Planets complete rapid rise
BELLE VERNON — It was a gloomy day at Cedarbrook Golf Club Thursday, but the Mars girls golf team shined brightly.
Just three seasons into its existence, the team claimed its first WPIAL championship when the Planets shot a 342, four strokes better than Peters Township.
"This is a fantastic situation," Planets coach Bill Pettigrew said of his team's meteoric rise to the top of the WPIAL.
Leading the way were twin sisters, Marisa and Lauren Glew, who each shot a 78 on the par-72 course to tie for medalist honors. Brittany Jones and Corrine Dye each fired a 93 and Megan Gibson had a 95.
It wasn't a perfect day for golf, but at least the rain held off.
"The storms came after we had finished," said Pettigrew. "But the course was wet and you got no roll on your ball. It was also very windy."
The conditions may have kept some of the golfers from shooting a lower score.
"I double-bogeyed two in a row on the front nine," said Marisa Glew. "But then I picked my play up a bit on the back nine."
"My short game is usually one of my strengths, but it let me down today," said Lauren Glew. I wasn't chipping as well as I'm capable of."
This wasn't a regular season match in the middle of September. This was the district championships, so it's no wonder that butterflies found their way into some of the golfers' stomachs.
"We went through the whole season without losing, and we didn't want to lose here at the end, so I think there was more pressure on us today," Gibson said of the Planets' 14-0 record.
The Planets placed third at the WPIAL Championships in 2005.
"We felt good after last year," said Gibson. "We knew we had a lot of experience coming back and would have a good shot at winning it this year."
"Some of the good teams last year lost a lot of seniors," said Marisa Glew. "We were really excited about what we could do this season."
The Glew sisters will be headed to Heritage Hills Golf Course in York on Monday and Tuesday for the PIAA individual championships.
But with the WPIAL not sending its champions to the state team championships, this is the end of the line for Mars as a team.
And it went out on top.
"This was a team effort," said Pettigrew. "And without Brittany, Megan and Corrine, it wouldn't have been possible."
"This is a really big accomplishment," said Lauren Glew. "Those three have had a big part in it. This is only the third year for our team, and I'm very proud to be part of this."
