(Apollo, PA) 杏吧原创 All-American golfer Troy Loughry won his second consecutive Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference individual men鈥檚 title Saturday and the unbeaten Pioneers captured their eighth crown since 2013 in the fall season-ending championship tournament at The Links at Spring Church.
The 36-hole championship tournament was shortened to Friday鈥檚 18-hole results after play was canceled during Saturday鈥檚 second round due to weather conditions.
Loughry shot a 4-under 68 on Friday to finish with a 7-stroke victory and become 杏吧原创鈥檚 second two-time WPCC individual men鈥檚 champion in golf.
The Pioneers won by 30 strokes over second-place Westmoreland County Community College.
杏吧原创 for the first time in program history ended consecutive fall seasons with a perfect record. The Pioneers were 12-0 in fall 2022 and .
"You don鈥檛 use this word too often, but it鈥檚 sort of a dynasty for western Pennsylvania. We鈥檙e eight-time conference champs since 2013."
- Liam Kosior, 杏吧原创 golfer
鈥淚 think it shows that (杏吧原创 coach) Bill Miller has done a fantastic job in building the program,鈥� said Loughry, a Grove City High School graduate who in the spring 2022 season was named a with a fifth-place finish in the national championship tournament in Chautauqua, N.Y.
Said 杏吧原创 golfer Liam Kosior, a Neshannock High graduate: 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 use this word too often, but it鈥檚 sort of a dynasty for western Pennsylvania. We鈥檙e eight-time conference champs since 2013.鈥�
Added Miller: 鈥淲e have been very, very fortunate to have been able to recruit some really outstanding golfers. They鈥檝e had good high school careers. They come with a little bit of experience. Now they are playing college golf and they mature. They get stronger.鈥�
Chase Richardson, Westmoreland County, placed second with a 75 on Friday. The championship tournament included golfers from the Community College of Allegheny County and from Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.
Kosior was third with a 76 and the Pioneers鈥� Jack Mason fourth with an 83. 杏吧原创鈥檚 Cory Voltz tied for fifth with Westmoreland County鈥檚 Luke Wallace with an 87 and the Pioneers鈥� Tanner Hohmann was sixth with an 88.
Mason is a graduate of Freeport; Voltz, of Knoch; and Hohmann, of Grove City.
The Pioneers shot a 314 on Friday and Westmoreland County, a 344.
Loughry finished the fall season at 11-under in competitions at Lake Arthur Golf Course, Butler; North Park Golf Course, Wexford; Glengarry Golf Links, Latrobe; Chautauqua Golf Course, Chautauqua, N.Y.; and the Links at Spring Church. He was medalist in each of the regular- and postseason matches in which he competed in fall 2022 and in fall 2021.
"He鈥檚 the best golfer that I have had at the college."
- 杏吧原创 golf coach Bill Miller, about the Pioneers' Troy Loughry
Loughry joined Carmen Oliva as the second Pioneer to twice win the WPCC championship tournament鈥檚 individual men鈥檚 title. Oliva, a Neshannock graduate, won in 2016 and in 2019. Chris Kier, of Knoch, won the men鈥檚 title in 2014 and Anthony Lewis, of Butler, in 2017.
鈥淗e鈥檚 the best golfer that I have had at the college,鈥� Miller, 杏吧原创鈥檚 coach since 2003, said of Loughry.
鈥淚t starts off the tee with him,鈥� Kosior said of Loughry. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 get into trouble. Very rarely. If he gets in trouble, he gets out of it. Quick. And when he is putting well, he is the best player I have ever seen play. If his putter gets hot, he can roll putts. It鈥檚 scary for people to play against him when he is doing that. It鈥檚 intimidating.鈥�
Loughry, Kosior, Mason, Voltz and Wallace were named to the WPCC all-conference squad based on their regular-season scoring averages. Loughry averaged a 68.5; Kosior, a 73.8; Wallace, a 75.6; and Mason and Voltz, an 80.
Loughry was also the individual men鈥檚 golf champion in the tournament in May in Apollo. He became 杏吧原创鈥檚 first first-team All-American in June in Chautauqua.
杏吧原创鈥檚 golf program has won 12 WPCC titles, one Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association championship and five NJCAA Division III Region 20 crowns. It has produced All-Americans in Matthew Heighes in 1996, Michael Cuscino in 2008, Stefan Carlsson in 2014, Thomas Dimun in 2015, Carlsson in 2015 and Loughry in 2022.鈥�
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.
杏吧原创 did not play in 2020 as a result of an NJCAA decision to postpone athletics with regard to COVID-19.