North East's Anna Swan joins older sister Lydia Swan as PIAA Class 2A girls golf champion
Finishing first in a PIAA individual golf tournament was the ultimate goal for Anna Swan.
The North East senior's infatuation with that accomplishment developed years before her older siblings, Isaiah and Lydia Swan, were state titlists as Grapepickers.
Anna Swan’s near-lifetime quest successfully ended Tuesday at State College. She recorded three birdie fours on Penn State University’s White Course en route to a 36-hole score of 1-under par 143.
Swan’s two-day stroke total was two lower than the 1-over 145’s for West Middlesex’s Kate Sowers, another of District 10’s eight golfers who participated, and defending champ Hannah Rabb of Warrior Run.
Swan received her PIAA gold medal four years after Lydia Swan won the 2A girls tournament and three after Isaiah Swan enjoyed his run to the 2A boys title.
The seeds for Anna Swan’s latest victory were emotionally planted a decade ago. Specifically, it was while she watched female golfers around the age she is now compete at nearby Green Meadows Golf Course.
“I have a pretty narrow mind for goals,” Anna Swan said, “and I think that was when winning (states) became one of them. Even in my freshman year (for North East), I wanted to win the state championship and I wanted that gold medal around my neck. I fell short of that for three years, so I felt a lot of pressure to win (Tuesday). Not from other people, but myself."
"That’s why I feel proud I met my expectations.”
Anna Swan’s PIAA victory is the latest for what’s become Erie County’s first family of golf.
Not only have the oldest three of Mike and Stacy Swan’s five children each won individual state tournaments, but each are also former state team titlists as ‘Pickers.
While Isaiah Swan was in Tuesday’s gallery, Lydia Swan texted Anna from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she’s a sophomore at Oral Roberts University. She’s also playing for its Division I women’s golf program, which Anna Swan has verbally committed to join next year.
“Lydia sent me a text this morning that almost made me cry,” Anna Swan said. “No, I’m actually pretty sure it did.”
District 10 high school scoreboard: Erie-area sports results, game stats, Oct. 16-21
Shot to remember
Swan, who trailed Hickory rival Sasha Petrochko by one after Monday’s first round, planned to attack the White Course’s five par-five holes Tuesday.
That tactic worked.
Swan posted birdies on the 458-yard third and 10th holes. She also took a permanent lead in her round of 2-under 70 thanks to a four on the course’s longest hole, its 540-yard 13th.
Swan’s third shot for that hole is the one she’ll always recall. With her ball partially buried and only seven feet of downhill green to work with, she struck a flop shot that somehow stopped within two feet of the cup.
The ensuing birdie putt was elementary in comparison.
“I was talking with Sasha (a playing partner) about that flop shot,” Swan said. “I said to her, ‘I don’t know how I made that one!’”
More: A two-sport athlete this year, North East's Anna Swan seeks a PIAA 2A girls golf title
District dominates 2A girls standings
Petrochko endured a disastrous second round. The senior never recovered from a double-bogey five during her front nine and shot an 81.
However, Petrochko still finished eighth (9-over 153) on the 2A girls scoreboard. She also helped the district claim half the state medals handed out.
Besides Swan, Sowers and Petrochko, Hickory’s Luciana Masters tied for sixth at 7-over 151 and Wilmington’s Kaitlyn Hoover was 10th at 14-over 158.
Katie Caryl was one stroke shy of becoming the district's sixth state medalist. The Mercyhurst Prep senior, who received an at-large invitation five days before the tournament began, tied for 11th at 15-over 159.
Caryl was tied for 14th after the first round.
“I knew I was close to Kaitlyn’s score, but I didn’t know how close we were to the (medal) cut,” she said. “I missed a couple greens and a couple putts here and there, but I’m still glad I moved up (the leaderboard Tuesday).”
Caryl has applied for admission to the United States Naval Academy. If accepted, she also plans to resume her competitive golf career with the Division I Midshipmen.
Fairview’s Cora Hirz (tied for 14th at 19-over 163) and Hickory’s Ava Liburdi (tied for 17th at 22-over 166) rounded out the district’s ample list of 2A female players.
Hickory goes for history
There were no district medalists for the PIAA’s other tournament fields.
West Middlesex’s Caden Bender was tied for 20th in the 2A boys standings. The senior concluded his varsity career with a 7-over 151.
County sophomores Anthony LaBoda of Fairview and Leyton Hassenplug of North East finished at 11-over 155 and 13-over 157, respectively.
Warren’s Braddock Damore, the district’s Class 3A victor, shot a 6-over 150. Cathedral Prep’s Cooper Wierzchowski ended at 18-over 162. They competed in a tournament that Butler’s Hunter Swidzinski won after a three-person playoff.
McDowell seniors Alexis Marsh (18-over 162) and Analise Wolf (45-over 189) represented the district in the 3A girls competition. They remained at State College for Wednesday’s one-round PIAA team tournament.
It's there and then Hickory seeks a PIAA-record third consecutive 2A girls title. The Hornets also can join Central Valley (2A in 2012-13 and 3A in 2014) as female golf program to win three straight state crowns overall.
More: Top Performers from Erie County high school athletics for the week of Oct. 16-21
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: North East's Anna Swan wins PIAA Class 2A girls golf tournament
