2024 Fort Recovery girls golf preview

Projected lineup

Olivia Knapke

Emma Will

Eva Kahlig

Rylee Bubp

Georgia Wenning

Mallory Evers

Evvian Briner

Cora Pearson

Top returners

Olivia Knapke

53 strokes/nine holes

Emma Will

57.6 strokes/nine holes 

Eva Kahlig

57.8 strokes/nines holes

Key departures

Brynn Stammen

57.4 strokes/nine holes

Marissa Schoen

58.2 strokes/nine holes 

Ella Westgerdes

58.2 strokes/nines holes

Fast facts

•The last Indian golfer to make it past the sectional was Jalyn Bruns, who finished fourth in the 2021 state tournament with a 156.

•Fort Recovery returns four girls who received All-Midwest Athletic Conference recognition. Olivia Knapke made the second team All-MAC and Eva Kahlig, Ella Schoen and Emma Will were honorable mentions.

•This will be Jeff Vaughn’s second season at the helm after taking over for the late Joe Bruns. 

•Ellla Schoen is recovering from a finger injury that has a chance to keep the 2023 All-MAC honorable mention out for the season. Last year, Schoen put up the best score in the sectional for Fort Recovery with 106 strokes.

•Fort Recovery has seven newcomers who have never played competitively before this season.

Matches to watch

Wednesday, Aug. 7, in Gary Broering Invite

The Gary Broering Invite is the first time during the season when the Indians will play 18 holes and the first taste of the format they will have in the sectional.

Thursday, Aug. 22, at Minster

Minster won the Midwest Athletic Conference last season after going 8-0 and winning the conference tournament. This is the Indians’ chance to show if they have a chance at their first MAC title.

Thursday, Sept. 12, at St. Henry

St. Henry finished one spot above Fort Recovery in the MAC and will be the last conference dual-match of the season, so it could play a vital role in conference standings.

Saturday, Sept. 21, at MAC Championships

The MAC tournament plays a big part in the conference final standings as each team gets awarded two points for each team they finish ahead of.

2023 season

The Indians got off to a slow start in 2023, their first five dual-matches of the season before beating St. John’s to start a six-match winning streak. Fort Recovery lost head coach Joe Bruns to a battle with cancer during their winning streak and put up its best score of the season to that point of 211 strokes to beat Jay County and Winchester. The season ended in the sectional when it placed seventh with 470 strokes, 44 short of a regional berth.

Coach Jeff Vaughn says

“Our goal this year is to get better each match and we’re looking for some consistency. Last year I thought we had two or three players that were consistent, we could never find that fourth, fifth and sixth. This year I feel like we have a pretty experienced team. I feel like we have a good core. ... The goal is to win the MAC, advance in the sectional and have fun in the process.