West Penn Wrap-Up: Numerous local players take on Q-School, others make college signings
By Josh Rowntree, Director of Communications • November 24, 2025
November kickstarts the holiday season. But it’s also the month in which many top high school players give an early gift to colleges by signing with or verbally committing to their future schools.
Locally, numerous players made Division I college commitments and signings over the last few weeks, with the vast majority being players who have competed in WPGA competitions and USGA qualifying events in Western Pennsylvania.
On the girls’ side, Peters Township standout Ellie Benson signed to play at Gardner-Webb, a Division I school that competes in the Big South Conference.
Elizabeth Forward’s Mya Morgan officially signed with Central Michigan, as the Chippewas’ program will welcome one of the region’s most accomplished junior girls’ golfers and a two-time PIAA and WPIAL state champion.
“To my family, friends, and community, thank you for always being my biggest supporters and for standing by me through every high and low,” Morgan said in an Instagram post.
Cora Hirz, a senior at Fairview High School fresh off a fourth-place finish at the PIAA state championships, committed to Division I program Illinois State.
Ava Calandra, a top player at Fox Chapel High School, will join the Duquesne program that will enter its third competitive season when she gets to The Bluff in the fall. Calandra was an invitee to the WPGA Girls Match Play Invitational this past summer.
James Madison University was the choice for West Middlesex High School product Kate Sowers, who claimed the 2024 Pennsylvania Girls State Junior Amateur Championship.
Maddie Koshko of St. Joseph’s Academy will stay quite local, as the State College native signed with Penn State after winning a state title on the Nittany Lions’ home course in late October.
As for the boys, PIAA AAA runner-up Jack Sacriponte — a member of the newly announced Team Pennsylvania and a Greater Latrobe High School senior — signed with Youngstown State.
Ravi Desai of North Allegheny High School officially inked with Penn State, as the former PIAA team state champ will take a well-rounded game to State College. Desai competed in the WPGA C.R. Miller Match Play Invitational this summer.
And two local junior standouts made noise within a couple of weeks of another, as Carson Kittsley and Michael Quallich verbally committed to two top tier Division I programs. Both Kittsley and Quallich were named to Team Pennsylvania, as well, and received exemptions into the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur Championship next year.
Several West Penn Natives Embark on Q-School Journey
For many aspiring professional and amateur golfers, a spring and summer of competitive play culminates in one of golf’s ultimate tests, PGA TOUR Q-School.
Numerous Western Pennsylvanian’s have competed in Q-School qualifying and first stage events throughout the country over the past few weeks.
PGA TOUR Q-School consists of four stages: pre-qualifying, First Stage, Second Stage and Final Stage. Some players begin at pre-qualifying, while others are directly exempt into First Stage, Second Stage or Final Stage based on prior merit.
Former Peters Township standout Jake Sollon, who finished second in the 121st WPGA Open Championship in 2024, has had the most success at Q-School in 2025.
Sollon, who played collegiately at Rider and Oregon, shot a strong 14-under at his Q-School First Stage competition in West Palm, Florida in late October. The mark was the second-best in the four-round tournament, earning Solon a spot in the Second Stage in early December.
Several other West Penn players participated in Q-School, including recent Longwood University grad Scott Jordan, who shot 7-under at prequalified in North Carolina, including a final round score of 65 to advance to the First Stage. Unfortunately, Jordan narrowly missed Second Stage, missing the cut by just a stroke.
J.F. Aber, Justin Moose, and 2024 WPGA Amateur Championship winner Nathan Piatt all missed the cut at prequalifying events.
Andrew Friend of Oakmont Country Club, who received individual champion honors at the WPGA’s 36th Jamison Cup this past summer, shot 6-under at his prequalifying event in Alabama but missed the cut at his First Stage contest. Austin Lemieux, son of Penguins legend Mario Lemieux, got through prequalifying at 3-over, but missed the cut at his First Stage competition in Kansas.
Mike Van Sickle, Palmer Jackson, Tanner Grzegorczyk and 2025 WPGA Open Champion Connor Schmidt all fell just short in Q-School’s First Stage.
Mark Goetz, who spent this past season playing some on the Korn Ferry Tour, also missed the cut at his First Stage competition, but did find some success shortly after. Goetz shot a three-round score of 205 to win the 2025 Citrus Golf Trail Open at Sun N’ Lakes Golf Club in Sebring, Florida.
PGA TOUR cards will be award at Q-School to the top five players, including ties. The rest of the Final Stage field will be awarded varying levels of Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Americas status.
A Top 100 Worldwide Course in West Penn’s Back Yard
One local golf course has once again taken its place among the world’s best.
Oakmont Country Club was ranked No. 9 on Golf.com’s list of its Top 100 Courses in the World.
The host of the 125th U.S. Open this past June, Oakmont has long been considered one of the most challenging, yet immaculate golf landscapes on the planet, and is consistently ranked near the top in similar publications.
Beating out the Oakmont, Pa. course was Pine Valley (New Jersey), Cypress Point (California), St. Andrews — Old Course (Scotland), Royal County Down (Northern Ireland), Shinnecock Hills (New York), National Golf Links of America (New York), Royal Melbourne (Australia) and Augusta National (Georgia).
One other Pennsylvania golf course made the list of the Top 100, as Merion — East checked in at No. 13.
For any media inquiries, please contact WPGA Director of Communications Josh Rowntree.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and nearly 37,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund and Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.