Panthers Finish Fourth In AMCC Championship
The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's golf team finished fourth in the two-day AMCC Championship event, cutting three strokes from their round on day one with a 311 on the second day to finish with a team score of 625 at Avalon Lakes Golf Club.
The Panthers also finished fourth in the 2016 AMCC Championship, however, this season showed the tremendous growth in the conference's strength.
The 625 team score trims 41 strokes from the Panthers' score last season and would have been the top score in the 2016 Conference Championship.
Matt Moonan led the way for the Panthers on the second day with a score of 75, tying for his best round of the season and cutting his score on day one by five strokes.
Moonan finished with a score of 155 in the two-day event -- the second best on the team.
Brett Gardner improved his score by six strokes on the second day of action, firing a 77 Monday for the Panthers.
With a 79, Cary Ignaczak finished with the top score over the two-day span for the Panthers at 153.
Jamie Rook stayed consistent and shot an 80 both days, tying Gardner for 160 at the event.
Sam Marchini finished two strokes back from Gardner and Rook with a 162 after shooting an 82 on the second day.
Stauffer Named Coach Of The Year; Ignaczak, Gardner, Moonan Receive All-Conference Honors
Head Coach Keith Stauffer was named the AMCC Coach of the Year for the third time in his career (2005 and 2013).
Additionally, freshman Cary Ignaczak was named to the All-Conference Second Team while senior Brett Gardner and sophomore Matt Moonan were both named to the All-Conference Third Team.
Ignaczak finished his rookie campaign with the best average score for the Panthers at 77.60, eighth best in the AMCC. The Derby, N.Y., native led the Panthers with a 153 score at the AMCC Championships, which was ninth-best in the conference in the two-day event. His season-low score of 72 came at Penn State-Altoona (Sept. 16).
2017 marks the third-straight season Gardner has received All-Conference honors, as he was a part of the 2015 Second Team and the 2016 Third Team. The Curwensville, Pa., native earned three top-10 finishes this season and shot a 160 in the AMCC Championships, the 17th-best score in the two-day event. His best finish came at Medaille (Sept. 6) at fifth place with a score of 80, and he averaged a score of 82.20 this season.
A member of the 2016 Second Team, Moonan has now received All-Conference honors both seasons as a member of the Pitt-Bradford golf program. The Bradford native was named the AMCC's Player of the Week on Oct. 2 and averaged 82.40 this season, the 29th-best in the conference. His best round of the season came with a score of 75 at Westminster (Sept. 25) to help the Panthers to a second-place finish. The sophomore finished ninth in the AMCC Championships with a score of 155 in the two-day event.
Pitt-Bradford To Take Second-Straight Spring Trip
This spring, the Panthers are looking to travel to Virginia Beach on spring break for four days of golf, 27 holes per day.
The Panthers took their first spring trip last season in Williamsburg, Virginia.
"This is a nice way for the team to get together without any distractions," Stauffer said. "It makes for a valuable learning trip for the team and offers many teachable moments for me. I believe last year's trip proved very beneficial to our success this season, and I can only hope this year's trip will do the same."
Coach Information:
Head Coach Keith Stauffer (16 Years)
Email: 4stauffer@atlanticbb.net
Phone: 814-362-7520
