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In 2016, the Wyoming Valley Conference ended its third straight season without a state qualifier in golf.
There was nowhere to go except up for the conference.
Over the last two years, the competitiveness in the sport in the conference has started to climb. In 2017, the conference had three state qualifiers.
On Monday at Golden Oaks Golf Club in Fleetwood, the Wyoming Valley Conference produced the most state qualifiers it has had in 17 years as five golfers reached the cutoff score at the East Regional Tournament to advance to the PIAA Championships Oct. 22-24 at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York.
The five golfers to qualify for the state tournament are the most from the conference since 2000 when six competitors advanced to states.
MMI Prep’s Jessica McClellan led the way for the conference by taking the Class 2A girls title and becoming the first golfer from the conference to claim a regional title since Pittston Area’s Brandon Matthews in 2011. She’s joined in Class 2A by Hanover Area’s Kyleen McCance.
In 2A boys, Wyoming Seminary’s Jeremy Callahan and Lake-Lehman’s Bobby Lugiano each qualified for states, while Dallas’ Logan Paczewski represents the conference for Class 3A boys.
McClellan, a senior, is the only one to make a repeat appearance at the state tournament. She advanced to states last year, and followed that up by carding a 77 to top the field and best the second-place finisher, Aly Rentschler from Hamburg, by one stroke.
McCance, a freshman, who became the first golfer from the Hawkeyes to qualify for states since Eric Plisko in 2004, birdied the No. 18 hole to solidify her qualifying score of 85 to finish in fourth place; her score was 12 shots better than the final qualifier in the class.
The lowest score of the day by a WVC representative came from Paczewski. The freshman carded a 75, good for a tie for 12th place in the Class 3A boys tournament. He posted a pair of birdies in his round to become the first golfer from Dallas to reach the state tournament in more than 20 years. The last Mountaineer to advance to the PIAA Championships was Justin Jumper in 1996.
Callahan’s score of 77 tied for fifth in the 2A boys event and was five shots better than the final qualifier in the tourney as the junior became the first from Sem to reach the state tournament since Emily Boyd in 2004.
Lugiano, also a junior, was the last from the conference to advance to states. His score of 82 was right on the cut line tied for the 13th lowest score in the tournament. He’s the first from Lake-Lehman to advance to the PIAA Championships since Dustin Kapson in 2000.