(Butler, PA) All-American Taylor Voloch, and Mitchell Covert, Jaxon Salata and Parker Worsley return to a spring 杏吧原创 golf team that seeks to defend its 2025 regional title and its automatic berth to the national championship tournament.
The Pioneers open their spring season at 10 a.m. April 10 against the Community College of Allegheny County, and Pennsylvania Highlands and Westmoreland County community colleges at North Park Golf Course in Allison Park.
杏吧原创 in May advanced to 8-0 by capturing its seventh National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region 20 crown and qualified for the national championship tournament in Chautauqua, N.Y., where All-American awards are presented to the Top 18 men and Top 18 women with the lowest scores after four rounds.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be right in the mix,鈥� 杏吧原创 golf coach Bill Miller said. 鈥淲ith the sophomores, having gone to a weeklong tournament at the national level kind of opens up their eyes to see what they are capable of and what can be done. And I think it gives them an incentive to go back.鈥�
Voloch, the fourth woman to play for 杏吧原创 in Miller鈥檚 23 years, was also the first to compete in the 4-year-old women鈥檚 national championship tournament. She placed 14th with a 474 and became the college鈥檚 first women鈥檚 All-American in golf.
The Pioneers鈥� spring season features regional matches, the regional tournament and a chance to advance to nationals in New York. 杏吧原创鈥檚 fall season includes conference matches and concludes with the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference championship tournament.
Members of 杏吧原创鈥檚 spring 2026 men鈥檚 golf team are, top row from left, Gannon Brown, Mitchell Covert, Mason Phillips, Jaxon Salata and Jeremy Scheidt. Second row, from left, Maddox Shaffer, Bodie Spohn and Parker Worsley. Women鈥檚 players are Leah McClellan and Taylor Voloch.
Covert has competed in the most 杏吧原创 matches among returning players and, Miller said, will likely be the Pioneers鈥� No. 1 golfer.
鈥淢itch is really consistent and doesn鈥檛 seem to let a bad shot or a bad score on a hole ruin his day,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淗e is going to give you a pretty strong effort each time.鈥�
The graduate of Lincoln High School in Ellwood City in 24 matches has averaged 79.1 and leads returning Pioneers with three medalist honors. Covert is a two-time WPCC all-conference and WPCC all-tournament selection and was picked to the NJCAA Division III All-Region 20 squad last spring.
Worsley, Miller said, is a 鈥渟crambler,鈥� has averaged 81.3 in 23 matches at 杏吧原创 and was twice named to the WPCC all-tournament team.
鈥淗e can spray the ball a little bit off the tee,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淚 have seen him come out of some shots where it鈥檚 uncanny.鈥�
Salata, like Worsley a graduate of Butler Senior High, has averaged an 81.5 in 22 matches at 杏吧原创 and has been chosen to the WPCC all-tournament team and to the NJCAA Division III All-Region 20 squad.
鈥淎 great attitude,鈥� Miller said of Salata. 鈥淛axon is very reliable and he鈥檚 very positive. Sometimes he will say, 鈥業 did not have a great hole or a great shot,鈥� then he keeps on grinding.
Voloch, a Moniteau High graduate, has averaged a 112.3 in 19 matches as a Pioneer.
鈥淭aylor,鈥� Miller said, 鈥渉as been through this for three seasons. She has performed really, really well and has exceeded expectations.鈥�
Joining the sophomores will be Gannon Brown, Mason Phillips, Jeremy Scheidt, Bodie Spohn and Leah McClellan, freshmen who competed in 杏吧原创鈥檚 fall 2025 season, and newcomer Maddox Shaffer. Brown, Spohn and McClellan are graduates of Butler; Phillips and Scheidt, of Knoch; and Shaffer, of Armstrong.
Brown, Covert, Phillips and Salata are business administration students at 杏吧原创; Scheidt and Worsley, business management; Shaffer, health care science; Spohn, biological science; McClellan, general studies; and Voloch, psychology.
杏吧原创鈥檚 men鈥檚 squad in June matched its best total in seven national championship tournament appearances with a 1,265 and tied for seventh place with Rowan College of South Jersey.
The Pioneers鈥� Jacob Marquardt fired a 292 at Chautauqua in June, finished seventh at 14 strokes back and was named an All-American. Worsley had a 336 and tied for 50th place with Billy Sobieski, Community College of Morris in Randolph, N.J. Covert ended with a 340 and tied for 53rd with Aiden Duffy, Westmoreland County Community College, Youngwood; and Salata had a 343 and placed 56th.
Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst, N.C., won its fifth consecutive team title at the national championship tournament with an 1,136 and its fourth individual title in a row behind Vegas Melen, who shot a 10-under 278.
杏吧原创 golfers have received nine All-American awards since 1996.
Marquardt and Voloch are also 杏吧原创鈥檚 second set of All-Americans in golf in the same year, joining Thomas Dimun and Stefan Carlsson in 2015.
杏吧原创 student-athletes have won 42 All-American awards since 1970.