2025 Fort Recovery girls golf preview

2024 season:

The Indians had one of their best seasons in program history last year as they finished a perfect 8-0 in the Midwest Athletic Conference and put up a 418 in the MAC Championships, beating St. Henry and Minster by one stroke, to claim their first conference title. After losing two of the first three matches, Fort Recovery went on a 12-match win streak heading into the sectional. FRHS underperformed in the tournament, falling to ninth and missing the district tournament.

Projected lineup:

Olivia Knapke Sr.

Mallory Evers, Sr.

Georgia Wenning, Sr.

Evvie Briner, Sr.

Cora Pearson, So.

Emily Boeckman, So.

Layla Armstrong, So.

Top returners:

Olivia Knapke

47.5 strokes/9, 1st team All-MAC

Mallory Evers

51.5 strokes/9, 1st team All-MAC

Georgia Wenning

54.2 strokes/9, 1st team All-MAC

Key departures:

Emma Will

49.7 strokes/9, 2nd team All-MAC

Eva Kahlig

56 strokes/9 holes

Coach Jeff Vaughn says:

“Last year we obviously had a great year winning the MAC championship. The disadvantage with that is, we’re going to have a target on our back with everybody we play. We really do have a pretty good core coming back. We have four seniors we are going to rely on heavily … and then it’s going to be up to some of these newcomers to see who will fill out the five and the six. It can change from match to match and that’s not a bad thing. … Our goal this year is just to get better each match. Last year we started out slow and then got on a nice run and unfortunately we finished with a bitter taste in our mouth with the sectionals because we didn’t play well. But that’s golf and hopefully we learned from that and this year is a different story come tournament time.”

Fast facts:

•Fort Recovery returns three of its four All-Midwest Athletic Conference golfers from 2024 including first-teamers Olivia Knapke and Mallory Evers, as well as Georgia Wenning from the second team.

•Jeff Vaughn enters his second full season leading the Indians following a 13-2 record that included a perfect 8-0 in Midwest Athletic Conference play.

•FRHS has made the district only once, doing so in 2020. Only Jalyn Bruns has made a trip to the state tournament a year later.

Matches to watch:

Thursday, Aug. 21, vs. Minster

The Wildcats finished right behind FRHS in the Midwest Athletic Conference last year. MHS will have this match circled on their schedule to try and reclaim the MAC title.

Saturday, Sept. 20, at MAC Championships

Should Fort Recovery put together another strong season in conference, the MAC Championships could be the deciding factor in where they fall. It is also the final 18-hole tournament prior to the sectional.