Entering its second season since being renewed among Penn State Altoona's NCAA Division III sport offerings, the Lions women's golf team aims to continue building a foundation for success in 2025-26. Head coach Tom Koehle is excited to advance the development of the program this season.

"Heading into year two, we look to continue building new traditions and new expectations," he stated. "Coach [Adam] Landolfi and I were so proud of the effort, camaraderie, and work ethic of our inaugural team last year, we are hopeful this new class, with Alyssa as a leading returner, will help spark a competitiveness heading into not only this season, but over the coming years as well."

Penn State Altoona's four-player roster is led by returning sophomore Alyssa Franks (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle), and the Lions also welcome three freshmen to the fold: Gabby Catalogna (Venetia, PA/Peters Township), Clarissa Long (Altoona, PA/Altoona), and Alexis Peacock (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg).

Koehle points to Franks as providing leadership to the rest of the young roster.

"Alyssa has put in a lot of work since spring golf," he said. "She has improved dramatically, but more importantly, she has provided the three newcomers a model which to follow when it comes to work ethic at practice, the importance of teamwork, and encouragement. Alyssa is a great teammate and her scores are catching up to her natural athletic talent."

Koehle is also excited about what the crop of first-year golfers brings to the program.

"For our first full recruiting class, this has been a great start to building another winning tradition. Gabby Catalogna was a member of the Peters Township PIAA State Championship team. She brings not only a competitive drive, but the experience of being part of a highly successful team. She is very capable of doing well individually but will be a steady influence on our team improvement as well," said Koehle. "Lexi Peacock was also a starter on a Hollidaysburg team that qualified for the PIAA team championship. She is a great athlete who is still learning the intricacies of the game, but she is very talented and an eager learner. The sky is the limit with Lexi's potential. Clarissa Long was a member of Altoona High's inaugural women's team and brings the experience of growing with the program there as well as working to steadily improve. She is very consistent and when she gets her work around the greens going, can be a good scorer for the team. All three freshmen have been awesome to work with in early practices. They all bring a different strength to the team and will be the building blocks of our future success. I am excited to see how they progress at the college level and improve in various ways now through spring golf."

Penn State Altoona's schedule is comprised of eight tournaments across the fall and spring semesters, highlighted by the Lions' two home events, the Sinking Valley Collegiate Classic on September 7-8 in Altoona and the Pennsylvania Classic on March 28-29 in State College, as well as the inaugural Colonial Women's Golf Conference Championships on October 27-28 in Oxford, Pa.

The Lions will also compete in road events hosted by Saint Vincent College, Allegheny College, Mount Aloysius College, and York College.

"Our fall season is all about preparing for the inaugural CWGC Championship. With Babson and Christopher Newport, two top-40 teams, the level of competition will be strong. But it also gives us the opportunity to build toward the future and aspire to that level," Koehle said. "I think we can get there quickly, and this season will set the tone for future classes to challenge in the CWGC. I am also looking forward to challenging our team at the Kuhn Invitational and York Spartan, two traditionally strong tournaments against established teams from across the state. We can measure our growth and set our sights on building to the future by competing in such strong and competitive events."