Pine Creek Journal notebook: Pine-Richland grad racks up eagles to win at Nemacolin

A unique round of golf helped Pine-Richland grad Mike Van Sickle defend his title at the Falling Rock Classic at Nemacolin Woodlands on July 9.

Van Sickle eagled all four par-5s in the final round of the two-day event to finish 5-under par and win by one stroke over Eddie Perrino of New Castle.

Van Sickle and Perrino were the only two to finish the 36-hole tournament under par.

After shooting even par in the first round, Van Sickle was tied for fourth, two shots off the lead, but certainly took advantage of the par-5s on Day 2.

Eagles on the 504-yard sixth hole and 545-yard eighth hole, coupled with a bogey on the ninth, put him at a 3-under 33 on the front nine.

Maybe the most impressive eagle was on the 634-yard 11th hole. That was followed with a triple bogey on the 12th, a 151-yard par 3. A birdie on the par-4 14th and the final eagle on the 525-yard 16th eased the sting of the triple bogey and helped Van Sickle go back-to-back at Nemacolin.

The win came one week after Van Sickle nearly made his way into a PGA Tour event through a Monday qualifier.

Van Sickle, 36, entered a Monday qualifier for the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill. and got into a four-way playoff for the final two spots. He ended up making a bogey on the first playoff hole and was eliminated.

It would’ve been his first start on the PGA Tour since he qualified for the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.

Pine-Richland Hall of Fame

Five individuals and one team make up the 2024 Pine-Richland Athletic Hall of Fame class, which was announced in late June.

John Falvo (1976, football, wrestling and track and field), Scott Heim (’82, wrestling), Dale Mollenhauer (’04, baseball), Jamel Nicholas (’06, volleyball) and Roger Price (’76, football, basketball and track and field) will be inducted.

The 2005 Pine-Richland girls volleyball team, which won a WPIAL Class 3A championship, is also being inducted.

The 2024 class will be recognized Oct. 4 with a pregame ceremony at the Pine-Richland football home game against Penn Hills. A banquet will be held at 6 p.m. the next day in the Pine-Richland High School Cafeteria.

Saversky named Positive Athlete

Mikayla Saversky was part of four WPIAL championships with the Pine-Richland field hockey team and combined with her dedication in the community, she was named the Positive Athlete for field hockey in Western Pennsylvania.

Positive Athlete is an organization that highlights high school athletes that personify leadership in their communities.

Saversky spearheaded a back-to-school drive for children in need with Inspired Hearts and Hands in Cranberry Township last summer. She was a volunteer coach with the Pine-Richland field hockey youth program and is involved with local food banks and other nonprofit organizations.

On the field, Saversky was a midfielder for the Rams the last four years, and won gold at WPIALs all four times. The Rams have won five consecutive WPIAL Class 3A titles.