Lions Golf Finishes in Fifth at Allegheny Invitational
MEADVILLE, Pa. – After the second and final day of Allegheny College's Guy and Jeanne Kuhn Memorial Invitational on Monday at the Country Club of Meadville, the Penn State Altoona men's golf team took fifth place out of 13 teams.
The Lions, who ended Sunday's round in seventh place on the team leaderboard, ascended into fifth place by the conclusion of Monday's action by shooting 300, a 13-shot improvement from their opening round performance. Penn State Altoona's 300 is the sixth-lowest team score in a round in program history.
"I'm really proud of the effort today. After a disappointing first round, we came back and did what good teams do and rebounded," said Penn State Altoona head coach Tom Koehle. "Today's 300 helps us regain our confidence, while yesterday's score provides us ample weaknesses to refine heading into the home stretch."
Division II institution Gannon University won the invitational after compiling a two-day score of 590, and fellow Division II team Mercyhurst University was the runner-up with 594. Westminster College took third place with 603, and host Allegheny was fourth with 610.
The Lions were the top Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference finisher among the conference teams that competed in the invitational, as Penn State Altoona's two-day score of 613 ranked it ahead of AMCC opponents Penn State Behrend (eighth place, 633), Mount Aloysius College (11th place, 663), and Pitt-Greensburg (12th place, 678).
Trey Heffelfinger (Mount Union, PA/Mount Union) again led the Lions during Monday's round, shooting 70 on the par 72 course to finish with a two-day score of 145 that placed him in a tie for fourth place individually out of 68 golfers. Heffelfinger's 70 is tied for the third-lowest score in a round by an individual in Penn State Altoona men's golf history.
"Trey has continued his stellar play. His round today was a rare under-par score at the Country Club of Meadville," said Koehle. "He continues to play really smart but aggressive golf, and it is paying off."
Andrew Ferguson (Altoona, PA/Tyrone) carded 75 on Monday, totaling 152 for the invitational and finishing in a tie for 12th place individually. Iain Murphy-Herndon (Oldsmar, FL/Saddlebrook Prep) fired a 77 in the second round, recording a two-day score of 157 to rank in a tie for 28th place individually.
Logan Divald (North Huntingdon, PA/Norwin) shot 79 on Monday, tying for 37th place among all players with a two-day score of 160. Nathan Graham (North Huntingdon, PA/Norwin) carded 78 in Monday's round, an eight-stroke improvement from his Sunday score, and compiled a two-day score of 164 to tie for 47th place individually.
Penn State Altoona men's golf will compete in another two-day invitational for its next event, as the Lions will head east to play in Gettysburg College's Battle at the Burg on Sunday, October 3 and Monday, October 4. Both rounds will be hosted at Hanover Country Club in Abbottstown, Pa.
"We are heading into a tough matchup in Gettysburg's event," Koehle stated. "It is a field with a few really strong teams on a regional and national level."
