Hole-in-one highlights hot start for North Allegheny girls golf team

By: John Grupp
Saturday, August 30, 2025 | 11:01 AM

The North Allegheny girls golf team has aced its early-season tests.

Off to their best start in seven years, the Tigers (6-0, 7-0-1) have rolled to an undefeated mark in Section 3-3A and won the NA Invitational, highlighted by senior Kayli Dings’ first hole-in-one.

“We’ve got to get through the rest of the season, but I think this is a special group,” coach Sarah Morrison said. “I think they’ve got a chance to make a run for some pretty good things in the postseason. I’m excited about it.”

The Tigers, who returned four of their top five golfers from last year’s WPIAL Class 3A third-place finisher, have put together the program’s best start since the 2018 team went 16-0 en route to a fourth consecutive WPIAL title.

North Allegheny extended its winning streak with a pivotal 165-172 victory over Pine-Richland (5-1, 5-2) on Aug. 26 at Conley’s G.C. in a first-place showdown.

Last season, the Tigers’ best nine-hole, four-player score was 171. This season, they beat that number five times in their first eight matches.

“Our scores have been pretty consistent,” Morrison said. “I’d like them to be a little lower. I think they are certainly capable of being lower.”

The Tigers are getting balanced scoring to support Dings, a returning PIAA qualifier who placed eighth at the 2024 WPIAL individual championships. Seniors Kirsten Karlovits and Omisa Shah and freshman Taylor Rittler have each led or tied for the team lead in scoring at least once this season. The team’s No. 5 golfer, senior Alessandra Habib, is making strides in her second season in the program.

“They have confidence in themselves, and they know what to expect from each other,” Morrison said. “They are just a really cohesive group this year, which is really fun to watch.”

The red-hot August included a 170-176 victory over two-time defending PIAA champion Peters Township on Aug. 13 at Diamond Run Golf Club. North Allegheny hadn’t beaten Peters Township, the three-time WPIAL champion, in a regular-season match since 2017.

“We all went into it ready to go,” said Dings, who shot a team-best 36. “We were saying, ‘This is our coming-out party.’ We just needed to prove that we could beat them. It put everybody off on the right foot. We’re feeling pretty confident.”

Said Morrison: “That was a statement win for us, and I was really proud of them. It was a great way to start the season.”

Three days later, back at Diamond Run, the Tigers won the seven-team NA Invitational with an 18-hole, three-player score of 252, edging Pine-Richland (255).

Dings fired a team-best 6-over 78, including a hole-in-one on the 108-yard No. 13. She had carded back-to-back triple-bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11, but refocused to par No. 12 before hitting a gap wedge for the ace.

“It was a little bit of an emotional time after I had two triples,” Dings said. “I just went for the pin, and I watched it drop in the hole. I fell to my knees. I was in shock. That was a nice little surprise for me.”

Also in August, the Tigers routed Blackhawk, Shaler and Seneca Valley in a three-day span, winning by an average of 40.7 strokes.

Morrison had 27 players at tryouts, the most in her five seasons. Other varsity players are senior Grace Means and juniors Monroe Hobbs and Mia Ackerman.

The 14-year-old Rittler brings an impressive pedigree in her diminutive 5-foot frame. She won a couple of Islay’s Tri-State Junior Tour events this summer. Last October, she was the only girl on Team Pennsylvania at the 2024 PGA Junior League national championships in Frisco, Texas.

“I was not expecting to make varsity,” said Rittler, who averaged a nine-hole 35 at the NA tryouts and will compete in her first WPIAL individual section qualifiers Sept. 16 at Fox Run. “I was really nervous. I just tried to play my best and keep myself calm.”

Team goals remain the priority. Two years after starting 1-9 and missing the WPIAL tournament, the Tigers are a legitimate contender. The top two finishers in each section — plus any ties — qualify for the WPIAL team championships Oct. 9 at Cedarbrook G.C.

“We definitely have a really good shot,” Dings said. “I think we can put up a fight with anybody.”

Tags: North Allegheny