Quick study Alyssa Zhang of Shady Side Academy repeats as WPIAL 2A golf champ

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, October 2, 2025 | 12:12 AM

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Alyssa Zhang needed to learn more about Sewickley Heights Golf Club with each shot she took Wednesday, and the Shady Side Academy sophomore was a quick study.

She’d passed up a practice round a couple of days earlier yet defended her WPIAL Class 2A title with a six-shot victory on a course she’d never seen before.

“I had a math test to study for,” said Zhang, who carded two birdies and six bogies to shoot a 6-over 78 in the final round and finish the 36-hole tournament at 7-over.

Now a two-time champion, Zhang won her WPIAL titles in different ways. The young Shady Side phenom went from chasing down the final-round leader as a freshman to now being the one everyone chased.

Expectations can also change.

“I was told by other people that I should win (last year),” Zhang said. “Sean (Simmons), the athletic director, told me, ‘You have to win (this year).’”

Zhang started the final round with a six-shot lead and kept her opponents at bay by avoiding any serious trouble.

She said her putting wasn’t sharp — dashing a couple of eagle chances — but she blamed that largely on her work with the putter, not any unfamiliarity with the greens.

Still, Zhang showed her resilience by shaking off those misses.

“She just has this natural calmness on the course,” Shady Side Academy coach Betsy Thompson said. “She always thinks she did terribly when she’s off the course, but she’s calm when she’s playing.”

Zhang carded a 1-over 73 in the first round at Seven Oaks last week. This round, she bogeyed three of her first five holes and later four of her final six, which didn’t meet her lofty expectations.

“Today was really rough,” Zhang said. “Last year was the opposite. The first day I played terribly and the second day I played well.”

Chartiers-Houston sophomore JoJo Jaskulski was second (13-over) and Greensburg Central Catholic junior Kennedy Kelly placed third (22-over). The top nine finishers in Class 2A advanced to the PIAA championship.

Also qualifying for states were Eden Christian’s Pearl Lundgren (24-over), North Catholic’s Riley Kontul (26-over), Greensburg Central Catholic’s Alayna Stawovy (27-over), Quaker Valley’s Makenna Kamnikar (31-over), Neshannock’s Maddie Desanti (37-over) and Ligonier Valley’s Addy Witcoski (41-over). Central Valley’s Emma Mrkonja is the WPIAL alternate in 2A after losing a playoff to Witcoski.

The PIAA championship is Oct. 20 at Penn State. Zhang placed third at states last year.

Her putter wasn’t cooperating Wednesday, but she showed her strength off the tee and in the fairway. She drove the green on the third hole — a 264-yard par 4 — and also had an eagle chance on No. 6 but settled for short birdie putts.

“I, like, did not make a putt outside of a foot,” said Zhang, maybe with a slight exaggeration. “Combined, I might’ve made 18 feet of putts (in 18 holes).”

The rest of her game was still good enough to keep anyone from chasing her down.

“She is one of those rare players who has the ability to repeat her swing exactly every time,” Thompson said. “As she said, putting is what she needs to work on.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Chartiers-Houston, Eden Christian, Greensburg C.C., Ligonier Valley, Neshannock, Quaker Valley, Shady Side Academy