WPIAL Establishes Qualifiers for 2022 Girls’ Golf Individual Championships

Friday, September 23, 2022

Pittsburgh, Pa. – A total of 45 student-athletes qualified for the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Girls’ Golf Individual Championships through six sectional qualifiers across the 2A and 3A classifications. The section tournaments all had their own unique target score based on the golf course, with student-athletes needing to finish at or below that number to punch their ticket to the WPIAL Championships.

The WPIAL Girls’ Golf Individual Championships are now played in a two-round format. There are 27 student-athletes in 3A and 18 student-athletes in 2A that will tee off at Youghiogheny Country Club on Monday, Sept. 26. The scores accumulated there will carry over to their respective championships, which will both be held at Valley Brook Country Club on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

LINK: 2022 WPIAL 3A Girls’ Golf Individual Section Results
LINK: 2022 WPIAL 2A Girls’ Golf Individual Section Results
LINK: 2022 WPIAL 2A/3A Girls’ Golf First Round Tee Times & Pairings

Tee times for the WPIAL Girls’ Golf Individual Championships First Round were set Friday and can be found at the WPIAL Boys’ & Girls’ Golf Tournament Central page on the WPIAL website. A recap of each section tournament in the 2A and 3A classifications can be found below.

SECTION 1-3A
Seneca Valley junior Lihini Ranaweera made it 3-for-3 on Section 1-3A medalist honors, claiming another crown with a score of 73 (+1) – five strokes better than North Allegheny duo Katie Rose Rankin and Lauren Kardos. Held at Diamond Run Golf Course, a total of nine golfers qualified for the WPIAL Championships after meeting the target score of 90, with Ranaweera, Rankin, and Kardos joined by Avonworth’s Ciara Anderson, Moon’s Alizabeth Cross, North Allegheny’s Megan Manesotis, Oakland Catholic’s Paige Meyers and Gina Palladino, and Seneca Valley’s Madison Sharek.

Seven of the nine qualifiers will be returning to the WPIAL Championships. Ranaweera and Rankin will both make their third appearance, while Anderson, Cross, Kardos, Meyers, and Sharek have qualified for their second.

Advancing to WPIALs: Lihini Ranaweera (11), Seneca Valley; Katie Rose Rankin (12), North Allegheny; Lauren Kardos (12), North Allegheny; Madison Sharek (11), Seneca Valley; Ciara Anderson (12), Avonworth; Megan Manesotis (11), North Allegheny; Paige Meyers (11), Oakland Catholic; Gina Palladino (12), Oakland Catholic; Alizabeth Cross (12), Moon

SECTION 2-3A
South Fayette senior Marissa Malosh repeated as the Section 2-3A champion, firing a 69 (-3) to best Elizabeth Forward freshman Mya Morgan by five strokes. Held at Butler’s Golf Course, a total of 10 golfers met the target score of 89, with Malosh and Morgan joined by four from Peters Township (Elli Benson, Amelia Severns, Sophia Severns, Brooke Vowcheck), two from Mt. Lebanon (Anna Kushnir, Madeline Zerega), one additional from South Fayette (Ally Brennan), and one from Thomas Jefferson (Maggie Allan).

Malosh has now qualified for the WPIAL Championships in each of her four varsity seasons, while Brennan and Vowcheck will compete in their second.

Advancing to WPIALs: Marissa Malosh (12), South Fayette; Mya Morgan (9), Elizabeth Forward; Elli Benson (9), Peters Township; Maggie Allan (9), Thomas Jefferson; Brooke Vowcheck (10), Peters Township; Anna Kushnir (11), Mt. Lebanon; Amelia Severns (11), Peters Township; Sophia Severns (10), Peters Township; Ally Brennan (12), South Fayette; Madeline Zerega (11), Mt. Lebanon

SECTION 3-3A
Hempfield Area sophomore Milana Yannascoli earned medalist honors in Section 3-3A, posting an 80 (+8) to pace three runners-up by six strokes each. Held at Greensburg Country Club, six golfers finished under the target score of 92, with Yannascoli joining Franklin Regional’s Ali Boyle and Gianna Johnson, Norwin’s Adalena Robb, Penn Hills’s Lucy Brayton, and Penn-Trafford’s Antolena Damico.

Brayton is the lone holdover from previous WPIAL Championships, returning to the tournament after qualifying as a sophomore in 2020.

Advancing to WPIALs: Milana Yannascoli (10), Hempfield Area; Ali Boyle (11), Franklin Regional; Lucy Brayton (12), Penn Hills; Antolena Damico (11), Penn-Trafford; Gianna Johnson (9), Franklin Regional; Adalena Robb (9), Norwin

SECTION 4-3A
Butler sophomore Paige Ponteous was victorious in Section 4-3A, firing an 85 (+13) to top Fox Chapel freshman Laila Golla by five strokes. Held at Buffalo Golf Course, only Ponteous and Golla met the target score of 90.

This will be the first WPIAL Championships appearance for both Ponteous and Golla.

Advancing to WPIALs: Paige Ponteous (10), Butler; Laila Golla (9), Fox Chapel

SECTION 1-2A
Greensburg Central Catholic junior Izabela Aigner fired a 69 (-3) to pick up Section 1-2A medalist honors, topping Geibel Catholic senior Claire Konieczny by three strokes. Held at Cedarbrook Golf Course, a total of eight golfers finished under the target score of 94, with Aigner and Konieczny joined by Belle Vernon’s Brenna LaMendola, Bethlehem-Center’s Gianna Petersen, Deer Lakes’ Anna Yourish, Greensburg Central Catholic’s Haley Gill, Mt. Pleasant’s Allison Tepper, and Waynesburg Central’s Avery Davis.

Konieczny, the 2019 medalist in Section 1-2A, will be making her fourth WPIAL Championships appearance, while it’s the third for Aigner. Yourish is competing in the WPIAL Championships for the second time.

Advancing to WPIALs: Izabela Aigner (11), Greensburg Central Catholic; Claire Konieczny (12), Geibel Catholic; Haley Gill (12), Greensburg Central Catholic; Anna Yourish (12), Deer Lakes; Gianna Petersen (12), Bethlehem-Center; Allison Tepper (11), Mt. Pleasant; Brenna LaMendola (12), Belle Vernon; Avery Davis (10), Waynesburg Central

SECTION 2-2A
Shady Side Academy senior Neely Nicholson collected medalist accolades in Section 2-2A, registering a 77 (+5) to top Eden Christian Academy freshman Pearl Lundgren by two strokes. Held at Del-Mar Golf Course, 10 golfers were under the target score of 96, with Central Valley’s Mya Mrkonja and Kennedy Norton, Ellwood City’s Madylin McCommons, Freeport’s Lillie Snow, Quaker Valley’s Eva Bulger, Seton LaSalle’s Emily Obara, Neshannock’s Sophia Covelli, and Shady Side Academy’s Delaney Mulderig qualifying alongside Nicholson and Lundgren.

Seven qualifiers are competing in at least their second WPIAL Championships. Bulger, a two-time section medalist in 2020 and 2021, will make it four straight years in the WPIAL tournament, while Nicholson and Norton are competing in their third. It will be the second appearance for Mrkonja, Mulderig, Obara, and Snow.

Advancing to WPIALs: Neely Nicholson (12), Shady Side Academy; Pearl Lundgren (9), Eden Christian Academy; Eva Bulger (12), Quaker Valley; Delaney Mulderig (12), Shady Side Academy; Mya Mrkonja (12), Central Valley; Kennedy Norton (12), Central Valley; Lillie Snow (11), Freeport, Emily Obara (10), Seton LaSalle; Madylin McCommons (12), Ellwood City; Sophia Covelli (11), Neshannock

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