Rachel (Powers) Stuckman, a 2010 graduate, became the second female golfer from Quincy Notre Dame to win a medal at the Class A state golf tournament, matching a feat accomplished twice by her sister Emily.
As a junior, Stuckman learned she was going to be the only member of the girls golf team, so instead she played on the boys team. She shot an 86 in the regional at Taylorville and helped QND finish third.
During her senior season, Stuckman won the regional at Camp Point with a 78, 13 strokes better than the second-place finisher. She then won the sectional at Taylor Ridge with a 67, 14 strokes better than the second-place finisher. She shot 83-81—164 to finish second at the 2009 Class A state tournament at Crab Orchard Golf Club in Carterville.
Stuckman played for four years at Illinois State University. Her 18-hole stroke average during her freshman, sophomore and junior years was between 79.2 and 79.8 strokes, and she dropped that average to 77 as a senior. She placed seventh individually at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship in 2014, and she had four top 10 finishes in her career. Illinois State won the MVC team title twice and made two appearances in the NCAA Regional during Stuckman’s career. She was an all-MVC pick as a senior and a three-time MVC Player of the Week winner.
Stuckman lives in Quincy with her husband, Ryan, and their daughter, Madalynn. She is an activity therapist at the Illinois Veterans Home.
"So many people come to mind when I think about whom to thank for helping me along my golf journey. First would be my family. My parents took so much time out of their lives to help me become successful. They put so many miles on their vehicles. We traveled and played in many golf tournaments across the United States. That was what summer was all about. Still to this day, my dad can take one look at my swing and say something like, “You are stuck on that right side again” or “Keep that chicken wing in.” My older sister, Emily, was an inspiration for me to follow in her footsteps. I wanted to be just like her, and I sure tried.
Growing up, I took lessons with Mark Christensen with Christensen Golf Academy. Thank you for spending countless hours with me, watching me pound golf balls at your range almost every night and being my go-to person if I needed a quick fix. I could always count on him telling me, “The fewer the strokes, the lower your score.” I wouldn’t be where I am if it weren’t for you.
I cannot forget to thank my coaches and teammates at QND, starting with Coach (Chris) Hogge. He finally got a little break from me during my junior year. I can’t thank Coach (Charles) Scholz enough for allowing me to join. Thank you to my teammates at the time for giving me that opportunity and letting me be “one of the boys” — especially that boy in his senior year on the back of the bus. He let me sit by him on the way to every tournament. Little did I know he would be my future husband. Playing from a longer distance and against tougher competition prepared me for college golf at Illinois State University.
Being inducted into the QND Hall of Fame is such a great and memorable experience."
-Rachel (Powers) Stuckman '10