Plum golfers cap season at WPIAL tournament

By: Michael Love
Saturday, October 25, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Out of the hundreds of boys golfers who took to courses in high school matches this fall, only 36 were able to play for a WPIAL Class 3A championship at Butler Country Club.

Plum senior Dany Caruso and Mustangs junior Gavin Fink were two of them.

And while they didn’t finish in the upper half of the field after the final round Sept. 29, Plum coach Keith Nonnenberg said the experience was a meaningful one for both.

“Getting their feedback after their rounds, they immensely enjoyed their experience,” Nonnenberg said.

“Being this is Danny’s senior year, he unfortunately can’t use that experience for next season, but Gavin certainly can. Making it to the finals certainly is an accomplishment for anybody. It is challenging to play under pressure like they did and make it to the WPIAL finals.”

Caruso finished 29th and Finke took 36th. They were a part of a quartet of Plum golfers, senior Tyler Pastor and sophomore Ethan Kemmerer included, who survived the Section 4 qualifier at Meadowink and represented Plum in the WPIAL tournament.

Caruso and senior Tyler Pastor will graduate with having helped put Plum boys golf back on the map.

In addition to leading the Mustangs this season, they, along with Finke, were integral parts of Plum’s rise to a third-place finish at last year’s WPIAL championship tournament at Cedarbrook Gold.

“As far as wins and losses go, I would say that Dany and Tyler, with the years they have been with the team, could be a part of the winningest three- or four-year run in Plum golf history,” Nonnenberg said.

“Other than the 1969 and 1970 teams which won the WPIAL back-to-back, finishing third in the WPIAL (2024) was the best finish for a Plum boys golf team since 1970. It was an incredible accomplishment, and they had a big role in that.

“The best thing those guys have done is make playing golf fun for the incoming younger players. Through their etiquette and their personalities, it’s a pleasure and fun to be on the course with them. That is a big thing in keeping kids wanting to play. The whole group of guys, even though we weren’t able to accomplish this year what the past two years were able to accomplish (WPIAL team tournament), they were a very enjoyable group to be around.”

Nonnenberg said seniors Max Woltjen and Jonah Rush helped impact the team this year as they improved their games on the various courses throughout the region.

Plum finished 7-4 in Section 4 behind co-champions Franklin Regional and Central Catholic (11-1).

“The guys will admit that they did not perform up to expectations in the four big matches they had, the two against Franklin Regional and the two against Central Catholic,” Nonnenberg said.

“Last year, we were able to split both home-and-home series which got us the co-section title. We didn’t play our best golf in those four matches. I didn’t need to say much to them because I could tell they were disappointed in their performances.”

Finke, Nonnenberg said, is looking forward to building on this breakout season that propelled him to the WPIAL finals.

“Gavin is a golf junkie,” Nonnenberg said.

“He’ll sit around and talk with anybody who is interested in golf. He has such a passion for improving his game however he can. I would not be surprised if he plays as much as he can throughout the winter, a ton in the spring and summer, plays in tournaments and ends up becoming one of the better players in the WPIAL next year as a senior.”

Nonnenberg said Kemmerer progressed well this year and should continue to make his mark on varsity over his final two years.

“Ethan is just a good all-around athlete,” Nonnenberg said.

“Him playing this year was a big surprise. We didn’t know he was going to try out until a couple weeks before tryouts. The fact that in his first sectional qualifier he shot 74 at Meadowink and was runner-up to the section co-champions speaks volumes to the confidence he has in his abilities.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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