NORTH BOSTON, N.Y. — Five members of the Penn State Altoona men’s golf program earned spots on the All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference team — including garnering three major individual awards — when the league released its postseason honors on Tuesday, May 4.
Lions sophomore Andrew Ferguson (Altoona, Pennsylvania/Tyrone) was voted the AMCC’s co-Golfer of the Year, sharing the honor with Penn State Behrend’s Ryan Meyer. Meanwhile, freshman Trey Heffelfinger (Mount Union, Pennsylvania/Mount Union) was selected the AMCC Newcomer of the Year, and head coach Tom Koehle was voted the conference’s Coach of the Year.
On the All-Conference list, Ferguson and Heffelfinger were both first team selections. Voted second team All-AMCC were seniors Jimmy Gillespie (Glen Mills, Pennsylvania/Garnet Valley) and Luke Hoffnagle (York, Pennsylvania/Spring Grove).
Ferguson competed in all seven rounds for the Lions this spring, his first season with the program. The sophomore led his team and ranked third in the AMCC in average, shooting 80.29 per round. During the season, Ferguson took the individual title at three different events, winning the Penn State Behrend Invitational on April 3, the Penn State Division III Challenge on April 7, and the Penn State Altoona Invitational on April 10. His best score of the season came in the Penn State Division III Challenge, when he shot an even par 72 to tie for the third-lowest score in a round in Penn State Altoona golf history. In the AMCC Championships on April 18-19, Ferguson finished with a two-day score of 166 to tie for ninth place individually. This season, he earned two AMCC Golfer of the Week awards.
Heffelfinger golfed in all seven rounds as a freshman with Penn State Altoona this season, finishing with sub-80 scores in a team-best five rounds. He ranked second on the Lions and fifth in the AMCC in scoring, averaging 80.43 per round. Heffelfinger recorded two individual titles during the season, winning his team’s season-opening dual match against Penn State Berks on March 29, as well as the Lions’ final event of the season, the Mount Aloysius College Invitational on April 24. The freshman’s lowest score of the spring came in the Penn State Altoona Invitational, during which he shot 76 to finish as the individual runner-up. In the AMCC Championships, Heffelfinger totaled a two-day score of 164 to tie for sixth place individually.
Koehle coached the Lions to impressive results this season, after the team’s normal fall competition season was postponed to the spring due to continued challenges related to COVID-19. The Lions won five of their six events this spring, including reeling off four consecutive wins to open their schedule. Penn State Altoona defeated Penn State Berks in the Lions’ first event of the spring, then went on to claim first place team finishes in the Penn State Behrend Invitational, Penn State Division III Challenge, Penn State Altoona Invitational, and Mount Aloysius Invitational. The Lions came in second place at the two-day AMCC Championships, finishing as the conference runners-up for the sixth time in program history. During the season, Koehle’s players totaled five individual title wins and two AMCC Player of the Week awards. In the AMCC postseason awards, his players received four placements on the All-Conference team while also taking co-Golfer of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors.
This marks the second time in Koehle’s Penn State Altoona coaching career that he has been selected the AMCC’s Coach of the Year, with his previous time coming in 2006.
Gillespie capped his four-year collegiate career by playing in all seven rounds for the Lions this season. The senior averaged 81.57 per round, ranking third on his team and seventh in the AMCC. Gillespie’s lowest score of the season came in the Mount Aloysius Invitational, during which he shot 77 and took third place individually following a playoff for the top spot. His highest individual place came in the Penn State Behrend Invitational, when he tied for second after shooting 83. Gillespie posted the best performance on his team during the two-day AMCC Championships, finishing with a team-leading combined score of 160 to come in fourth place individually.
This is Gillespie’s third career selection to an AMCC All-Conference team. He was a second team pick in 2018 before taking first team recognition in 2019.
Hoffnagle finished his four-year collegiate career by golfing in all seven rounds for Penn State Altoona this spring. In scoring average, the senior ranked fourth on his team and ninth in the AMCC by averaging 83.29 per round. Hoffnagle’s best score of the season came during day two of the AMCC Championships, when he fired a 78 to post the lowest score of the round for the Lions. His highest individual place this season came in the Penn State Behrend Invitational, when he carded an 83 to tie for second place. In the AMCC Championships, Hoffnagle recorded a two-day score of 164 to tie for sixth place individually.
This represents the third time in Hoffnagle’s collegiate career that he has been voted to an AMCC All-Conference team. He took first team All-AMCC honors in 2017 and was a third team selection in 2019.