(Apollo, PA) Butler County Community College’s Troy Loughry on Saturday won the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference individual men’s golf championship, the Pioneers claimed the WPCC team title and BC3’s Bill Miller was named WPCC coach of the year at The Links at Spring Church in Apollo.
Loughry, who qualified four times for the post-season District 10 tournament in high school, became BC3’s eighth WPCC individual golf champion since 2014.
The Grove City Area High School graduate shot a 1-over-par 73 Saturday for a two-round 147 and 8-stroke victory over teammate Liam Kosior. Like Loughry, Kosior is a first-year BC3 player and is a Neshannock High graduate.
The Pioneers captured their seventh WPCC team title since 2013 and Miller was selected as the top coach for a sixth time since 2013. BC3 finished 11-0 in 2021.
BC3 ended with a 646 in the WPCC team championship. Penn Highlands Community College, Johnstown, placed second at 810.
The Pioneers’ Sarah Fischer, a Freeport graduate, won the WPCC individual women’s golf championship in an uncontested field.
BC3 takes four of top five spots
BC3’s Jack Mason, a Freeport graduate, placed third in the WPCC individual men’s championship Saturday with a 157. Dustin McLaughlin, Penn Highlands, was fourth at 170 and BC3’s Tanner Hohmann, Grove City, fifth at 187.
Loughry joined Carmen Oliva, Anthony Lewis and Chris Kier as the college’s WPCC individual men’s golf champions since 2014. Oliva won in 2016 and in 2019, Lewis in 2017 and Kier in 2014.
Loughry was medalist in each of BC3’s 2021 regular-season competitions. He ended with a collective 4-over during a season with competitions at Lake Arthur Golf Club, Butler; Glengarry Golf Links, Latrobe; Windber Country Club, Salix; and The Links at Spring Church.
“He hits the ball long, and he hits the ball straight, which is a nice combination,” Miller said. “He hits fairways and greens. He hits two-putts and gets an occasional birdie. He makes an occasional mistake, but he doesn’t get himself into trouble. Never gets more than a bogey.
“When you can play that kind of golf, you score. I’d say that’s as good a freshman semester as we have had. We’ve had some great golfers at the college. All-Americans. But I don’t remember seeing a first semester like this.”
“I was super, super consistent”
Loughry finished third in the District 10 championships in his freshman year at Grove City and ninth in his sophomore year, and said he told Miller before BC3’s season that winning the WPCC individual men’s championship was a goal of his.
“This fall I was super, super consistent,” Loughry said. “This weekend was two days of really consistent golf. On Friday I drove the ball a little bit shaky, but my irons were good, my wedges were nice and my short game was good both days. I was able to make some nice putts when I needed to.”
Loughry’s tee shots improved on Saturday, when on par-4 holes or higher he hit 12 of 14 fairways.
“Which was phenomenal,” he said. “It made life really easy.”
Kosior, Miller said, “was unbelievably solid. He hits the ball straight and he also hits the ball long. (Loughry and Kosior) were the two best golfers in the tournament and they played like it.”
Kosior shot a 76 in the first round on Friday, tying his best score of the season, and a 79 on Saturday.
Fischer joins sister as WPCC champion
Fischer becomes the first women’s golfer at BC3 to win two post-season tournament since Miller became coach in 2003. Fischer in May won the Community College of Allegheny College women’s title.
Fischer shot a 110 on Friday and halfway through Saturday’s second round opted to use for the first time this season a 3-wood on tee shots rather than an iron.
“And she noticed the difference,” Miller said.
Fischer finished with a season-best 103 on Saturday.
The 3-wood, Fischer said, “got me pretty far. “I hit some shots on the driving range (before Saturday’s second round) and they went pretty straight. So I decided to give it a try.”
BC3 golfers Jocelyn Dias, an Armstrong graduate, and Sarah’s sister Julia Fischer, a Freeport graduate, won WPCC individual women’s golf championships in uncontested fields in 2019 and in 2018, respectively.
Five of BC3’s 27 National Junior College Athletic Association Division III All-Americans are golfers. Matthew Heighes, Titusville, earned the post-season honor in 1996, Michael Cuscino, Shenango, in 2008, Stefan Carlsson, Knoch, in 2014 and 2015, and Thomas Dimun, Butler, in 2015.
BC3 did not play in 2020 as a result of an NJCAA decision to postpone athletics with regard to COVID-19.
The Pioneers’ fall golf season concludes with the WPCC championship tournament. The Pioneers’ spring season features regional play, regional tournaments and possible national championship appearances where golfers compete for All-American status.
"I’d say that’s as good a freshman semester as we have had. We’ve had some great golfers at the college. All-Americans. But I don’t remember seeing a first semester like this.”
Bill Miller, BC3 golf coach Tweet