Warren, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's golf team secured their second consecutive Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference title at Avalon Lakes Golf and Country Club. Junior Cary Ignaczak won the individual medal for the lowest score, as he finished with a 6-over par 150.
The Pitt-Bradford men began the day with a 4 stroke lead over the field after carding a 32-over par 320. Despite a slow start, that saw them drop two strokes behind Penn State Behrend, the Panthers responded on the back 9 as they leveled off their pay and slowly built up an insurmountable lead. They recorded a 33-over par 321 on the second day to build up a 7 stroke victory over Penn State Altoona, the runners up.
Ignaczak was tied for the lead after the first round, posting a 5-over 77. He got off to a rough start, losing three strokes over the first two holes, but closed in extraordinary fashion, shooting 2-under par on the back 9 to secure the victory. Cary finished with a 1-over par 73 to win the tournament by six strokes.
The Panthers also received strong final day performances from Jamie Rook and Cooper Cordova. After carding an 89 on the first day of competition, Rook shot an 80 on the final day of the competition. His performance moved him from 25th place after the first round to a tie for 17th. It was the 5th lowest score of the day. Cordova Shot an 81 on the second day. He finished in a tie for 4th overall. Sam Marchini finished the competition in a tie for 12th at +23 and Matt Moonan finished in 20th at +26.
Head Coach Keith Stauffer said, "What a way to end our fall season! I am so happy for this team. Our motto this season was 'Hard Work Works,' They worked very hard this fall and it showed coming down the last few holes. They played rock solid which won the championship for us.Looking forward, we all agree that we have a lot of work to do before going to NCAA's next May. We will be better prepared than last year. All in all, it was a very good fall golf season!" When asked about medalist Ignaczak, Stauffer said, "I'm very happy for Cary. He had a terriffic year, capped off with an individual medal in the conference championship."
The win was the Panthers' 6th of the season. The tournament brings their fall season to an end, however with the conference championship, they will see their season continued at the NCAA Golf Championships next May. The Championships will be held at PGA National Resort - Champions Course in Palm Beach, Fla. It will take place between May 12-15th, 2020.
