Warren’s Austyn Cummings competes with Jamestown Community College on Day 2 of the NJCAA DIII Golf Championships at Chautauqua GC. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

Austyn Cummings has reinvented himself from his days as a standout baseball player. He had to persevere.

After graduating from Warren Area High School as a member of the District 10 champion Dragons, Cummings was named an all-region all-star for his senior season. A smooth-swinging left-handed hitter, Cummings blasted a team-leading four home runs to go along with 14 RBI and a .338 batting average. He received a scholarship to play baseball at Division II Millersville University in Lancaster.

“After my brief time at Millersville, I returned home to try to find out what I really wanted to do with my life and, shortly after, I ended up getting very sick and hospitalized for over seven weeks,” said Cummings, 22. “While in the hospital, I ended up discovering I had Crohn’s disease. My Crohn’s disease flared up so badly that I ended up needing my entire large intestine removed, and was given an ileostomy bag.

“After months of recovery, I decided I wanted to start working again and found a job at Cable Hollow Golf Course where I worked for nearly three years. While searching for what I wanted to do in my future, I began watching a videos on web design that really sparked my interest. This led me to decide to apply to Jamestown Community College for a degree in information technology.

“In 2019, while being in the hospital in Pittsburgh and being told I was now going to have an ileostomy bag, I really wanted to find a sport that I would still be able to do once I was healthy,” he said. “My entire time in the hospital, I would watch the Golf Channel all day long and search the internet for new golf clubs that I wanted to buy once I was out of the hospital. Golf gave me hope and a purpose to get better.”

This week, Cummings is competing with Jamestown Community College at the NJCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championships at Chautauqua Golf Club in Chautauqua, N.Y.

“As a child, we would golf a little bit, but we were very involved in other sports like baseball and football,” said Cummings, the middle son of Don and Chris Cummings, both of Warren. “Although we played these other sports, there were many times my brothers and I would be in our backyard, hitting foam golf balls and trying to see who could hit the highest flop shot.

“Last year, I decided to join the golf team at JCC and try out competitive golf for the first time,” added Cummings. “Unfortunately, I only got to practice for a few months until, one night after practice, I got sick and was rushed to Warren General Hospital for severe stomach pain and vomiting. The next morning, I was taken to West Penn in Pittsburgh where I had to undergo surgery to remove scar tissue that had formed from my large intestine being removed and was now perforating my small intestine.”

Fast forward to today when JCC hosts the fourth day (72 holes total) of the 2023 NJCAA Men’s & Women’s Division III Championships, and Cummings — after sitting out the third round — will be looking for a round to count in the Jayhawks’ team scoring.

Cummings, who has averaged mid-80 18-hole scores this season, came on strong towards the end of the regular season, shooting his best round of 76 on May 5. He recently received the Coach’s Perseverance Award from head coach George Sisson.

“I have really enjoyed my time at JCC,” said Cummings. “I’ve met some great people and lifelong friends. I really enjoy the small classroom setting and being close to home. I’m so thankful for my teammates on the golf team. They are such a great group of guys, and I will never forget the memories we have all made together.

“Receiving the Perseverance Award from Coach Sisson was an honor,” said Cummings. “It means so much to me knowing that there are other people out there who recognize the struggles I’ve been through and how hard I’ve worked to get where I am. There were many times throughout my recovery where I would break down crying because I just wanted to feel normal again and did not want to deal with everything I had going on. In addition, I still have days where I don’t feel good, or I overdo it and need to relax and make sure I’m hydrated.

“My biggest accomplishment was returning back to play golf for JCC this year after being sick last year,” he added. “I remember after my round (of 76) thinking back to the spring before laying in the hospital bed and I just started smiling because I was proud of myself. Also, I am proud of being able to work with the Ostomy Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that educates, supports, mentors, and empowers ostomates, family members, caregivers, and others within the ostomy community.”

His leadership and character carry weight on the golf roster and beyond.

“We’re just really proud of what he brings in maturity through adversity to the other guys on the team,” said Sisson recently. “And I think every one on the team admires his passion, they admire his work ethic and his tenacity, and I know that when his round starts, that’s the last time he’ll even look at me or talk to me, even when I’m standing right next to him on the tee box.”

He gets that look in his eyes, like nothing will stop him.

“I haven’t let having an ileostomy stop me from doing things I love and living my life to the fullest,” he said. “I have a great support system and so many people that are here for me. I’m doing really good; my health is great and I have gained a lot of weight back. Although I’ve been through quite a lot in my young age, I don’t see it as a bad thing. Everything happens for a reason in this life and it’s how you react to situations that will determine how happy you are.

“After I graduate in the fall, I plan on working full-time, building websites and gaining more experience with my current employer at Precision Web Tech in Jamestown,” added Cummings. “Further down the line, I plan on owning my own business, designing websites for golf courses as well as providing SEO and other services. This experience has taught me to not get discouraged with things that happen because, in life, nothing will go exactly how you plan it.

“I am so thankful for my friends and family who have been there for me through everything,” said Cummings, who tees off at 9:45 a.m. today. “They always give me a laugh when I need it and always have my back… I plan on continuing to play golf as a hobby after school and maybe play some amateur tournaments if I get the itch to compete again. Golf has been a great outlet for me. Once I am on the course, I don’t worry about anything I have going on or my health issues; I just relax and play a game I have grown to love with my friends.”