Belle Vernon, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) hosted its first team championships of the 2024-25 academic year at the WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Girls’ Golf Team Championships on Thursday, Oct. 10 at Cedarbrook Red Golf Course. Peters Township reigned in Class 3A for the third consecutive season, while in Class 2A, Shady Side Academy ended a nine-year run by Greensburg Central Catholic to take home the title.
 
Peters Township is now a four-time WPIAL girls’ golf team champion, previously winning in 2020, 2022, and 2023. The Indians’ three-peat is the first of its kind for Class 3A since North Allegheny won four straight from 2015 to 2018, and their score of 317 (+33) was the lowest for the classification in six seasons.
 
Shady Side Academy joins the four-time WPIAL girls’ golf team champion club after claiming its first three in 2008, 2009, and 2011. The Bulldogs’ title snapped Greensburg Central Catholic’s nine-year reign at the top of Class 2A, which was the classification’s longest and second longest in WPIAL girls’ golf history behind Upper St. Clair’s 12 consecutive championships from 1994 to 2005.
 
Both WPIAL champions have qualified for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Girls’ Golf Team Championships, which will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Penn State Golf Courses.
 
CLASS 3A RECAP
With all four of its scorers finishing inside the top 10 individually, Peters Township made it three consecutive WPIAL girls’ golf team championships at Class 3A as its score of 317 (+33) bested the field by 36 strokes.
 
Peters Township (13-0, 12-0 Section II) boasted three of the five best scores on the day, with junior Ellie Benson recording a 76 (+5), and seniors Brooke Vowcheck and Sophia Severns posting a 77 (+6) and 81 (+10), respectively. Freshman Betty Glyptis rounded out the scorers with an 83 (+12), with senior Gabby Catalogna (87, +16) also competing for the Indians.
 
Finishing with a team score of 353 (+69), Fox Chapel (17-3, 11-1 Section IV) was paced by senior Gabby Devita, who registered an 86 (+15) on the day. Sophomore Clara Koteski was behind her with an 87 (+16), followed by junior Ava Calandra (89, +18) and senior Baustin Bitar (91, +20). Junior Morgan Monteverde was the fifth Foxes player to compete, totaling a 92 (+21).
 
North Allegheny (366, +82) took third, followed by Moon (368, +84), Pine-Richland (369, +85) and Elizabeth Forward (375, +91). Upper St. Clair (377, +93), Armstrong (385, +101), and Franklin Regional (390, +106) rounded out the nine-team field.
 
Elizabeth Forward junior Mya Morgan posted the classification’s lowest score at 73 (+2), followed by the Peters Township trio of Benson (76, +5), Vowcheck (77, +6), and Severns (81, +10). North Allegheny junior Kayla Dings and Moon junior Angelina Schild shared the fifth spot individually with an 82 (+11).
 
This is the fifth consecutive season that Peters Township has qualified for the PIAA Girls’ Golf Team Championships and the seventh time overall. The Indians are the reigning PIAA Class 3A champions after topping Manheim Township by five strokes with a 231 (+15) last year, and have recorded runner-up finishes in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

CLASS 2A RECAP
Shady Side Academy captured its first WPIAL girls’ golf team championship in 13 years, recording a team score of 387 (+103) to top the Class 2A field by 12 strokes.
 
Shady Side Academy (13-3, 13-1 Section II) was boosted by freshman and the classification’s individual champion Alyssa Zhang, who registered the day’s best score on Cedarbrook Red Golf Course at an even-par 71. The Bulldogs’ scorers also included junior Ariya Nahata (100, +29), junior Nora Bryan (107, +36), and senior Cathy Jin (109, +38), with senior Sophia Gomles (117, +46) also competing for the team.
 
Greensburg Central Catholic (9-1, 9-1 Section I) posted a 399 (+115) to claim a runner-up finish. The Centurions had three of the top five scorers on the day in senior Erica Rodriquez (93, +21), junior Alayna Stawovy (94, +22), and sophomore Kennedy Kelly (94, +22), with freshman Cayla Kelly being their fifth scorer with a 118 (+47). Sophomore Betsabe Champman also competed for Greensburg Central Catholic, totaling a 131 (+60).
 
North Catholic (406, +122) finished third, while Mt. Pleasant (458, +174) took fourth.
 
Zhang’s 71 was followed on the individual leaderboard by North Catholic freshman Riley Kontul, who recorded a 90 (+19). Rodriquez, Stawovy, and Kennedy Kelly rounded out the top five.
 
This is the first time Shady Side Academy has made the PIAA Girls’ Golf Team Championships since 2016 and the fifth time overall. The Bulldogs are a perfect 4-for-4 at the PIAA championships, winning titles in 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2016.
 
PIAA PREVIEW
Date & Location: Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Penn State Golf Courses
Amount of Champions from WPIAL: 15 (9 in Class 3A, 6 in Class 2A)
    - Previous Champions: Central Valley (4), Shady Side Academy (4), North Allegheny (3), Greensburg Central Catholic (2),
                                              Peters Township (1), Sewickley Academy (1)
Appearances: Peters Township – 7th; Shady Side Academy – 5th
     - Best Finishes: Peters Township (1st in 2023); Shady Side Academy (1st in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2016)
Last Class 3A PIAA Champion from WPIAL: Peters Township (2023)
Last Class 2A PIAA Champion from WPIAL: Greensburg Central Catholic (2019)

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