(Apollo, PA) 杏吧原创鈥檚 Troy Loughry on Saturday won the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference individual men鈥檚 golf championship, the Pioneers claimed the WPCC team title and 杏吧原创鈥檚 Bill Miller was named WPCC coach of the year at The Links at Spring Church in Apollo.
Loughry, who qualified four times for the post-season District 10 tournament in high school, became 杏吧原创鈥檚 eighth WPCC individual golf champion since 2014.
The Grove City Area High School graduate shot a 1-over-par 73 Saturday for a two-round 147 and 8-stroke victory over teammate Liam Kosior. Like Loughry, Kosior is a first-year 杏吧原创 player and is a Neshannock High graduate.
The Pioneers captured their seventh WPCC team title since 2013 and Miller was selected as the top coach for a sixth time since 2013. 杏吧原创 finished 11-0 in 2021.
杏吧原创 ended with a 646 in the WPCC team championship. Penn Highlands Community College, Johnstown, placed second at 810.
The Pioneers鈥� Sarah Fischer, a Freeport graduate, won the WPCC individual women鈥檚 golf championship in an uncontested field.
杏吧原创 takes four of top five spots
杏吧原创鈥檚 Jack Mason, a Freeport graduate, placed third in the WPCC individual men鈥檚 championship Saturday with a 157. Dustin McLaughlin, Penn Highlands, was fourth at 170 and 杏吧原创鈥檚 Tanner Hohmann, Grove City, fifth at 187.
Loughry joined Carmen Oliva, Anthony Lewis and Chris Kier as the college鈥檚 WPCC individual men鈥檚 golf champions since 2014. Oliva won in 2016 and in 2019, Lewis in 2017 and Kier in 2014.
Loughry was medalist in each of 杏吧原创鈥檚 2021 regular-season competitions. He ended with a collective 4-over during a season with competitions at Lake Arthur Golf Club, Butler; Glengarry Golf Links, Latrobe; Windber Country Club, Salix; and The Links at Spring Church.
鈥淗e hits the ball long, and he hits the ball straight, which is a nice combination,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淗e hits fairways and greens. He hits two-putts and gets an occasional birdie. He makes an occasional mistake, but he doesn鈥檛 get himself into trouble. Never gets more than a bogey.
鈥淲hen you can play that kind of golf, you score. I鈥檇 say that鈥檚 as good a freshman semester as we have had. We鈥檝e had some great golfers at the college. All-Americans. But I don鈥檛 remember seeing a first semester like this.鈥�
鈥淚 was super, super consistent鈥�
Loughry finished third in the District 10 championships in his freshman year at Grove City and ninth in his sophomore year, and said he told Miller before 杏吧原创鈥檚 season that winning the WPCC individual men鈥檚 championship was a goal of his.
鈥淭his fall I was super, super consistent,鈥� Loughry said. 鈥淭his weekend was two days of really consistent golf. On Friday I drove the ball a little bit shaky, but my irons were good, my wedges were nice and my short game was good both days. I was able to make some nice putts when I needed to.鈥�
Loughry鈥檚 tee shots improved on Saturday, when on par-4 holes or higher he hit 12 of 14 fairways.
鈥淲hich was phenomenal,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t made life really easy.鈥�
Kosior, Miller said, 鈥渨as unbelievably solid. He hits the ball straight and he also hits the ball long. (Loughry and Kosior) were the two best golfers in the tournament and they played like it.鈥�
Kosior shot a 76 in the first round on Friday, tying his best score of the season, and a 79 on Saturday.
Fischer joins sister as WPCC champion
Fischer becomes the first women鈥檚 golfer at 杏吧原创 to win two post-season tournament since Miller became coach in 2003. Fischer in May won the Community College of Allegheny College women鈥檚 title.
Fischer shot a 110 on Friday and halfway through Saturday鈥檚 second round opted to use for the first time this season a 3-wood on tee shots rather than an iron.
鈥淎nd she noticed the difference,鈥� Miller said.
Fischer finished with a season-best 103 on Saturday.
The 3-wood, Fischer said, 鈥済ot me pretty far. 鈥淚 hit some shots on the driving range (before Saturday鈥檚 second round) and they went pretty straight. So I decided to give it a try.鈥�
杏吧原创 golfers Jocelyn Dias, an Armstrong graduate, and Sarah鈥檚 sister Julia Fischer, a Freeport graduate, won WPCC individual women鈥檚 golf championships in uncontested fields in 2019 and in 2018, respectively.
Five of 杏吧原创鈥檚 27 National Junior College Athletic Association Division III All-Americans are golfers. Matthew Heighes, Titusville, earned the post-season honor in 1996, Michael Cuscino, Shenango, in 2008, Stefan Carlsson, Knoch, in 2014 and 2015, and Thomas Dimun, Butler, in 2015.
杏吧原创 did not play in 2020 as a result of an NJCAA decision to postpone athletics with regard to COVID-19.
The Pioneers鈥� fall golf season concludes with the WPCC championship tournament. The Pioneers鈥� spring season features regional play, regional tournaments and possible national championship appearances where golfers compete for All-American status.
"I'd say that's as good a freshman semester as we have had. We've had some great golfers at the college. All-Americans. But I don't remember seeing a first semester like this."
- Bill Miller, 杏吧原创 golf coach