Penn-Trafford notebook: Nick Turowski advances in U.S. Open qualifier

By: Paul Schofield
Sunday, May 18, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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When Nick Turowski plays golf, he likes to play fast.

He said he’s slowed down a bit in college by taking his time walking up to his ball.

“I don’t like to wait around,” Turowski said after tying for third May 13 at the U.S. Open local qualifier at Quicksilver Golf Club. He advanced to the final qualifier June 2.

Turowski carded a 2-under par 70 and then raced to catch a flight from Pittsburgh International Airport with the West Virginia golf team. The Mountaineers were headed to Phoenix for the National Golf Invitational.

Turowski used past success at Quicksilver to advance. Turowski, a freshman at WVU and 2024 graduate of Penn-Trafford, nabbed one of the five qualifying spots.

He was joined by good friend, WVU alum and Hannastown Golf Club member Mark Goetz of Greensburg, who tied for low scorer with State College native and Millersville University sophomore Tim Peters at 3-under.

The other qualifiers were Akron native Randy Dietz, who was 2-under, and Erie native Patrick Kelly.

Turowski is the reigning WPGA Junior champion. He wanted to use the vibe he had when he won the U.S. Junior qualifier when he shot 7-under.

“I got off to a really nice start,” Turowski said. “I never looked at the leaderboard until I finished, and I was shocked that I was first. That was good because I stayed aggressive.”

Turowski was 3-under through nine holes, then carded consecutive bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12.

“I missed an 8-foot putt for par on 11, and I almost hit it out of bounds on 12. But I hit it close on No. 13 and made the putt for birdie, which calmed me down.

“I was talking to myself after the two bogeys,” Turowski said. “It means a lot to qualify. I’ve been dreaming about playing in the Open since 2016. Watching the pros, I realized how good they are.”

Turowski had trouble getting into the starting lineup at West Virginia this season.

“We have a great team,” he said. “Five members of the team qualified for the final qualifier at The Pines Country Club in Morgantown last week. Four advanced and one was an alternate.”

Turowski said he’s learned a lot from Goetz.

“Mark paved the way for me through junior golf and college,” Turowski said. “I would not be the player or the person I am without Mark. You also learn a lot from the membership at Hannastown. There are so many great players.”

No repeat

Penn-Trafford’s baseball season ended May 15 with a 2-1 loss to Connellsville in the opening round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs.

The Falcons, who defeated the reigning 5A champion Warriors, 3-2, on March 29, scored two runs in the first inning off Zach Feldman and held on for the win.

The Warriors loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning but could not tie the score.

The Warriors finished 14-7.

Two close calls

The No. 1-seeded Penn-Trafford softball team had two close calls in the WPIAL 5A playoffs, edging Moon, 5-3, and Chartiers Valley, 14-11.

Catcher Mackenzie Cox made three big plays in the Warriors’ win against Moon on May 12, and Abbie Youngo drove in six runs on four hits, which included a home run and double against Chartiers Valley, which out-hit the Warriors, 18-13.

The Warriors (19-2) advanced to the semifinals to play North Hills on May 20.

Comeback victory

Things were not going well for the Penn-Trafford girls lacrosse team.

The Warriors trailed Butler by five goals at halftime of a WPIAL first round game, but railed for a 10-7 victory. They blanked the Golden Tornado, 8-0, in the second half.

The P-T girls faced No. 2 Upper St. Clair on May 15 in the quarterfinals.

The boys defeated Shaler, 13-8, on May 13 and faced No. 3 Hampton on May 15.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Penn-Trafford