By Bill Foley

CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — Returning All-American Troy Loughry shot a 74 on Tuesday and freshman teammate Cory Voltz a 79 as the Butler County Community College golf team posted its lowest first-round score in the national championship tournament since 2015.

The Pioneers completed the opening round with a 321 and are in fourth place among 11 teams in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III national championship tournament in Chautauqua, N.Y.

Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst, N.C., the two-time defending national champion, leads the field with a 292. The Pioneers are three strokes behind third-place Jamestown (N.Y.) Community College.

Loughry is tied for fifth place and six strokes behind leader Alex Martin, of Sandhills. Voltz is tied for 22nd among the 98 golfers competing for All-American status on the par-72 Chautauqua Golf Club Lake Course.

The 18 golfers with the lowest scores after the 72-hole national championship tournament are selected to be All-Americans. Loughry placed fifth in 2022 to become BC3’s first first-team All-American.

Only the lowest four scores of each player in each round are tallied in the team standings. The squad with the lowest score after four rounds wins the national championship.

The Pioneers’ Liam Kosior had an 83 on Tuesday. Tanner Hohmann shot an 85 and Jack Mason, an 88.

BC3 previously qualified for the national championship tournament in 2022, 2019, 2015, 2013 and 2009.

BC3’s first-round score Tuesday was 14 strokes lower than in its first round in 2022 and 15 lower than in its opening round in 2019.

“That’s good news,” said Bill Miller, BC3’s golf coach since 2003. “I’m happy about that. That’s going to be my message (to the team). We left there today with the guys really thinking like they can score better.”

Voltz made par on 11 holes and had one birdie.

“They were pretty happy with me,” Voltz said of his teammates. “They were surprised. They had kind of that ‘wow’ facial expression.”

Kosior made par on 10 holes and Loughry on nine. Loughry had four birdies.

“The other four guys have all been here for a national tournament,” Miller said. “They have the experience. But for Cory, this was his first round in a national tournament. I was really pleased with his 79. I thought that was excellent for his first time.”

The program’s highest finish in the national championship tournament was sixth in 2022.

“I told coach Miller on the way here that I thought Cory was the dark horse to play really well,” Loughry said. “And it showed today. A tough course, very windy (at 11 mph). A 79 is a great score for him and it really boosts our team.”

Kosior in 2022 finished tied for 20th.

“I hit the ball well today,” Kosior said. “The only thing is that two bad holes got me and I missed a couple of short putts. Tomorrow, if I can clean up the putting and don’t make those two big numbers like I did today, I will be fine.”

Loughry is seeking to join Stefan Carlsson as BC3’s second two-time All-American in golf.

Carlsson, a Class of 2021 inductee into BC3’s Charles W. Dunaway Pioneer Hall of Fame, was a second-team All-American in 2014 and honorable mention in 2015.

BC3 earned its sixth automatic berth in the national championship tournament by winning its sixth NJCAA Division III Region 20 championship in May.

The Pioneers ended the first round of the 2015 national championship tournament with a 309.

BC3 golfers have won six All-American awards since 1996.

The college’s athletic programs have earned berths in NJCAA national championship tournaments 11 times since 2002.

Loughry and Hohmann are graduates of Grove City High School; Kosior, of Neshannock High; Voltz, of Knoch; and Mason, of Freeport.