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Mt. Lebanon golfer second in WPIAL

By Eleanor Bailey almanac Sports Editor ebailey@thealmanac.Net 5 min read
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High school can be challenging especially for a freshman. Throw golf into the mix and things can become more complicated.

Lindsey Powanda, however, is managing just par-fectly. The Mt. Lebanon ninth-grader recently finished runner-up in the WPIAL, trailing only Caroline Wrigey. The North Allegheny senior, who is bound for Furman next year, fired a 1-under-par 71 to claim her third straight district gold medal during the WPIAL Class AAA individual championships played Oct. 3 at Diamond Run Golf Club. Powanda carded a 75.

“I was really happy (with my performance) particularly since I was not as experienced as the rest of the girls in the tournament,” said the 14-year-old daughter of Steve and Pam Powanda. “I just wanted to play solid golf and have a nice round.”

The Blue Devils posted an 8-2 record in section play and qualified for the WPIAL team championships set for Oct. 11 at Cedarbrook Golf Course. Lebo advanced by finishing among the top four teams in the semifinals played Oct. 8 at Rolling Acres Golf Course in Beaver. North Allegheny won the match with a 310 score followed by Upper St. Clair with a 342. Lebo took third with 358 and Penn-Trafford was fourth with 360.

“Our goal was to make it past the semifinals and to to the WPIAL team championships,” Powanda said. “I want us to then go for states because there are a lot of seniors on the team.”

While Powanda shot the low score of 82 in the team semifinals, senior Madison Bartone followed with an 85. Seniors Sydney Krauth and Melissa Redding also contributed to the scoring as did Audra Foremsky.

The team has eased Powanda’s assimilation into the group and adaptation into her new school.

“I like everything about high school. I am enjoying it a lot but playing golf in the fall is tough. It can be challenging.”

Powanda however has been able to maintain a high average in the classroom. Despite having to miss her eighth period-Math class-on days that she has golf matches, she is pulling down a 3.8 unweighted GPA.

“It can be stressful,” she said of balancing academics with athletics. “It requires time management but fortunately my teammates have been great and my coach helpful.”

Powanda noted that Pete Bouvy is not only the Lebo girls’ golf coach but also an algebra teacher.

“While I take geometry, he understands it all. Coach helps all of us on our bus rides with our homework. My teammates have helped me a lot, too. We have a lot of seniors and they know what has to be done.”

During the individual championships, Powanda knew all she had to do was finish among the top seven to attain her objective of earning a berth in the PIAA Western Regional set for Oct. 16 at Tom’s Run Golf Course in Blairsville. After that, the goal is to qualify for the PIAA state championships set for Oct. 22-23 at Heritage Hills in York.

Of the WPIAL championships she said, “I was just trying to qualify.”

Powanda did so by negotiating the fast greens, traps, water hazards and rolling hills at Diamond Run in Sewickley.

“Normally my drives are the best part of my game and I hit those straight, but I feel my approach shots were very accurate and they enabled me to make my putts for pars,” Powanda said.

“I really enjoyed the course. The conditions were pristine and the course was well-maintained. It’s one of the best courses I have played on so far,” she added, noting that the No. 15 hole with the water fountain in the middle ranked as her favorite.

Powanda did not let the fact that the favorites – Wrigley as well as 2018 PIAA champion Lauren Freyvogel from Pine-Richland – were playing in threesomes ahead of her.

“I prefer not to know what is going on out on the course and with my opponents until the end. I try to not think about what position I am in until the match is over,” she said. “So, I had no idea what was happening ahead of me. It didn’t make a big difference. I just focus on what I need to do.”

Since age 5, Powanda has focused on golf. Because her father wanted her to play a sport, they both took a golf lesson.

“My mom golfed but when she had me she stopped. My dad wanted me to play so that we could play together as I got older. So we picked up the sport together,” Powanda explained.

While Powanda continues her instruction with Dan Reilly at Cool Springs, she is finding it increasingly difficult to balance her other athletic endeavors. Powanda is also a gymnast. She trains at Gemini Gymnastics and Dance of Pittsburgh in Baldwin.

“I have to be flexible with that but in the fall when golf ramps up that is my main focus,” she said. “But, I do like golf better because it is more challenging.”

Powanda, though, has the temperament for the demands of the game.

“Some days can be amazing and some days it doesn’t go your way,” she said. “Every day that is a bad day and you get through it is good because there will be another day. The next day will be totally different. You have to take the good with the bad and the bad with the good.”

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