Westminster Edges Lions 4-3 for Second Hite Cup Win
ELLWOOD CITY, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's golf team squared off against non-conference opponent Westminster College on Tuesday afternoon in the second annual Hite Cup, with this year's edition being held at Olde Stonewall Golf Club.
Westminster defeated Penn State Altoona 4-3 in match play, as the Titans secured a narrow Hite Cup victory for the second year in a row. The competition's namesake, Lee Hite, is a benefactor of both Penn State Altoona and Westminster.
"It was a great day for golf and another competitive match with Westminster. Hats off to coach [Matt] Torrance and his players on a well-played match," said Penn State Altoona head coach Tom Koehle. "It came down to the end, which shows how deep and competitive our programs are. I look forward to seeing them this weekend at Allegheny and wish them well in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship in two weeks."
Westminster's top three each earned a point for the Titans, as Jacob Stuckert defeated Trey Heffelfinger (Mount Union, PA/Mount Union) 5 and 4, Sam Napper prevailed 4 and 3 over Peter Nusbaum (Pittsboro, NC/Thales Academy) and Cal Cummins won 2 and 1 against Joey Toth (South Park, PA/South Park).
But Penn State Altoona's four, five and six golfers countered with wins of their own to provide the Lions with three points. Jack DiTrani (Hinsdale, IL/Benet Academy) earned a point with a 5 and 4 victory over Ellian Ascencio, Owen Wise (Lewistown, PA/Mifflin County) posted a 3 and 2 win over Gavin Batdorff and Jacob Carlin (Fayetteville, PA/Chambersburg) notched a 5 and 4 victory over Portland Canovali.
The match came down to the seven spot, where Westminster's Peter Canovali pulled out the decisive point with a 6 and 5 win over Michael Gloth (Glenwood, MD/Glenelg).
Penn State Altoona and Westminster will meet again this Sunday, September 25 and Monday, September 26, when the teams both return to their regular tournament formats to compete in the Guy and Jeanne Kuhn Memorial Invitational, hosted by Allegheny College at the Country Club of Meadville.