- Ryan Donaldson of Suwannee won the FHSAA Class 1A state golf championship with a total score of 140 and signed to play at the University of Oklahoma.
- Brayden Pedersen of Santa Fe finished second at the 2A District 2 championship and tied for 12th at the 2A state championships with a two-round score of 153.
- Oak Hall sixth grader Scarlett Konecny who made it to the state tournament and finished tied for 40th at the 1A state championships.
- Suwannee led the All Area golf selections with four players, including three boys: Carter Cannon, Dawson Wooley, and Ty Hurst.
There was one area individual state champion in golf this past fall.
That was senior Ryan Donaldson of Suwannee (Live Oak), who placed first at the FHSAA Class 1A state championships. She finished with an overall total of 140 (73, 67) to win by one stroke over sophomore Jaime Baker of Dr. Joaquin Garcia (Lake Worth).
While the University of Oklahoma signee was the only Lady Bulldog selected, she joins three Suwannee boys on the 2025 Bosshardt Realty All Area Golf Team.
Suwannee had four golfers and Columbia (Lake City) had two to lead the way. It was the third straight year that the two programs dominated the list of 10 with a combined seven All Area selections in 2023 and 2024.
“Ryan Donaldson is an incredibly tough player physically and mentally on the course,” said first-year Suwannee coach Marisley Leal-Hicks. “She drives the ball a long way and consistently delivers phenomenal drives, and her putting is where her true game lies. What truly sets her apart is her mental strength — the way she handles pressure and overcomes challenges on the course. That mindset played a huge role in her Florida state championship win.”
Senior Megan Ruwe of Columbia, a four-year starter, and junior teammate Rayna Hardin were placed on the All Area team after helping lead the Lady Tigers to a 3rd-place finish at regionals.
“This year’s captain, Megan Ruwe, led our team to a 13-0-1 season match record and another district title,” said Columbia coach Chet Carter, who was named the Bosshardt Realty Girls Coach of the Year. “Megan once again won our Red Bull Team Spirit award. She made the decision, with a little push from me, to switch from softball to golf and she will tell you she is so happy she did. Meagan’s play and commitment to getting better, along with her focus on academics, has been rewarded as Megan has been offered a scholarship. She is committed to play for the Florida Gateway College Timberwolves after graduation.”
Ruwe (80) tied for eighth at 2A-Region 1, while Hardin (83) tied for 10th.
“Rayna Hardin finished the 2025 season leading the team in stroke average with a 41.2, edging out Megan by .1 percent,” Carter said. “Rayna has all the tools to make a run for a top 10 finish at state next year and secure a scholarship for college. Rayna has improved her game each year and I am looking forward to seeing her take it to the next level as she leads our team as captain in 2026.”
Junior Claire Bond of Branford joined the team after finishing second at the 1A-Disrict 3 tournament (77) and tying for 11th at 1A-Region 1 (82).
“Claire is a dedicated golfer and puts in the extra time on the golf course,” said Branford coach LaDon Terry. “She was our number one golfer this season that would shoot in the 36-40 range all season. Claire played in the Jill Darr Invitational and shot a 38 and 39, competing with some of the best girls in the area.”
The youngest All Area recipient on the girls side is Oak Hall sixth grader Scarlett Konecny, who made it to the state tournament and finished tied for 40th (153) at the 1A state championships.
“Scarlett had an incredible 2025 season with the Oak Hall Eagles,” said OHS coach Mike Mueller. “In her very first season on the team—and as a sixth grader—she helped lead the Eagles to a district championship. She continued to play outstanding golf in postseason tournament play, ultimately qualifying for the state tournament as an individual. Making it all the way to states in her first year of high school golf is a remarkable achievement, and we couldn’t be prouder of her.“
Donaldson, Ruwe, and Hardin repeated on the All Area girls team, while three of the five on the All Area boys team also made repeat appearances, and they were all on the same high school team.
Suwannee senior Carter Cannon and juniors Dawson Wooley and Ty Hurst are back on the team following last year’s All Area selections.
“Carter has come an extremely long way with his golf game the last year and a half,” said Suwannee coach Damon Wooley, who repeated as the Bosshardt Realty Boys Coach of the Year. “He has put in the extra work/time during the off-season playing junior tournaments, etc., to help sharpen not only his physical skills but also his mental game, which was much improved this season and helped contribute to his success. He recently went to a tryout and received an offer to play college golf.”
Wooley (75, 78) finished tied for 12th with a two-round score of 153 at the FHSAA Class 2A state championships.
“Dawson works very hard in the classroom as well as on the golf course to maintain a 4.0 GPA with AP and honors classes,” said his dad and coach, Damon Wooley. “Quiet leader leads by example, but unlike his father, is usually short on words. He has continued to improve a few strokes at a time the last few years, so hopefully that trend will continue into his senior year.”
Hurst tied for 70th at the 2A state championships with a total of 167.
“Ty is a team player who tends to play for something bigger than himself when he has found himself in tough situations during tournaments,” Damon Wooley said. “He has the athletic ability to be better than his stats show if he can put it all together next year. Looking for him to have his best season yet next year as a senior if he will put in the work necessary during the offseason.”
The trio helped lead Suwannee to an 11th-place finish as a team at the 2A state championships.
Two Alachua County selections included junior Daniel Muchnick of Buchholz and junior Brayden Pedersen of Santa Fe (Alachua).
Muchnick shot 80 at regionals (3A-Region 1) and finished tied for 30th.
“Daniel has been incredibly important for us this year,” said Buchholz coach Ryan McNickle. This was his first year on the team and he ended up playing pretty consistently as our No. 2 guy. He’s very athletic, a two-sport athlete, and I think that helps him a bunch. He has that natural athletic ability that makes playing sports at a competitive level a lot easier.”
He also fired a 71 to tie Perry Carson of Spruce Creek (Port Orange) for first before losing in a playoff against Carson for the Class 3A-District 3 title.
“The district tournament was definitely the one that stands out,” McNickle said. “He played an incredible round that day. It was his career best and made the difference in us advancing to regionals as a team. He ended up losing in a playoff for the low individual at districts, but really excited to see what next season holds for him.”
Rounding out the boys All Area team is Pedersen, who finished tied for 12th with Wooley and four other golfers at the 2A state championships with a two-round score of 153 (77, 76).
He finished second by one stroke at the Class 2A-District 2 championship with a score of 73 to help the Santa Fe boys win the district title and was also second at the 2A-Region 1 meet (73).
“Brayden is the perfect combination of self-driven and natural talent,” said Santa Fe coach Danny Loya. “He competes at a very high level yet has a quiet determination about him. He is respected among his peers because, first and foremost, he is a really good person. His awareness about the position of the team and care for the success of his teammates has made him a very respected figure amongst his peers and parents.”