Jump for Joyce
W&J senior, Laurel Highlands grad excels in final season
Megan Joyce will have a bevy of golf courses to choose from when she moves to Florida in August.
The graduate of Laurel Highlands and Washington & Jefferson College will probably not be playing as much down south, as she will be attending the University of Florida in Gainesville to pursue her doctorate in chemistry.
Joyce, who has been playing golf all her life, recently completed her senior campaign with the Presidents in the NCAA Division III Tournament at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, Calif.
Washington & Jefferson earned a berth in the national tournament after clinching the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships during the spring portion of the season at Mill Creek G.C. (North Course) in Boardman, Ohio.
The Presidents won their 10th conference title, and first since 2016, in shooting a combined 649 through the final two rounds to rally past Westminster, who had a 15-shot lead in the fall rounds of the tournament.
Joyce, who was the W&J co-captain with MacKenzie Schmeltz, finished the PAC tournament in a tie for second place with Geneva’s Madison Sharek after shooting 159 through the final two rounds, which was six shots better than her score in the fall.
Joyce was named to the All-PAC First Team. She was pleased with the team title, as the Titans have been a thorn in the Presidents’ side during Joyce’s tenure on the team.
“Westminster has been our big rival, and it was nice to come back in the spring and win the tournament after being a good bit behind them in the fall,” Joyce said. “We finished second to them my junior year, and when I was a sophomore, we lost to them by one stroke after having a lead during the fall portion of the season.”
Westminster won the PAC during Joyce’s first year on the team, but she was named the Newcomer of the Year by the PAC after she placed third individually. W&J finished as the runner-up to the Titans.
Joyce was second as a sophomore and junior in the PAC tournament. She finished one-stroke behind the Titans’ Katie Rose Rankin her junior season. Westminster’s Sierra Richard topped Joyce by four strokes during the former Mustangs sophomore campaign.
Rankin won the PAC individual title this past season for her second gold in as many seasons.
Joyce will continue to play the sport when time allows, and will compete in Western Pennsylvania Golf Association (WPGA) tournaments this summer.
“I will always play for the enjoyment of it, but I will be concentrating on my studies for sure,” Joyce said. “I am on a golf trip right now as part of my vacation. My parents always say, ‘I learned to walk on the golf course.’ I started competing when I was in sixth grade.”
Joyce had a solid high school career at Laurel Highlands, which included fourth trips to the WPIAL championships and a Fayette County Coaches Association (FCCA) girls title her senior season. Her dream of playing collegiately began to materialize towards the end of her sophomore year and into her junior campaign.
“Obviously, it was awesome to continue to play in college,” Joyce said. “I had W&J and Allegheny on my list, as both schools were in the PAC and had similar vibes.”