New Medina County Hall of Famer Jessica Porvasnik continues to live her dream

From the time she first picked up a club at the age of 12, Jessica Porvasnik has made the game of golf look far easier than it actually is. The 2013 Highland graduate was a member of the Hornets' first state-qualifying girls golf team as a freshman and the area's second female state medalist as a senior. Porvasnik, 27, went on to have a great career at Ohio State and now has a burgeoning professional career as she works to obtain her LPGA Tour card. Porvasnik will add another bullet point to her lengthy and distinguished résumé when she is inducted into the Medina County Sports Hall of Fame during a June 16 ceremony at The Galaxy Conference Center in Wadsworth. The secret to Porvasnik's success was really no secret at all. Her love for the game continues to drive her in a tireless effort to be the best golfer she can be. "Golf was never a chore to her," former Highland teammate Jessica McRae said. "She enjoyed playing so much that it was easy to practice as much as she did. Without a doubt, she spent the most time on the course and the most time practicing of anyone on the team to perfect her swing." Lauren McKinzie, another former Hornet, was the Gazette MVP in 2008 as a freshman, one year before Porvasnik burst onto the scene and won four straight MVP awards. "What I remember most about Jess is that she was really, really freaking good at golf," McKinzie said. Porvasnik picked up golf from her aunt, Becky Wieseler, who introduced her to the game in the seventh grade — the same year Highland began competing in the sport as an OHSAA member school — and encouraged her to take lessons. From there, it was onto the eighth-grade team and a distinguished high school career in which she became the only four-time Gazette MVP to date. While playing for the Hornets, some members of the team speculated that if they would have let her pitch a tent, Porvasnik would have been perfectly content living at Pine Hills Golf Club to find even more hours to work on her game. "The game of golf has afforded me so many opportunities in life," Porvasnik said. "The opportunities that golf has given me have been great. To be able to play golf the rest of my life and with the relationships I've made throughout, my life is truly amazing." Among the most special relationships were those with her Highland teammates, as Porvasnik credits 2012 graduates like McKinzie and Stephanie Horvath with helping her in the early stages of her career. "I had an amazing high school time," she said. "They all played at country clubs and would invite me over to Fox Meadow and Weymouth. In the summertime, they would take me under their wing and drive me to some tournaments because I couldn't drive." Since starting the Highland girls golf program in 2007, coach Mary Becker has seen plenty of great players, including state champions in Porvasnik and Madison Butler, but Porvasnik became the standard bearer for a program that has advanced to the state tournament as a team in 10 of the last 14 years. "She was a complete golfer," Becker said. "She made a good game plan on every hole, but didn't get flustered if things didn't go perfectly. She was able to adjust on the fly and hit great save shots when she got into trouble. There wasn't anything she didn't do with tremendous confidence." As good of a golfer as Porvasnik was, Becker spoke even more glowingly of the person. "I never heard a coach or a player say anything but positive things about Jessica," Becker said. "They all loved playing with her. Kids that maybe were intimidated by playing with her, she put them at ease. She was kind." Given the moniker of "Lil Par" for its similar sound to the beginning of her last name, Porvasnik was 4 under for the final 718 holes of her high school career, dating to her junior season. She went 11 under for 21 events her senior year, including a 2-under 68 at Ohio State University Golf Club's Gray Course in the first round of the 2012 state tournament. She finished at even par for 36 holes and won the individual state championship. "Honestly, if her last name would have rhymed more with birdie, 'Lil Birdie' would have been more fitting," McKinzie said. "There were no errant shots or big numbers in her game. She was a really reliable, trusty player." The year Porvasnik won the state championship, she and McRae became the first county golfers to compete at the event four times. Both were key pieces in the Hornets' first run to the state tournament as freshmen in 2009, when Porvasnik shot an 11-over 81 in a shortened one-round tournament to finish tied for 17th. Porvasnik shot a 7-over 147 to finish as runner-up to Mason's Emily Wright as a sophomore and then rebounded from a rough first round in 2011 to finish as a second-team All-Ohioan with a 13-over 153, which placed her sixth in 2011. Highland finished eighth, fourth, third and second as a team in her career. In 2012, the Hornets trailed Massillon Jackson by two strokes and held a two-stroke advantage over Dublin Jerome. Highland passed Jackson with a 319 on the second day but was edged by a stroke when Jerome shot 316. "I remember thinking (the state championship) was something she worked so hard for and deserved," McRae said. "There was never a doubt in my mind that she was the best player there. It was just a matter of putting a couple of good rounds together. It was a long time coming, and I was really happy for her." A change in mental approach helped Porvasnik get over the final hurdle in her high school career, and it is an approach she continues to rely on today on the EPSON Tour. "I think in golf, visualization is key in this game," Porvasnik said. "Not only at the high school level, but my college coaches were adamant about that. Even now playing professionally, you've got to have that." The bonds Porvasnik formed with those she played with in high school continue to this day. Along with her dad Ron, mom Stacey and younger sister Alicia, who was a standout golfer for Highland in her own right before competing at Ohio University, she still considers many of them to be an extension of her family. "We still keep in touch and have a group chat going on to this day," Porvasnik said. "Some of my teammates are engaged, married and having children. They are part of my family." Porvasnik is among those getting engaged, which happened for her and former Wittenberg golfer Sam Geise at Zion National Park at the end of April. RECORD-SETTING HORNET Porvasnik still holds the county record for the lowest 9-hole average at 35.6 her senior season, as well as for firing a 4-under 31 on Turkeyfoot Lake Golf Links' Water 9 to beat Green and help Highland set a county record 3-under 137 on the same day. Her 140 still holds as the lowest two-round state tournament score by a countian. Porvasnik owns three of the five lowest averages in county history, while her 6-under 66 at Sweetbriar's Legacy Course stood as the lowest 18-hole round for a decade before being beaten by current Hornet Isabella Goyette's 8-under 63 at Fox Den in 2021. Highland's 295 at the Preseason Suburban League Tournament in 2011 was a county mark until the Hornets shot 283 at the 2021 sectional. The day before Porvasnik shot her 66, she shot a 67 at Barberton Brookside. "She never played on autopilot," McKinzie said. "Every single shot, whether it was a tap-in or a big drive, she used the same amount of energy and focus, always." Porvasnik's individual accomplishments led to great team success, as the Hornets went 40-0 with her in the lineup, won four Suburban League and Turkeyfoot Lake Sectional championships and the only district title in program history in 2010. "In general, she was a great teammate," Horvath said. "We had a great team that had a lot of fun playing together. It was fun to watch what she was achieving, but she was truly committed to the team goals that we had set. "Together we reached new heights that hadn't been reached in the county before." Following a search along the East Coast, Porvasnik made the decision to attend Ohio State, where she continued to collect accolades. She earned Big Ten Freshman and Big Ten Golfer of the year awars in 2014 after winning the conference tournament on her way to leading the Buckeyes to the first of three league titles and three NCAA Tournament qualifications. She also qualified for the U.S. Open that same year and went on to be a four-time All-Big Ten selection, including twice to the first team. "She's a coach's dream," former Ohio State coach Therese Hession said. "I admire her work ethic and determination. If I had a daughter, I'd want her to be just like Jess. That's how I feel about her to this day." As much as Porvasnik's coaches enthusiastically talk in glowing terms about their star pupil, she returns their words in kind. It all started with Becker building the Highland program from the ground up and seeing it reach great heights. "Coach Becker really jump-started my career," Porvasnik said. "She was always positive to us girls and the team. She made it a lot of fun. "She's still going strong and continues to have great teams year after year. It's exciting for me to follow every year." That was followed by realizing that Ohio State and Hession, who still helps her analyze her statistics and has caddied for Porvasnik on occasion professionally, were absolutely the right choice for her to continue her career. "I look back on my time at Ohio State and truly thank my coaches for helping me get to where I'm at today," Porvasnik said. "Sometimes you hear girls say they didn't like their college coaches, but mine were amazing. I'm so glad I chose Ohio State. I still keep in touch to this day." WORKING TOWARD HER BIG BREAK Currently, Porvasnik is in her second season competing on the EPSON Tour, which is one level away from being on the LPGA Tour. She has made the cut in four of the last six tournaments. Her top finish this season came at the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic, where she tied for 13th with a four-round 5-under 283 that included shooting under par in her final three rounds. Porvasnik has shot even par or better in 14 of 21 rounds this season. "That's exciting to see," she said of her progress. "It's nice being in my second year because I know the lay of the land and how it all works. I'm excited for what's ahead." Porvasnik earned her spot on the EPSON Tour by winning Women's All-Pro Tour Player of the Year honors in 2021 while playing mostly in Florida. She has reached the second stage of Q-school the past two seasons as she works to obtain her LPGA Tour card. Last season her best finish on the EPSON Tour was sixth place, which also happened at the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic and included a 7 under first round to match the tournament scoring record. "It's tough because there's so many talented players around the world that all want to come to the United States," Hession said. "This is her tallest mountain yet to climb, but she's very dedicated and works hard. I'm just trying to help keep her on track." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.