Peters Township repeats as WPIAL champs in girls golf
Benson leads way with lowest match score
A one-stroke victory over Fox Chapel in the WPIAL Class 3A championship match on Oct. 9 at Cedarbrook Golf Course was par for the course for the Peters Township girls golf team
For the Lady Indians have snuck past everybody this season.
Peters Township uncharacteristically dropped five matches this fall, finishing 11-5 overall. The Indians also posted a 9-3 section record and a second-place showing before entering the playoffs.
“We barely got that,” said PT skipper Mike Lacey. “We had to win the last match just to get here.”
This autumn, however, the Lady Indians were without three players who contributed to a string of WPIAL titles. Peters Township won three banners from 2022-2024 before adding the 2025 crown and fifth in program history.
“We lost a lot of players to graduation and we replaced them with non-experienced players that have been playing JV,” Lacey said.
Hence, he said, the trophy he clutched in his arms while shedding a tear, was “the most surprising” one of the past four. “We knew it was going to be close. I told the girls that it’s going to come down to every shot and it came down to one shot.”
The Lady Indians edged Fox Chapel, 344-345, for the championship.
“This was really surprising because we didn’t think we would be here and we didn’t think that we could compete against a senior-team like Fox Chapel,” Lacey said. “So it was quite surprising.
“(The course) was playing really tough. It was playing long. It was wet and we’ve got a lot of young players that don’t hit it as far as the older girls. We just never quit though,” Lacey added.
PT’s youth included sophomore Betty Glyptis carding an 80 and freshman Autumn Merck posting a 95. Juniors Olivia Ondrejko and Fiona Valley finished with 80 and 100 respectively.
Ellie Benson led the charge. She earned medalist honors in the match, firing an even-par 71, that included a string of four birdies on the front nine.
“Ellie’s been a real senior leader,” Lacey said. “A lot of the younger girls have been looking up to her and she’s a real determined girls. She just refused to let this team down. She refused to lose.”
With their win in the district, the Lady Indians advanced to the PIAA team championships set for Oct. 22 at Penn State University. Peters Township has won the past two state titles.
“This might sound crazy but we have a better chance of winning the state championship than the WPIAL,” Lacey said.
In the PIAA tournament, the top three scores are counted. In the WPIAL, the top four finishers matter.
Noting that Glyptis and Benson finished second and third during the individual WPIAL championships, Lacey continued, “We have two of the best players in the state. Our one and two are just as good as anybody,” he said. “So, it’s just a matter of getting a third score, maybe near 90, and we have a good shot at states.”