Columbus Academy girls golf team wins first state title; boys squad finishes second
When Jason Singleton was named athletics director at Columbus Academy in November 2018, one of his early tasks was finding a coach for the new girls golf program.
The search ended with Maggie Freytag, a former standout golfer at Upper Arlington whose first Academy team, in fall 2019, consisted of eight freshmen. Three years later, Freytag was at the helm as the Vikings won their first state championship.
Academy shot a 647 in the 12-team Division II state tournament Oct. 14 and 15 at Ohio State’s Gray Course, easily outdistancing runner-up Sugarcreek Garaway (670).
“We had about seven or eight freshmen who wanted to play golf,” Singleton said of that first season. “Maggie came to me and said she was very interested. Typically, I try to stay away from parents being coaches, but so many people said so many positive things about her and she’s so passionate about girls golf that I wanted to take a chance on her.
“She has been phenomenal. She’s very caring and nurturing. She understands the game. She’s been very important to growing our girls golf program. Maggie started it all. I’ve done a lot of good things at Columbus Academy, but this by far might be my best decision to hire her.”
While the girls team earned its first title, the boys team fell short of capturing its sixth consecutive Division II state championship, finishing second (634) behind Kettering Alter (618) on Oct. 14 and 15 at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course.
Junior Angela Hu led the girls team by tying for sixth (157) to earn second-team all-state honors.
“My freshman year was my second year of playing golf,” Hu said. “Coming into high school to play on a girls golf team was all new to me. I was just focusing on having fun, but this is crazy now that we won state. ... Coach Freytag has meant everything. She’s the reason why I pulled through and finished the match. She keeps me going. She’s such an amazing coach and I am so grateful for her.”
Three of the freshmen on Academy’s first girls team played a role this season, including senior Eliza Freytag, the coach’s daughter.
“My mother has done so much for this program,” said Eliza, who tied for 18th with a 168. “She really made this program what it is today. She basically created it because she was able to step up and become the coach from the beginning, so that was pretty amazing.”
Maggie said being able to coach her daughter for four years “touches my heart. She means the world to me. To see her succeed and do so well and accomplish her goals, it’s so exciting. I love her so much.”
Senior Grace Luo tied for eighth (159) and was second-team all-state, and senior Eva Baker tied for 14th (165). Both were freshmen on Academy’s first girls team.
Sophomore Caroline Zeiger tied for 34th (177).
The other seniors on the Vikings were Quinn Black and Morgan Crain. They also were on the 2019 team.
The season also included winning a second consecutive MSL-Ohio Division championship and capturing sectional and district titles.
Despite the graduation of her daughter, coach Freytag expects to return next season. The 1992 UA graduate was a member of the Golden Bears’ first girls golf team and helped UA finish second at state during its first season in 1991.
“If they ask me back, I’d love to come back,” she said. “These girls mean the world to me and I want to just keep going with it. I love this program. I love to see girls play golf. We have a great middle school team. We have a great j.v. team. The program is growing. My goal is to get more girls into the sport of golf.”
In its first state tournament last season, Academy finished fourth (694) behind champion Lima Central Catholic (659).
“I’m so grateful that (the school) gave us this opportunity,” coach Freytag said. “We’ve had so much support from Jason Singleton, from the parents. Everyone at Columbus Academy has been so extremely supportive of this team and we could not be here without them. We’ve had the support of (boys coach) Craig Yakscoe. He’s been unbelievable. The boys team, we’ve been supportive of each other and it’s been fantastic.”
Columbus Academy boys golf team finishes second at state
After rallying last season to win the state title, the boys could not stage another comeback.
Alter opened a 309-320 lead following the first day and remained in control throughout the final round. It was Alter’s fifth state title and first since 2009.
Last season, the Vikings rallied from 10 strokes down following the opening day to edge the Knights 611-614 for the title.
“We have a lot to be proud of as far as Columbus Academy golf is concerned,” said Yakscoe, whose program has won 12 state titles. “It’s always tough to say goodbye to seniors. This is a good group of seniors. They get along very well. They’re good friends. They play hard. They compete and they challenge each other all the way through.”
Senior Stephen Ma finished third (151) to earn first-team all-state honors. He tied for third last season and earned individual medalist honors as a sophomore.
“I believe I left my mark on this program,” said Ma, who also was MSL-Ohio Player of Year. “(Yakscoe) was a great help to keeping me even-keeled and having a positive mindset at all times.”
Senior Arvind Rajagopalan tied for ninth (157) and was second-team all-state. Junior Matthew Fang (11th, 158), freshman Jack Woods (tied for 30th, 171) and senior A.J. Bradley (tied for 34th, 173) also competed.
Academy won its seventh consecutive MSL-Ohio title and captured sectional and district championships.
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BOYS GOLF
•MSL-Ohio standings: Columbus Academy (9-0), Bexley (5-4), Worthington Christian (4-5), Buckeye Valley (0-9)
•Seniors lost: Luke Boltz,A.J. Bradley,Sam Braveman,Arjun Gokhale, Alex Lesh,Stephen Ma and Arvind Rajagopalan
•Key returnees: Matthew Fang and Jack Woods
•Postseason: First (314) at sectional, first (303) at district, second (634) at state behind Kettering Alter (618)
GIRLS GOLF
•MSL-Ohio standings: Academy (15-0), Columbus School for Girls (10-5), Bexley (6-9), Worthington Christian (5-10), Buckeye Valley (0-12)
•Seniors lost: Eva Baker, Quinn Black, Morgan Crain, Eliza Freytag and Grace Luo
•Key returnees: Angela Hu and Caroline Zeiger
•Postseason: First (324) at sectional, first (329) at district, first (647) at state
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Columbus Academy girls golf wins first state title; boys finish second
