Hickory’s Sasha Petrochko, North East’s Anna Swan in final group for PIAA 2A girls golf

District 10 was well-represented in the PIAA golf tournament, with eight Class 2A girls competing. Among them, Sasha Petrochko from Hickory and Anna Swan from North East were expected to be strong contenders for first place. Luciana Masters from Hickory and Kate Sowers from West Middlesex were also projected to finish in the top 10. In the opening round at State College on Monday, all four players performed exceptionally well. Petrochko finished with an even-par 72, taking the lead with a one-stroke advantage. Swan and Anna Zapletalova from Wyoming Seminary are also close behind with 1-over 73s. It was a closely-fought match, and Petrochko highlighted a par save on the ninth hole as the turning point in her game. Swan, who won the silver medal last year, is already committed to play women’s golf for Oral Roberts University. Both Sowers and Masters are in contention for state medals if they maintain their current positions.

The other four participants from District 10 also had commendable performances. Kaitlyn Hoover from Wilmington and Ava Liburdi from Hickory each scored 8-over 80s, securing their places in the state tournament. Liburdi, along with Petrochko and Masters, will also participate in the one-round PIAA team tournament and aim to win the 2A girls’ state championship for the third time in a row. Katie Caryl from Mercyhurst Prep is tied for 14th place with a score of 9-over 81, and Cora Hirz from Fairview is tied for 20th with an opening round score of 84. Petrochko was impressed by the talent from the district and believes that many of the participants have a promising future ahead. The top 10 players with ties will receive state medals after Tuesday’s final round.

In the 2A boys field, Caden Bender from West Middlesex had the best round among District 10 golfers, finishing with a 3-over 75. He is currently tied for 19th place and seven shots behind the leader, Nick Werner. Anthony LaBoda from Fairview, in his tournament debut, scored a 77. Despite a nervous start, LaBoda remained composed and performed well. Leyton Hassenplug from North East opened with an 82, tying with Trent Nemec from Grove City. Isaac Allan, Nemec’s teammate, had the best score among small-school players with a 79. District 10 did not receive any at-large berths in the Class 3A boys field, leaving Braddock Damore from Warren and Cooper Wierzchowski from Cathedral Prep as the representatives. Damore has a chance to win a state medal after finishing with an impressive 2-under 70, four shots behind the co-leaders Aidan Farkas and Wes Lorish.

The 3A girls first round wasn’t as successful for Alexis Marsh and Analise Wolf from McDowell. Marsh, the district champion, finished with a round of 87, while Wolf scored 90. Rhianna Gooneratne from Plymouth Whitemarsh stood out with an eagle three and a score of 5-under 67. She was the only player to achieve a red number in the round.

Contact Mike Copper at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @ETNcopper.