St. Joseph’s senior Madison Koshko makes history, wins PIAA girls golf title. Again
Moments after putting the finishing touches on a storybook high school career, wrapping up her second PIAA Class 2A state golf title, St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy senior Madison Koshko didn’t even flash a grin as she walked toward her bag.
She had no idea she just won.
It wasn’t until a proud and smiling father approached a minute later Tuesday that it dawned on Koshko what had just happened. “Hey Dad, did I win?” she asked.
Her father nodded. “You won by two,” he told her. Her jaw dropped.
Koshko’s face spread into a smile, one that remained glued on for at least the next 20 minutes — through three interviews and an awards ceremony. She had no idea she rallied from three strokes down over the last six holes at Penn State’s White Course to claim her second straight individual state title. She simply had remained focused on herself — and ended one of the most decorated high school golf careers in Centre County history with an exclamation mark.
“I felt like I was on cloud nine for a second,” Koshko told the CDT minutes after winning the title with a two-day total of an 8-under 136. “It felt like such a great feeling. Being my senior year, a lot of people from my school came out to support me. They made me a sign and everything. So it was nice to have everyone there, and it was nice to pull off the win.”
Koshko cemented her legacy Tuesday just a year after she rallied from two strokes down with two holes left to win her first state title. (She also finished sixth as a freshman and fifth as a sophomore.) Koshko, who will continue her golfing career at Penn State, also picked up the nickname “Miss 4-time” since she’s also a four-time District 6 champ.
One of her St. Joseph’s friends pre-emptively created a “Miss 2-time” sign for when Koshko won the state title. She was seen carrying the sign around, with a big smile, moments before her head coach draped a PIAA gold medal around her neck.
But that doesn’t mean those same friends didn’t harbor any doubts. They were much more aware of the scores. And, Wolfpack golf coach Chad Walsh said, they asked him several times — more recently around Hole No. 10 or 12 — if Koshko still had a chance to win. (”First off,” he remembered saying, “I’m like, she can always win it.”)
They couldn’t be blamed for asking. After 12 holes Tuesday, Koshko and West Middlesex’s Kate Sowers were tied at 5-under overall. And they both trailed Shady Side Academy’s Alyssa Zhang by three strokes. But that’s when Koshko’s strength, her consistency, began to shine.
On No. 13, Koshko gained a stroke after she birdied. On the next hole, she gained another stroke after a Zhang bogey. And, on No. 15, Koshko took the unlikely lead after nailing a 15-foot birdie putt while Zhang three-putted to bogey. At that point, with three holes left, Koshko had already turned a three-stroke deficit into a one-stroke lead.
“At that point she took the lead, I had no doubt she was going to hold it — because that’s what she does,” Walsh said.
On top of it all, Koshko played alongside her sophomore sister Olivia — who finished with a fifth-place medal (6-over 150) — and she gave onlookers a parting shot to remember on the final hole. On the long par-5, Madison Koshko opted for the risky play by trying to reach the green in two strokes. Typically, especially when nursing a lead, a golfer might play it safe to avoid hazards like sand traps surrounding the green.
But Koshko grabbed a 3-wood, while at least one onlooker shook their head, and then proceeded to land it safely on the right edge of the green from 203 yards out. For an eagle opportunity.
“Honestly, at the end of the day, I was like, this is my last day of high school golf,” Madison Koshko said. “I’m just gonna try my 3-wood, go for it and see what happens.”
And if she realized she was actually leading by a stroke? “I still would’ve gone for it,” she said matter-of-factly. “It says I’m a risk-taker, but I also like to trust my abilities — and I can trust that I can put a 3-wood on the green under pressure.”
Zhang pressed to make up lost ground and bogeyed the final hole. Koshko birdied. Sowers finished the two-day tournament as the PIAA runner-up with a 6-under 138, while Zhang was third with a 5-under 139.
“What probably sets her apart is she is obviously a fantastic golfer, but also her mindset out there is so good,” Koshko’s sister Olivia said. “She just goes out there, and she doesn’t focus on the score. She just goes and gets it done.”
Madison’s familiarity with the Penn State’s Blue and White courses certainly didn’t hurt during the tournament, as she often plays there throughout the year. But Koshko has consistently impressed these last two seasons, regardless of venue.
She’s played in three American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) events since July, and she’s placed within the top three in all of them — including a win at the WVU Medicine United Hospital Center Junior Championship. She’s ranked nationally at No. 106 in the AJGA.
She also set at least four unofficial course records this season from the forward tees — at Belles Springs Golf Course, Lost Creek Golf Course, Lykens Valley Golf Course and Windber Country Club. And she set one last year at Mountain View Country Club.
“The best golfers, they know they’re playing against themselves and against the course,” Walsh said. “They’re chasing. At this point, Maddie is chasing her own ceiling. That’s what she’s doing.”
Koshko and her sister weren’t the only Centre County golfers to compete in the state title tournaments, but they were the most successful. State College’s Luke McGraw tied for ninth place in Class 3A with a 2-over 146 on the Blue Course, while Centre County’s other two participants finished outside the top 10. They included State College’s Charlie Ladrido and Philipsburg-Osceola’s Jake Lucas in Class 2A.
When Koshko joins the Nittany Lions’ women’s golf team next fall, she wants to improve her putting and contribute immediately. But, whatever that next step entails, her high school coach said the journey has already been a special one.
And it couldn’t have gotten much better Tuesday.
“You couldn’t ask for a better day, right?” Walsh asked. “Coming back, showing grit, playing with your sister on your last day, defending your title — it’s a storybook. For me, it’s just been fun to be along for the ride.”
