Photos courtesy Molly DeWeese
The midfielder scored an impressive nine goals in a single game against Miamisburg when the Eagles decimated the Vikings, 18-8 on March 21. That nine bested the total set by Bella Vaughn last year when she netted eight.
But goals aren’t what matter to the junior, who has already committed to play for the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks. Infact, once the game ended, she looked at teammate Ashley Filburn who had four assists to Praeter in the game and said, “The record is yours, next.”
“We kept basically running the same play, which was a pick-and-roll,” Praeter said. “I’m 6-feet tall, so I’m pretty open in the middle even if there are people on me. They didn’t pick up on it until the end. I think I finished the first half with seven goals.”
She wasn’t sure where she was during the game in terms of how many goals she scored, but she knew her team was winning.
“During games I kind of black out. I didn’t really know. But Ashley had it in the back of her head and she was like, ‘Ava, you’re almost there.’ And so was my sister, she’s my No. 1 supporter. We are just constantly looking at each other on the field like, ‘wow, look at us.’
“Ava has put in the work to improve herself as a player and it shows, both in her skill and her leadership,” Lacrosse coach Sarah Woll said. “She is a junior captain and a two-year varsity starter.”
“I’m pretty positive I was the first (girls player) to commit DI (to college to play lacrosse from Bellbrook), so I’ve already made my mark. I just want to help other people make their mark as well,” Praeter said.
The junior made her commitment in September 2023 and has the better part of two season to play for the Eagles before she moves on to the Riverhawks and studies business while playing collegiate lacrosse.
Her mark, though, she hopes, is also made at the lower levels. “It’s exciting because I coach the middle school and elementary school girls when I volunteer for them. It’s amazing to see how much they love the sport. How much it’s going to grow. We didn’t have a program at Bellbrook until I was in 7th grade, but it’s growing fast. It’s a bright future.
“All the girls that I coach, I feel like they look up to me in a way, so I hope they are looking at me like ‘if she can do it, I can do it,’” Praeter said. “My biggest thing is that I just want to make an impact on the program and help it build.”
“(Ava) is passionate about the game and is a great role model for younger players,” Woll said. “She has been going out to the middle school team’s practices when she is able to help coach and mentor them.”
As a sophomore, Praeter scored 38 goals and had 25 assists. The team is 4-0 to start the season.