Davis signs with Marietta College
Clay Davis signed with Marietta College on Wednesday, April 3, surrounded by his parents, Josh and Tina Aronhalt, other members of his family, his coach, and his teammates.
COSHOCTON – Clay Davis signed his letter of intent to golf at Marietta College on Wednesday, April 3 at Coshocton High School surrounded by his parents, Josh and Tina Aronhalt, other members of his family, his coach, and his teammates.
Davis has been playing golf since he was in eighth grade. He chose Marietta College because of the team and community.
“I chose Marietta definitely because of the team and the college,” said Davis. “It’s a great community, not just to go to college in, but to live in.”
Davis’ mother is happy with his choice.
“We are pleased with his choice because we wanted him to choose a place that felt like home to him,” said Tina. “We want him to have fun, play his best, and concentrate on academics.”
Davis will be majoring in education starting this fall, but he will always remember his time at Coshocton High School where he played golf for four years with a scoring average of 44.83, 40.93, 39.91, and 38.41. He received honorable mention in the east district in 2015, played second team ECOL and second team east district in 2016, and first team ECOL and first team east district in 2017 and 2018. He was also the East District Co-Player of the Year and Academic All-Ohio.
One of his memories from high school is when he and his team went to state.
“One of my memories will definitely be the state tournament,” he said. “We went to the college and spent a weekend at The Ohio State University golf course. It was nice to bond and hang out with everyone one last weekend.”
Tina also has a favorite memory of the state tournament.
“I think my favorite memory is his final shot at the state tournament,” she said. “He chipped it about 30 yards for a birdie. He’s always made us proud and will continue to do so at Marietta. I’m thankful for the friendships he’s made here.”
Davis’ father Josh said that the team has formed a bond over the years.
“They hang out together outside of school, not just on the course,” he said.
Davis said he has made lifelong friends through the golf program at Coshocton High School and will always think of them as brothers.
“I want to thank my teammates,” he said. “We have formed a special bond over the years. I also want to thank my coach. He’s been very helpful to not only me, but the entire golf program here at school. He’s a great guy.”
Kevin Kittel has coached Davis all four of his high school years.
“Being a coach, that’s one of the driving reasons is watching them mature from their freshman to senior year and hoping their golf game improves,” said Kittel. “To physically watch them grow up into a young man and mature, and their attitude about the game changes. It’s just a fun process and all along the way, you feel like it’s your own kids.”
Davis’ family also wanted to thank Kittel for supporting him.
“I just want to thank Coach Kittel for supporting Clay and his teammates for all the memories, too,” said Tina. “It’s been an awesome four years.”
Davis’ grandmother, Terri Brown, was also at the signing and praised Kittel for his compassion to Davis and the other teammates.
“He is the most wonderful coach,” said Brown. “He’s compassionate, kind, and understanding. Whenever the kids were having a bad day, he had a calming effect on them and truly cares about the kids. When you treat them with kindness, you get so much more respect in return.”
Kittel said he will miss Davis and wishes him luck at college.
“Clay is a great high school golfer and a great student in the classroom,” said Kittel. “His steady improvement from his freshman year through his senior year shows his hard work and dedication to the sport. We will miss him in our athletic programs and we all hope that Clay continues his success this fall at Marietta College.”
Category: High School, Sports
