News Archive
Mother-Daughter Duo To Lead Milford Girls Golf Program
The Milford High School Department of Athletics is pleased to announce that a mother-daughter duo has been brought aboard to lead the Eagles girls golf program. Current Milford junior varsity coach Katie Leist will move up to head the varsity program, while her mother, Leona Leist, will take over the reigns of the junior varsity program.
“This was a very unique opportunity for us to bring on board a mother-daughter team to lead our girls golf program,” Milford Director of Athletics Aaron Zupka commented. “Katie has done a nice job with our junior varsity program the past two years and was a natural choice to move up to the varsity ranks. Leona has been a long-time educator and coach and we’re delighted to welcome her to Milford as well.”
Katie Leist was a four-year varsity golfer and the pre- and post-season conference champion as a senior at Kings High School where she graduated from in 2011. Following graduation from The Ohio State University with a Masters in Middle Childhood Education, Coach Leist worked for three years as an eighth grade Science teacher in the Middletown City School District. While at Middletown, she started the middle school golf program, before moving on to coach the Varsity Girls Golf Team in 2017 and 2018. Now an eighth grade Science teacher in Loveland City Schools, Coach Leist served as the Milford Junior Varsity Girls Golf Coach for the 2020 and 2021 seasons under former coach Matt Thompson. She is excited about the upcoming season and is thrilled to be coaching alongside the person who first taught her how to play, her mom.
Leona Leist, known as Lee, was a teacher all over the Greater Cincinnati area for 25 years, before retiring in 2019. A graduate of Purdue and Xavier Universities, Coach Leist also has over a decade of experience as a youth golf coach in the area. She spent nearly 10 years leading the St. Margaret of York (Loveland) golf team, before coaching two seasons with the Middletown Middle School program. Prior to those stops, Coach Leist was the volunteer coach for the Kings Junior High golf program from 2005-2007.
The Leist duo will look to continue the strong run of success at Milford over the last decade that includes the 2021 Eastern Cincinnati Conference Championship and a trip to districts as a team in 2020. In all, the Eagles have captured four conference championships since 2012. Two members of the 2021 squad recently announced plans to compete on the college level beginning next fall.
