WARREN, Ohio -- A season full of hard work and long days at the course paid off for the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's golf team, as it captured the 2018 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championship at Avalon Lakes Golf and Country Club Monday.
The 2018 title is the third in program history and the first since Pitt-Bradford won in back-to-back years in 2001 and 2002.
"So proud of the guys, especially Johnny on his individual title," Head Coach Keith Stauffer said. "So glad to break the streak of Penn State champions, over 23 years worth. They played solid all day. That ties our lowest score of the season and it came at the perfect time. Thanks for all the community support and campus support. Really proud of these guys."
The Panthers began the second day of the two-day event in a tie with Pitt-Greensburg for second place with a score of 320. Penn State-Altoona entered the day with a two-stroke lead at 318.
But the Panthers rose to the occasion when it really mattered.
Pitt-Bradford cut 14 strokes from its day-one performance on the second day, firing a 306 to secure a comfortable conference title with a combined score of 626 -- nine strokes ahead of the AMCC Runner-Up Penn State-Behrend (635).
All five Panther competitors shot lower scores Monday than they did in the first round Sunday.
Johnny Fiore led all AMCC competitors in the two-day event, finishing the first day tied for the lead atop the conference with a 74 and securing the individual medal with a 72 Monday for a combined score of 146. His combined score was just two strokes over par for the event and four strokes better than the second-place finisher Chuck Panepinto from Medaille (150).
Not far behind Fiore was Cooper Cordova, who moved up the leaderboard with a 75 Monday to take third place overall at 153. As a result, Cordova earned a spot on the AMCC All-Tournament Team.
Matt Moonan was the next best Panther performer tied for 10th overall with a 159 combined score after shooting a 78 Monday.
Jamie Rook tied for 25th overall with a 168 combined and an 81 Monday, while Cary Ignaczak tied for 27th with a 170 overall and an 83 Monday.
With the conference victory, Pitt-Bradford earns the AMCC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships May 14-17, 2019, at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, KY.
Pitt-Bradford takes the conference title after back-to-back fourth-place finishes at the AMCC Championships.
The Panthers' victory snaps a streak in which Penn State-Behrend won the conference seven straight years.