WPIAL Class AAA girls golf championship preview: Players face tough test at Oakmont Country Club
By:
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 | 4:41 PM
WPIAL Class AAA girls golf individual championship
10 a.m. Thursday, Oakmont Country Club, Plum
2019 champion: Isabella Walter, North Allegheny
The field: 35 players will compete over 18 holes for the district championship. The player breakdown by county is: Allegheny (17), Butler (5), Westmoreland (4), Washington (4), Fayette (3), Beaver (2).
Section champions: Lihini Ranaweera, Seneca Valley (Section 1); Adena Rugola, Uniontown (Section 2); Lauren Barber, Penn-Trafford (Section 3); Nina Busch, Fox Chapel (Section 4).
Who moves on: The top 5 finishers advance to the PIAA championships set for Oct. 19-20 at Heritage Hills Resort in York. The PIAA eliminated the Western and Eastern regional tournaments this year.
Inside the ropes: This is the first time the girls championship will be played at historic Oakmont, which has hosted a record nine U.S. Opens (2 U.S. Women’s Opens), three PGA Championships and five U.S. Amateurs. … Oakmont, known for its deep rough and fast greens, hosted the Class AAA boys finals two years ago. … Uniontown junior Adena Rugola had the lowest qualifying score with a 2-over-par 74. Rugola came back from offseason shoulder surgery. She made the WPIAL finals last year and finished fourth with an 80 at Diamond Run. … Fox Chapel junior Busch could be considered the favorite based on how she finished last year. She broke 80 for the first time with a 4-over 76 and took North Allegheny senior Isabella Walter to a playoff. But Walter won with a clutch, 12-foot par putt on the second extra hole. … Peters Township senior Ella McRoberts finished third last year (79), while other top-10 finishers — junior Paige Scott of Butler (81), junior Tori Slagle of Upper St. Clair (81), senior Rhianna Firmstone of Moon (82), junior Erin Drahnak of Fox Chapel (83), senior Tara Loughran of Oakland Catholic (83), and junior Lindsey Powanda of Mt. Lebanon (83) — also return to the finals. … Lihini Ranaweera of Seneca Valley is the only freshman in the field. … A North Allegheny golfer has won the last four titles. Caroline Wrigley won three in a row from 2016-18. … Penn-Trafford’s Lauren Barber and Firmstone are four-time qualifiers. … Peters Township and Upper St. Clair have the most qualifiers with three apiece.
Pairings: WPIAL link
Live scoring: WPIAL link
Past WPIAL champions:
2020 — Eva Bulger, Quaker Valley (AA)
2019 — Isabella Walter, North Allegheny (AAA); Eva Bulger, Quaker Valley (AA)
2018 — Caroline Wrigley, North Allegheny (AAA); Maddie Smithco, North Catholic (Class AA)
2017 — Caroline Wrigley, North Allegheny (Class AAA); Tatum McKelvey, Sewickley Academy (Class AA)
2016 — Caroline Wrigley, North Allegheny (Class AAA); Kiaria Porter, Central Valley (Class AA)
2015 — Marissa Balish, Hampton (Class AAA); Olivia Zambruno, Greensburg C.C. (Class AA)
2014 — Lauren Waller, Canon-McMillan (Class AAA); Olivia Zambruno, Greensburg C.C. (Class AA)
2013 — Lauren Waller, Canon-McMillan (Class AAA); Macky Fouse, Central Valley (Class AA)
2012 — Janista Numpho-Frank, Hempfield (Class AAA); Gillian Alexander, Jefferson-Morgan (Class AA)
2011 — Marissa DeCola, Butler (Division I); Emily Rohanna, Waynesburg (Division II)
2010 — Katerina Luttner, Fox Chapel (Division I); Emily Rohanna, Waynesburg (Division II)
2009 — Nadia Luttner, Fox Chapel
2008 — Nadia Luttner, Fox Chapel
2007 — Rachel Rohanna, Waynesburg
2006 — Margaret Pentrack, Shady Side Academy
2005 — Rachel Rohanna, Waynesburg
2004 — Megan Trachok, Upper St. Clair
2003 — Katie Trachok, Upper St. Clair
2002 — Katie Miller, Hempfield
2001 — Jordyn Wells, Bethel Park
2000 — Emily Shoplik, Fox Chapel
1999 — Lauren George, Uniontown
1998 — Lauren George, Uniontown
1997 — Jen Patterson, Bethel Park
1996 — Julee Sovesky, Neshannock
1995 — Jen Patterson, Bethel Park
1994 — Shannon Ruane, Gateway
1993 — Erin Suvak, Woodland Hills
1992 — Tara Adams, Latrobe
1991 — Staci Aber, Greensburg Central Catholic
1990 — Staci Aber, Greensburg Central Catholic
1989 — Colleen Scally, Moon
1988 — Staci Aber, Greensburg Central Catholic
1987 — Kelli Weaver, Latrobe
1986 — Jodi Figley, Hopewell
1985 — Jodi Figley, Hopewell
1984 — Jodi Figley, Hopewell
1983 — Jodi Figley, Hopewell
1982 — Michelle Michanowicz, Fox Chapel
1981 — Beth Huey, Laurel Highlands
1980 — Missy Berteotti, Upper St. Clair
1979 — Missy Berteotti, Upper St. Clair
1978 — Nancy Tomich, Upper St. Clair
1977 — Nancy Tomich, Upper St. Clair
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional, Mt. lebanon, North Allegheny, Penn-Trafford, Peters Township, Shady Side Academy, South Fayette, Upper St. Clair
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