Region 20 Trio Earn Recognition at NJCAA Golf Championships
Contributions from BC3 and Westmoreland
(CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y.) - A trio of golf student-athletes from Region 20 earned national recognition at the 2023 NJCAA Men's and Women's Division III Golf Championships, held June 6-9 at the Chautauqua Golf Club in Chautauqua, N.Y.
Butler County Community College sophomore Troy Loughry repeated as a Men's DIII First Team All-American, while Westmoreland County Community College freshman Kylie Kadas was named a Women's DIII Third Team All-American. The NJCAA selected BC3's Liam Kosior to receive its national championship sportsmanship award.
Kadas became the first ever NJCAA Division III Women's All-American for Westmoreland, finishing in 15th place with rounds of 105, 101, 117, and 121 for a four-round total of 444.
"We are extremely proud of Kylie. She was able to compete at a high level this season," said Head Coach Jeff Black. "From the time she started in the fall, she improved her scores by over 35 strokes with a low score of 86. We are so happy with her performance and proud of the exceptional poise it took to complete a four-day tournament," he added.
Loughry finished fifth after shooting a 71 in the final round after rounds of 74, 74, and 75. He also finished fifth in 2022.
"It's awesome," Loughry said. "I'm just glad I was able to represent BC3 as a student and as an athlete for two years. It's a cool feeling. I'll allow it to sink in for a little bit."
"He went out there and he told me, 'This is it. This is my last round as a player at Butler County Community College,"' said Bill Miller, BC3's golf coach. "What he did was go out there and perform. The first couple of days he probably did not have his A-game. But he still got the job done."
Loughry and teammates Kosior, Cory Voltz, Jack Mason and Tanner Hohmann finished fifth, marking the golf program's best finish at the national championship.
The NJCAA selected Kosior to receive its national championship sportsmanship award.
"Liam was having a strong tournament going into the last day; he was two strokes away from All-American status going into the fourth round," said Miller.
Kosior's first tee shot of the final day went out of bounds and the sophomore had to come back to the tee with a two-stroke penalty.
"Liam handled the situation with grace and class as I knew he would," said Miller. "The officials knew his status and situation and realized this and he was a good choice for the sportsmanship award," Miller added.