CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Penn State Lehigh Valley captured the 2014 PSUAC Golf Championship in State College, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, Oct. 14, capping off a dominating run that also produced four regular season victories.
Coach Brian Exton's winning squad took their eight stroke lead from Monday and nearly doubled it by the end of the final round. Playing from the blue tees on Penn State's noted Blue Course, team leaders Shane Rhodes (junior, Saucon Valley) and Nathan Bloomfield (junior, Zane Trace, Ohio) saw several years of hard work come to fruition as they both posted two-day totals of 172. Rookie Ethan Culver (freshman, Nazareth Area) followed close behind with a 173, proving his talent and hinting at things to come next year.
Tyler Schoener (freshman, Emmaus) contributed a round of 90 for Monday's team score, finishing with a net of 178. Schoener heads to main campus next year for the Professional Golf Management program. Michael Szklanny (sophomore, Hanover Area) grabbed the spotlight in the final round by contributing a low individual score of 85 (two-day total 181) playing from the team's fifth position.
Rhodes, Bloomfield, and Culver also were named to the PSUAC All-Conference team.
For the USCAA National Championship, Penn State Lehigh Valley placed 13th out of 22 teams.
"I am incredibly proud of these guys," remarked an elated Coach Exton. "We played solid golf from the very first match of the season. Everyone kept the ball in play, and we nearly always had four scores averaging in the 80s. That level of consistency is tough to beat. It was a true team effort for us, and a proud moment on our campus."
PSUAC Championship, Full Results
Penn State Lehigh Valley: 692
Penn State Hazleton: 707
Penn State DuBois: 722
Penn State Mont Alto: 735
Penn State Wilkes-Barre: 745
Penn State New Kensington: 795