Editor’s note: The following information was provided by coaches. Schools not mentioned are those where information was not received by deadline. Also, girls that play as part of boys team and/or as individuals include Bath’s Abby Vieira, Alexis Ball and Anabelle Burkholder, St. Marys’ Jill Schmitmeyer and Fort Jennings’ Lexi Stant.
Allen East
Coach: Bill Mattevi
Last year: No team in 2016
Division: II
Previous Letterwinners: Kasey Meyer (Jr.), Stephanie LaRontonda (Sr.), Kayla LaRontonda (Jr.), Haylee Mattevi (Sr.)
Promising Newcomers: Sydney Miller (Soph.).
Season Outlook: The girls are very coachable. Kasey Meyer will surprise as she plays well. We are a first-year team with minimal match experience. We will be a work in progress as a team.
Bluffton
Coach: Nicholas Rackley
Years at School: 3 (18-10)
Last year’s record: 12-4
Division: II
Returning Letterwinners: Alivia Koenig (Jr.), Kennedy Coughlan (Jr.), Mara Minnig (Jr.)
Promising Newcomers: Morgan Auchmuty (Sr.)
Season Outlook: We won first sectionals in Bluffton schools history. We would like to repeat that and hopefully make a run to state in districts.
Celina
Coach: Todd McGohan and Ginny Bryan
Years at school, record: 1st
Division: I
Returning Letterwinners: Riley Miller (Sr.), Madelynn Sudhoff (Soph.), Aisha Saleem (Soph.), Emma Sweeney (Soph.), Kendra Masse (Fr.)
Season Outlook: Each match the girls are getting better and better. Exciting year.
Delphos Jefferson
Coach: Ryan Strickler
Years at School, record: 3 (13-15)
Division: III
Returning Letterwinners: Sara Zalar (Sr.), Samantha Kehres (Sr.)
Promising Newcomers: Sydney McGue (Soph.), Riley Smith (Soph.), Anna Fitch (Fr.), Alivia Carpenter (Fr.), Emma Mueller (Fr.), Kaylee Buzard (Fr.)
Season Outlook: We are very excited to have the opportunity to start the girls program and we expect it to just grow and improve with time.
Delphos St John’s
Coach: John Klausing
Division: II
Returning Letterwinners: Allie Buettner (Sr.), Cassidy Schafer (Jr.), Emma Schafer (Jr.), Jade Schafer (Fr.), Katlynn Feathers (Fr.), Cassidy Werts (Fr.)
Season Outlook: Being the first year in many years as a team, we will work on improving every week. They are setting personal goals and lowering their score. We should be competitive in some matches. What is great about this team is they are a very young team and have a great attitude.
Leipsic
Coach: Kevin Brandt
Years at School, record: 9 (60-133)
Last year’s record: 1-16
Division: III
Returning Letterwinners: Grace Rigel (Sr.), Hannah Goedde (Jr.), Morgan Kamphaus (Soph.)
Promising Newcomers: Jala Hazelton (Jr.), Maddie Walter (Fr.), Ella Rigel (Fr.)
Season Outlook: We will have a girls team again this year. Last year, we were the first school in Putnam County history to have a girls golf team. I have three returners back from last year’s team that went 5-1.
Lima Central Catholic
Coach: Dan Reinicke
Years at School, record: (822-198)
Last year’s record: 44-30
Division: II
Returning Letterwinners: Callie Koenig (Sr.), Hannah Garver (Jr.), Meghan Mulcahy (Jr.), Riley Smith (Jr.), Lauren Stull (Jr.), Alivia Contini (Soph.)
Promising Newcomers: Erin Mulcahy (Fr.), Mary Kelly Mulcahy (Fr.)
Season Outlook: If the players can keep the ball in play and avoid large numbers, the team should go far in the OHSAA tournament.
Lima Senior
Coach: Vince Halliday
Years at School, record: 1st
Division: I
Returning Letterwinners: Sylvia Upthegrove (Sr.), Kiara Daniel (Jr.), Nakyia Sigman (Fr.), Taylor Talbert (Fr.), Alivea Buchanan (Fr.), Jenya Allen (Fr.)
Season Outlook: We are just trying to build a program, with 4 freshmen. We are hopeful they can learn and appreciate this life long activity.
Lincolnview
Coach: Brad Doidge
Years at school, record: 27
Last year’s record: 56-8
Division: II
Returning Letterwinners: Marissa Miller (Sr.), Shiann Kraft (Soph.)
Promising Newcomers: Kailey Denman (Sr.), Kasey Denman (Soph.), Winter Boroff (Fr.)
Season Outlook: The Lancer program will be in rebuilding mode this year as graduation hit the team hard. Only two letterwinners return and the team will field three new golfers to their lineup.
Ottoville
Coach: James Brown
Years at school: 14
Division: II
Team members: Hannah Hoehn (Soph.), Allie Honigford (Fr.)
Season Outlook: Both girls very coachable and have good potential to be competitive with other good golfers in the area. The girls are definitely capable of being very competitive when sectional golf comes around.
Parkway
Coach: Teri Samples
Years at school, record: Second season, 4-10
Last year’s record: 8-29 (fifth in MAC)
Division: II
Returning Letterwinners: Haylee Stukey (Jr.), Mecaylah Hesse (Jr.), Lauren Henderson (Jr.), Autumn Ellis (Soph.), Emma Gause (Soph.).
Promising Newcomer: Madison Kroeger (Jr.)
Season Outlook: Our strength will be our tee shots. Our area of needed improvement is the short game, especially on the greens. Maddie Kroeger, who began playing during the summer, has been putting in extra time to better her game. We moved up in the Midwest Athletic Conference last year, going from seventh (2015) to fifth place. We hope to continue to be more competitive in the MAC and improve our overall record.
Shawnee
Coach: Penny Spainhower
Years at school, record: 2, 16-17
Last year’s record: 10-7 (won WBL champs, fifth at sectional)
Returning Letterwinners: Morgan Altenbach (Jr.), Jeanna Fullom (Jr.), Raegan Wheeler (Sr.), Megan Spainhower (Sr.), Grace Rhodes (Jr.), Samantha Carmack (Sr.)
Promising Newcomers: Maggie Gray (Fr.)
Season Outlook: We hit the ball long. Short game and control of those long shots need to be improved. We have started the season with team lows that haven’t been reached since before 2012. We look to make a strong showing in the WBL and at sectionals this year.
St. Henry
Coach: Gary Broering
Last year’s record: 52-14 (third in MAC)
Returning Letterwinners: Allyson Hemmelgarn (Sr.), Karlee Staugler (Sr.)
Promising Newcomers: Ellen Naumann (Fr.), Claire Clune (Soph.), Elizabeth Rockwell (Jr.).
Season Outlook: The Redskins put and chip well but need to work on their course management. I love coaching because I am teaching a life skill.
Wapakoneta
Coach: David Acheson
Last year’s record: 12-1 (won WBL championship and were district qualifiers).
Years at school, record 1, 12-1.
Promising Newcomers: Ali Wayman (Jr.), Madison Bowman (Jr.), Allison Kohlfieser (Soph.), Alyssa McDorman (Soph.), Addie Place (Soph.), Olivia Place (Fr.)
Season Outlook: We have six new players that are working very hard. As with every team, we need to work a lot on our short game chipping and putting. We are very proud of the way these girls have worked this year and they are starting to think golf when out on the course.
