Men's Golf in Second After Day One of AMCC Championships
WARREN, Ohio - Penn State Altoona men's golf held down second place by the conclusion of day one of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championships at Avalon Lakes Golf Club on Sunday.
The Lions shot 312 as a team in Sunday's round, posting their third-lowest score of the season. Penn State Behrend finished the day in first place with 295, and Medaille College was one stroke behind Penn State Altoona with 313 to place third.
"We are poised to make a run and try our best to cut into Behrend's lead tomorrow," said Penn State Altoona head golf coach Tom Koehle. "The pressure is off, and we can go play a little more free tomorrow."
Luke Hoffnagle (Spring Grove, PA/Spring Grove) led the Lions by shooting 74, tying for his second-lowest score of the season. Hoffnagle's 74 tied him for fourth place individually out of 45 golfers. Jimmy Gillespie (Glen Mills, PA/Garnet Valley) shot his best score of the season, carding a 75 to tie for eighth place individually.
"I'm very proud of Luke and Jimmy," said Koehle. "They stepped up and played good golf from start to finish."
Payton Guelich (Sandy Ridge, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) fired an 80 to tie for 15th place. Pongthong Thongyai (Patum Thani, Thailand/New Mexico Military Institute) finished the day with an 83 to tie for 21st place, and Hunter Duriez (Northern Cambria, PA/Northern Cambria) tied for 30th with an 85.
Penn State Altoona men's golf continues play in the AMCC Championships tomorrow, Monday, October 9 for the second and final round of the two-day competition. The event gets underway at 9:00 a.m. at Avalon Lakes Golf Club, with the eventual first place team earning the 2017 AMCC crown.
"No matter the result tomorrow, I'm proud of this group of players," Koehle stated. "They never quit, no matter the circumstance."
