PENN ST. ALTOONA MEN'S GOLF FINISHES 34TH AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

After the second round of the NCAA Division III Championships on Wednesday at Keene Trace Golf Club, the Penn State Altoona men’s golf team finished in 34th place out of 43 teams. 

The Lions shot 305 in Wednesday’s round, when the team’s action shifted to the club’s Champion Trace course. The score was a 10-shot improvement over Penn State Altoona’s total in the opening round at the Keene Run course, and it represents the second-lowest team round in an NCAA postseason event for the Lions. 

By not making the top 18 spots on the team leaderboard by the conclusion of Wednesday’s round, Penn State Altoona did not make the cut to qualify for the final two rounds of the tournament, and the Lions’ season comes to an end. 

Jack DiTrani was Penn State Altoona’s top finisher on the player leaderboard, tying for 76th place out of 221 individual golfers. DiTrani shot 76 on the par 72 course Wednesday, recording a two-round score of 149. 

Trey Heffelfinger carded 75 in Wednesday’s round, tying for 110th place individually with a two-day score of 152. Peter Nusbaum shot Penn State Altoona’s top score in Wednesday’s round, shooting a 2-over par 74 to compile a two-day score of 161. 

Joey Toth fired an 80 on Wednesday to finish with a two-day score of 163, and Owen Wise (Lewistown, PA/Mifflin County) shot 86 to finish with 168 across two rounds. 

Nusbaum’s Wednesday score was a 13-shot improvement from his round-one score, while Toth shaved three strokes off of his score from day one and Heffelfinger improved by two shots. 

The 2022-23 season was a successful one for the Penn State Altoona men’s golf program. The Lions won the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship in October, marking the seventh time in program history that the team earned the conference crown. That championship gave Penn State Altoona its sixth-ever NCAA Division III postseason appearance.