Norwin notebook: Senior wins prestigious caddy scholarship

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, April 7, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Norwin senior Abigail Boyer was one of this year’s winners of the annual Chick Evans Scholarship, awarded to deserving caddies in the region.

Boyer will attend Miami University in the fall. The Evans scholarship is worth more than $125,000 and is the largest scholarship for caddies in the country.

Boyer had to meet the criteria for the award, including a “strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character.”

Boyer caddies at Pittsburgh Field Club. She plans to study fashion in the hopes of one day designing women’s golf apparel.

Her sister, Marissa, also is an Evans Scholar.

“After my first loop, I knew caddying was the job for me,” Boyer said in a news release. “Caddying introduced me to successful people from all different career fields, built lifelong friendships and supported me in saving money for a car and being able to travel. Caddying made me into a better person and prepared me for my future goals.”

Other Evans scholarship winners this year include Upper St. Clair senior Luana Silvestre Cesar, who moved to Pittsburgh from Brazil in 2015, and Thomas Jefferson senior Christian Villa, who plans to study aerospace engineering.

Cesar caddied at St. Clair Country Club, Villa at South Hills Country Club.

There are 1,130 caddies enrolled at 24 universities across the nation who are Evans Scholars.

The award is named after Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr. and began in 1930.

Evans, who learned the game as a caddie, won the 1910 Western Open and in 1916, he became the first player to win the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open in the same year. He kept his amateur status and donated his winnings to caddie scholarships.

Scholarship funds today come mostly from contributions from over 38,500 members of the Evans Scholars Par Club program.

Evans Scholars alumni donate more than $15 million annually.

Proceeds from the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship, a key event in the FedExCup Playoffs, also benefit the Evans program.

Baseball update

The Norwin baseball team moved to 2-1 with a 5-4 loss to North Allegheny. Keegan Carr had two RBIs in the loss.

Norwin was coming off a 13-2 win over Connellsville that saw Matt O’Neil deliver two hits, including a double, and three RBIs.

Ty Cupp added two RBIs, Carr doubled and drove in two, and Nolan Ryan went 2 for 3 with a triple for the Knights.

Softball at .500

The Norwin softball team moved to 2-2 after a Section 1-6A-opening loss to Butler, 6-1.

Josey Michalski homered for the Knights.

The setback followed a 9-7 win over Canon-McMillan. Rachel Minteer doubled, homered and drove in four in the win, while Michalski went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs.

McDowell homers

Norwin alum Max McDowell, in his second year with the Buffalo Bisons — he played a few games late last season — hit a solo home run in his season debut.

The Bisons are the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.

College scene

Baseball

IUP: Freshman outfielder Elijah Dunn is hitting .267 with six home runs and 21 RBIs for the Crimson Hawks. He has started 34 of 35 games.

Pitt: Sophomore Jake Kendro cranked his fourth home run of the season — one of three that in the same inning for the Panthers — in a 7-6 win over No. 13 Virginia Tech. Kendro’s blast sailed 411 feet.

Seton Hill: After falling to Cal (Pa.) in the first game of the series, the Griffins answered back with a walk-off win in the second game. Senior Aidan Shephard saved the day with a game-winning double to score Joe Alcorn for a 6-5 victory.

The Griffins won the third game of the series, 3-1, to move to 17-8 overall and 4-3 in the PSAC West. Sophomore Jack Whalen had two hits.

Softball

Fairmont State: Junior Elizabeth Waskiewicz is hitting .378 through 23 games and has driven in 10 runs.

Wrestling

Buffalo: Redshirt freshman Chase Kranitz has entered the NCAA transfer portal. The move comes on the heels of a coaching change. John Stutzman is not returning as head coach. Kranitz went 19-11 and finished third in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

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