The four returning PIAA state tournament players for the Mount St. Joseph golf team are (from left) sophomore Clare Gimpel, senior captain Brianna Mahon, junior Olivia Wirsching and senior Lia …
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by Tom Utescher
Mount St. Joseph Academy hits the golf course again with four of its five PIAA state tournament players back from last year. Winning the District 1 Class AAA championship for the fifth year in a row, the Magic went on to become the runner-up team at the 2017 state tourney in York, PA.
The Mount has yet to release its stranglehold on the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies crown; last fall the team won the AACA title for the 15th year in a row.
Senior Brianna Mahon is the team captain for the 2018 campaign, and Lia Priolo is the only other 12th-grader on this young squad. Junior stand-out Olivia Wirsching is back along with classmates Sarah Spears and Jill Baum.
Clare Gimpel is a sophomore who is coming off of a highly successful freshman season, and the other returning members of the 2017 team are 10th-graders Sofia Gambone and Reilly Kelley. Gwen DeLeo is a sophomore who is new to the team.
Gimpel is a Norwood Fontbonne Academy graduate, and now two more former NFA Bears have turned up at the Mount, 9th-grade golfers Nora Blatney and Caroline Gola. There are two more freshmen out for the team, Ancillae Assumpta Academy grad Lauren Quirk and Catherine Oh from Sandy Run Middle School in Upper Dublin.
John Mischler is back for his third go-round as Mount St. Joe’s head coach, and assisting once again will be Jules Quinones. They are the fathers of former MSJ golfers Nicole Mischler (’13) and Grace Quinones (’18).
In addition to the regular AACA schedule, there are some non-league outings lined up, such as a customary appearance in a multi-team event hosted by Spring-Ford High School in Royersford.
The Mounties aren’t likely to encounter many serious challenges locally, but they must gird themselves for the state tourney if they make it back there, since 2017 champ North Allegheny High School (the District 7 power from outside of Pittsburgh) has most of its top players returning, as well.