Benson leads way as 3 get top-10 finishes
Observer-Reporter
STATE COLLEGE – Consistency was the calling card for Peters Township senior Ellie Benson as she led all local golfers at the PIAA Individual Golf Championships that concluded Tuesday at the Penn State Golf Courses.
Benson shot her second consecutive round of 74 and finished in fourth place in the Class 3A girls tournament.
Benson led three local golfers who carded top-10 finishes. South Fayette’s Sam Bishop medaled with a ninth-place finish in boys Class 3A, and Chartiers-Houston’s JoJo Jaskulski finished in a tie for 10th place in girls Class 2A. Benson placed seventh last year while Jaskulski placed in the top 10 for the second year in a row.
Benson’s second round of 74 left her at 4-over for the tournament. She was seven strokes off the pace of Elizabeth Forward’s Mya Morgan, who won her second consecutive PIAA championship. Morgan, who began the second round in first place but fell behind briefly during the round, won by four shots over Kayley Roberts of Phoenixville. Piper Smith of Warwick was third.
Benson’s Peters Township teammate Betty Glyptis shot her second consecutive round of 78 and finished in a tie for 16th place. Benson and Glyptis will be back on the course today when the Peters Township girls play in the team championships. PT is the defending state champion.
Bishop shot 76 in the second round after opening with a 70 on Monday. He was 10 shots behind winner Carson Kittsley of Fox Chapel, who won by one stroke over Latrobe’s Jack Scaripante. It is Kittsley second state title.
Brady Newman of South Fayette finished in a tie for 16th place. He shot 76 Tuesday after an opening-round 71.
Jaskulski played her second steady round, shooting 79 to go with her 78 on Monday. She finished the tournament at 13-over. Madison Koshko of St. Joseph’s won the 2A title with two rounds of 68, good for a two-stroke win. Koshko also won for the second consecutive year.