STATE COLLEGE — The Hickory and Fairview girls golf teams found each other right after the trophy ceremony to exchange hugs and congratulations.
The two District 10 teams made history on Wednesday.
Hickory’s trio of Sasha Petrochko, Luciana Masters and Ava Liburdi dominated throughout the afternoon in chilly and overcast conditions at Penn State University to lead the program to its third straight PIAA Class 2A girls golf team title. Hickory is the second girls team in PIAA history to win three golf state titles in a row and the Hornets did it in record fashion with a team score of 220.
“It’s incredible,” said Hickory senior Sasha Petrochko. “We knew Fairview was going to be tough coming in and they have a lot of great players. I’m just so excited that not only were we able to play amazing and win but to break another record we set from my sophomore year is amazing.”
Fairview, which didn’t have a girls golf team four years ago, finished in second place behind the Hornets with a team score of 245 by Cora Hirz, Abby Benz and Moira Erhartic.
Hirz led the Tigers with a 5-over 77, while Benz shot an 83 and Erhartic had an 85. Izzy Benz also competed and shot a 92 and Meredith Thompson had a 100, but only the top three scores from a team count.
“The girls really worked hard,” said Fairview coach Ryan Quiggle. “They’ve put in the time and the effort and to see them show up today was nice to see. It’s hard to imagine having no program four years ago to building up to this is kind of surreal.”
Fairview’s entire team is back next year, while Hickory will look for two underclassmen to step up to replace Petrochko and Liburdi. Petrochko led the Hornets with a 1-under round of 72, while Liburdi had a 73 and Masters shot a 76. Madeline Myers also competed and had a round of 84 and Vianna Miller shot a 109.
Grove City boys, McDowell girls also compete
District 10 had no Class 3A boys team reach State College, but Grove City represented District 10 boys golf in 2A and McDowell competed in 3A girls.
Grove City finished 43-over par to finish one stroke ahead of Tulpehocken for fifth place. Isaac Allan and Trenton Nemec each shot a 7-over 79 for the Eagles, while Logan Goodrich had an 85 and Cody Hamilton shot an 88.
McDowell finished sixth in 3A girls with a 42-over par score of 258. Alexis Marsh continued her strong season with a 7-over 79, while Genelia Kang shot an 86 and Ella Bickel had a 93.
Individual finals: North East’s Anna Swan joins older sister Lydia Swan as PIAA Class 2A girls golf champion
District 10 high school scoreboard: Erie-area sports results, game stats, Oct. 16-21
Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @ETNreisenweber.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Hickory wins third straight PIAA girls golf title; Fairview takes 2nd
