Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University women's golf team returned to action Monday for its third tournament of the 2026 fall season, hosting its first tournament in program history with two rounds of the Golf Galaxy Collegiate at Sewickley Heights Golf Club. The Dukes sit second after 36 holes with a score of 621, finishing with a 303 in the opening round and a 318 in round two.
 
TEAM LEADERBOARD
Duquesne sat in first place after the opening round, two strokes head of Bucknell, which opened with a 305. The Bison improved on their score in the first round by one stroke in the second 36 holes and at 609 own a 12-stroke advantage over the Dukes heading into Tuesday's final round. Marshall (642) sits third, a stroke ahead of Niagara (643), while Towson (646) sits fifth. Rounding out the field of seven teams competing in the inaugural Golf Galaxy Collegiate is Mercyhurst (676) and Saint Francis (754).
 
FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS
A pair of Dukes will enter Tuesday's final round with a shot at medalist honors individually. Junior Sasha Petrochko sits atop the field after carding a 149 Monday. She opened the tournament with a 74 (+2) before handing in a 75 (+3) in the second round. Petrochko sits one stroke ahead of junior Abby Slankster and Madison Borders of Marshall, who each finished the first day of the tournament with a 150. Slankster also opened the competition with a 74 (+2) before finishing with a 76 (+4) in round two. Isabella Ok of Niagara and Sophia Bardunias each are tied for fourth heading into the final round of action at 151.
 
PIN PLACEMENT
Petrochko sits atop the individual leaderboard due in large part to her work on a par five. She has averaged 4.88 (-1) strokes in such holes, which is tied with Bardunias for second in the tournament. Borders currently leads the field in a par five, finishing two under (4.75). Three of the five birdies Petrochko has accumulated in the tournament have come on a par five, and each came in the first round. She moved to one under on the second hole of the day, a 475-yard par five, and also birdied the par five at both No. 6 (520 yards) and No. 14 (438 yards). Meanwhile, in a par three, the trio of Amber Nemis from Niagara, Joelle Johnson of Bucknell and Ok each have played those holes even. Petrochko picked up her other two birdies on a par three in the second round, including the 135-yard hole at No. 7 as well as the 181-yard par three at No. 16.
 
THE LINEUP
A trio of Dukes sit in a tie for 14th individually, as junior Katie Fodale, sophomore Lilly Powell and freshman Nicol Chovanec each closed at 159 Monday. Fodale opened with a 78 before carding an 81, Powell opened with an 84 but rebounded to hand in a 75 in the second in misty, damp conditions, while Chovanec finished with an 82 and a 77 in each of the first two rounds. Both Powell and Chovanec are playing as individuals for the Dukes. Grad student Lindsey Powanda posted a 163 (77, 86) in the first two rounds of the Golf Galaxy Collegiate, while junior Paige Meyers, also playing as an individual, carded a 166 (84, 83). Junior Katie Caryl finished at 174 in the opening two rounds of the tournament with an 85 and an 89.
 
UP NEXT
Tee time for the final round of the Golf Galaxy Collegiate is set for 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, at Sewickley Heights Golf Club. Petrochko will be part of the group that tees off at No. 1, while Slankster will also tee off from the same hole in the B grouping.
 
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