USCAA National Golfer Of-The-Week on Sept. 21.
His final season average was 78.66 for 18-holes.
“With COVID, I was pretty anxious because I didn’t get to have a season [last year],” Reeder said. “The main goal was to not get discouraged… to just weather the storm and really just try to keep my cool.”
With a pandemic that s ceased athletics, Reeder said he still trained in preparation for the 2021-22 season.
“It was a bit discouraging at first,” he said.
During the summer months heading into the season, Reeder worked at a golf course where he fine-tuned his skills.
“I was really just trying to prepare my mental and physical state for when I got the opportunity again,” he said.
While the fall portion of his season has ended, there is still more golf ahead. As of now, the Golden Eagles have two tournaments schedule in the spring of 2022.
“Over the summer, I plan on playing in some amateur tour tournaments and really just keep the tournament mentality,” Reeder said.
The business management major hopes to capture three medalist titles, improving from this past year’s two. He also aims to have his scoring average at or below a 76.
“I hope to [also] win a couple of team tournaments,” Reeder said. “I think it’d be really, really nice if we finish in the top three at the national championship, if not win it.”
For the young golfers in his hometown, Reeder recommends jumping into the sport fearlessly.
“I know it’s discouraging because your parents are paying this money… and you might not do well the first time, but it’s all a growing experience,” he said. “I didn’t have a lot of accolades in high school per say, but I just stuck with it and it’s all paying off now.”
Reeder’s athletic journey dates to when he played football in fifth-to-eighth grade.
He began is golf career as a freshman and was on varsity for all his four years at North Union. Other than his freshman year, Reeder was the number one or two man for the Wildcats.
He was awarded second team All-Central Buckeye Conference honors his senior year of high school. He also ended as the 13th best golfer in the CBC that year, scoring 113.5 points and shooting an average of 42.69 over 144 holes.