STATE COLLEGE — Hollidaysburg junior Crosby Denis has balanced high school golf and tennis for years, but what she pulled off Tuesday will be talked about for decades.
Denis woke up at 8 a.m., got to the Penn State Blue Course for her noon tee time in the PIAA Class 3A individual girls golf championships at 10:15 a.m.
She played 18 holes and shot a round of 2-over par 74 to earn a fifth-place medal — the highest finish by any Hollidaysburg girls golfer in school history at the PIAA championships. She then jumped into her mother Amanda’s vehicle and rushed to the Summit Tennis & Athletic Club where she entered a PIAA Class 3A first round team tennis match against WPIAL power North Allegheny with four of the five contests wrapped up and the score 2-2.
In front of everyone with the match on the line, Denis defeated Mia Kauffman, 6-4, 6-2 to clinch Hollidaysburg’s 3-2 win and a trip to the PIAA quarterfinals.
“I’m at physical therapy for my legs right now,” Denis said by phone after her tennis match. “I am exhausted to say the least. I am really sore, but mentally I am above and beyond right now.”
Monday night, Crosby told her parents she was worried about playing golf and letting her tennis teammates down if she ended up having to forfeit. Brian, her father and Hollidaysburg’s tennis coach, encouraged her that she would be allowed to play even if she was late for the scheduled 4 p.m. match.
Denis overcame another slow start by playing the back nine 1-under par and shot 74 — a stroke better than her 75 on Monday.
“I literally could not be happier,” Denis said. “My goal was top 15. My parents were hoping for top 10. If you would have told me two days ago that I would be in the top five, I would not have believed you. I think those are honestly two of the best rounds of competition I have had, especially against this competition and at this course. I am super excited.”
Denis finished tied with Radnor’s Elayna Fanelli, who birdied the 18th hole to share the fifth-place medal.
Elizabeth Forward’s Mya Morgan won the PIAA championship as the only player in her classification to finish under par with a 3-under 141.
Denis had to wait through medal presentations for Class 2A girls and boys before she was awarded her medal. She then loaded her clubs into her mother’s car and the two headed toward Altoona just before 6 p.m.
“I have to give props to the PIAA and (Eric) Hovan, because without them, this wouldn’t have been possible,” Brian Denis said. “Eric was the site manager and was taking a lot of abuse today. It was not his fault. We got there today, and Eric did the introductions and told both teams we had a situation at No. 1 and that the PIAA had cleared it and contacted both schools and let them know what was going on.
“One of the parents almost got into a confrontation with me, and it was really getting chippy. I was under the gun and texting Amanda asking where they were, but Amanda texted and said she didn’t want to take the moment of Crosby getting her medal with the other kids away from her. Finally, Eric let Crosby sneak in the back door of the Summit when she got there.”
The texts from her father didn’t help the drive go any smoother, but Crosby’s mother tried to get her head into the right place.
“It was a long drive, because we knew what we were going into,” Amanda Denis said. “Crosby and I did a lot of talking — my brain was trying to shift her back into tennis mode and discuss some strategy and things like that. I know how long it takes to get from State College to the Summit, but it felt a lot longer. She changed her clothes in the car and ran in to play.”
And she came ready to play with confidence.
“On the way there, I talked with my mom and we had the talk that this match was most likely going to come down to me,” Crosby said. “She said if I lost, we wouldn’t make it to the next round, and if I won, we would. So, it was a lot of pressure, but I was still on that high from golf and had a lot of confidence in myself that I could pull it off.”
The pressure never got to Denis, just as it did not earlier in the day after she made bogey on two of her first three holes.
“There were 100 people watching those two girls play,” Brian Denis said. “I have seen Crosby get down on herself and get fired up and bang her racquet, but today she was just so happy out there. I don’t see her happy on the tennis court very often, but I think it had to do with the golf. It kind of springboarded her into tennis. I’m speechless.”
Tuesday might have turned out very differently if not for a good break on No. 13 at the PSU Blue Course.
Denis hit her drive into a sand bunker, but she did so with so much force that it skipped out nearly onto the fairway. From there, she hit her approach less than 5 feet from the hole and made the birdie, possibly saving a stroke — or two.
“I thought for sure it was in the sand,” Denis said. “When I walked up and saw it was out, I was super excited. I just hit a nice little sand wedge to a couple feet and was excited I made it. That was a crucial birdie to have with the way I started the front nine.”
Denis finished tied for 22nd at last year’s PIAA individual championship.
“She’s been so good from the beginning of the season,” Hollidaysburg girls golf coach Jill Hileman said. “I would say the biggest improvement in her is her composure on the golf course. I think that’s helped her tremendously this year. When she does have a bad hole, she moves on and focuses on the next hole. She did that in both rounds here. She stayed steady and rallies from those, and that’s a testament to her perseverance.”
Koshko repeats
Saint Joseph’s Academy senior Madison Koshko repeated as the PIAA Class 2A girls golf champion with an 8-under par 136.
“It feels amazing,” Koshko said. “I have worked so hard, and I feel really happy to have won this again.”
Koshko entered the final hole with a one-stroke lead over Shady Side Academy’s Alyssa Zhang. Koshko birdied No. 18 and Zhang made bogey, dropping her to third behind runner-up Kate Sowers of West Middlesex, who also made birdie on No. 18 to finish two strokes behind Koshko.
“It was really fun,” Koshko said. “Honestly, I didn’t know where any of us stood, especially on the back nine. I had a rough start. I was coming back making birdies, but so were the other girls. It was fun to enjoy it.”
Koshko shot 4-under on the back nine and did not make a bogey. Her sister, Olivia, finished fifth with a 6-over par score of 150.
Bishop Carroll Catholic’s Sarah Miller rebounded from her 91 on Monday with an 83 to finish with 174 and earn a top-25 finish in 24th.
Other locals
Central Cambria’s Andrew Kasecky was the highest finishing boys player in the Mirror’s core coverage area, finishing tied for 37th in Class 2A boys with a 13-over par 157. Kasecky shot a 78 on Tuesday after carding a 79 on the tournament’s first day.
“I couldn’t be more proud of Andrew,” Central Cambria coach Keith Gilkey said. “He worked so hard to improve all facets of his golf game. He has made gains from the tee, in his iron and wedge play, and we really focused on his putting last week. He truly earned this trip. The fact that he is only a sophomore is amazing. I hope he gets two more trips to State College in the next two years.”
Central’s Cody Clapper finished tied for 52nd with rounds of 80 and 82, and Bishop Guilfoyle Academy’s Carter Boland was three strokes better than he was on Monday with an 82 and finished tied for 60th.
In area District 5 results, Everett’s Jackson Dinnocenti was tied for 23rd with a 9-over par 153, and Bedford’s Gavin Kolander tied with Clapper for 52nd.
Other champions
Scranton Prep’s Cole Powell shot 7-under par 137 to win the PIAA Class 2A boys crown, and Carson Kittsley of Fox Chapel shot 8-under par 136 to win the Class 3A title.
State College’s Luke McGraw battled back from a 79 on the first day to shoot a 67 and earn a medal in 3A, tying for ninth.
Denis’ round
The following are the statistics from Hollidaysburg junior Crosby Denis’ second round at the Penn State Blue Course on Tuesday which earned her a fifth-place medal.
Score 74
Fairways hit 8
Par 3 greens hit 3
Putts
Birdie opportunities 12
Eagle opportunities 2