"I'm more optimistic about this team than I ever have been going north."
- Bill Miller, 杏吧原创 golf coach, about the Pioneers' seventh trip to the national championship tournament in Chautauqua, N.Y.
(Apollo, PA) 杏吧原创 men鈥檚 golfer Jacob Marquardt on Tuesday became the lowest-scoring Region 20 medalist in program history, and the undefeated Pioneers qualified for the national championship tournament in western New York with a postseason victory against three teams.
杏吧原创 (8-0) captured its seventh National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region 20 crown with the 36-hole tournament win against the Community College of Allegheny County, Westmoreland County Community College and Pennsylvania Highlands Community College at the Links at Spring Church in Apollo.
As the Region 20 champion, the Pioneers earned an automatic berth to the 72-hole competition in June in Chautauqua, N.Y., which in 2024 drew regional championship squads from Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
鈥淓verybody is really excited about going up north,鈥� said 杏吧原创 coach Bill Miller, whose teams have qualified for the national championship tournament seven times since 2009 and in 2023 finished in a program-best fifth place. 鈥淚鈥檓 more optimistic about this team than I ever have been going north.鈥�
The 2025 national championship tournament is scheduled for June 2-6. The 18 individual golfers with the lowest score after four rounds receive All-American status. 杏吧原创 golfers have won seven All-American awards.
The Pioneers鈥� Xander Downing placed second in the Region 20 tournament, Mitchell Covert third and Jaxon Salata was tied for fourth.
杏吧原创鈥檚 scores of 305 on Monday and Tuesday were its lowest this spring by 14 strokes. Four Pioneers shot their best single rounds of the spring in the Region 20 tournament, led by Marquardt鈥檚 4-under 68 on Monday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 obviously good for us to start peaking right now because we鈥檙e coming up toward that national tournament,鈥� Marquardt said. 鈥淚f we continue it at Chautauqua, I think we鈥檒l have a really good showing.鈥�
Downing, Salata and 杏吧原创鈥檚 Parker Worsley had their best single rounds of the spring on Tuesday, Downing with a 71 and Salata and Worsley with 79s.
"I think everyone is pretty dialed in right now with their golf swing."
- Xander Downing, 杏吧原创 golfer
鈥淚 think everyone is pretty dialed in right now with their golf swing,鈥� Downing said. 鈥淚 think we have a really good chance to place well at Chautauqua with how much depth we have.鈥�
鈥淭his is definitely the best time for us to be playing the way that we are,鈥� Salata said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 getting toward the end of the season, the postseason. Everybody is stepping up their game.鈥�
鈥淎s a team, we all played really well鈥�
Marquardt won 杏吧原创鈥檚 sixth Region 20 individual crown since 2009. His two-day 144 broke a 杏吧原创 record set by Troy Loughry, a two-time first-team All-American who won his first of two Region 20 individual titles with a 146 in 2022.
Downing finished with a 148 in the Region 20 tournament; Covert shot consecutive 79s for a 158 and Salata had a 160, as did Aiden Duffy of Westmoreland County Community College.
The four lowest individual scores are added to determine the team score.
鈥淎s a team, we all played really well,鈥� Covert said. 鈥淲e came in with good scores. I know a couple of us had some struggles. I think that as a team, if we can be at 305 or slightly under that, we can do pretty well at nationals.鈥�
Worsley placed sixth with a 161.
鈥淭his is the deepest team I have had鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 really looking forward to the national championship tournament because I think we have a really deep team,鈥� said Miller, 杏吧原创鈥檚 coach since 2003. 鈥淚n fact, this is the deepest team I have had.鈥�
Marquardt this spring is averaging a 74.7; Downing, a 76.3; Covert, a 78.1; Salata, an 82.5 and Worsley, an 82.8.
Marquardt, Downing, Covert and Salata were selected as All-Region 20, as was Duffy.
Will Dempsey, Community College of Allegheny County, was placed seventh in the Region 20 tournament with a 164; Bret Worthington, Westmoreland County Community College, was eighth at 167; Jayvien Brumbaugh, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, ninth at 175; and Carlson Boyle, Pennsylvania Highlands, 10th at 180.
Marquardt also won the individual title and the Pioneers claimed the team crown in the two-round Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference championship in October at the Links at Spring Church. Marquardt had a two-day 153 and 杏吧原创 a 621.
Jada Ford, Westmoreland County Community College, was the women鈥檚 medalist in the Region 20 tournament with a two-round 212. 杏吧原创鈥檚 Taylor Voloch finished second with a 230.
"This is definitely the best time for us to be playing the way that we are."
- Jaxon Salata, 杏吧原创 golfer
Marquardt is a graduate of Seneca Valley High School; Downing, Salata and Worsley, of Butler; and Covert, of Lincoln in Ellwood City.
Covert, Downing and Salata are business administration students. Marquardt is enrolled in the college鈥檚 computer information systems-networking and cybersecurity program; and Worsley, in business management.
Voloch, Moniteau, is a psychology student who will compete in the women鈥檚 national championship tournament.
杏吧原创鈥檚 athletics programs have earned berths to NJCAA national championship tournaments 12 times since 2002.
The college鈥檚 golf team has competed for an NJCAA Division III national championship six times; its volleyball squad, four times, most recently as 2024; its men鈥檚 basketball program once, in 2023; and its women鈥檚 basketball program once, in 2011.
The Pioneers鈥� spring golf season features regional play and a regional tournament. 杏吧原创鈥檚 fall golf season concludes with the WPCC championship.