ALTOONA, Pa. — The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference champion Penn State Altoona men’s golf team was well-represented in the league’s postseason awards, which were announced on Friday, Oct. 21.
Headlining the awards were Lions Trey Heffelfinger (Mount Union, PA/Mount Union), who was voted the AMCC Golfer of the Year, and Jack DiTrani (Hinsdale, IL/Benet Academy), who was selected as the conference’s Newcomer of the Year.
In addition to those two major awards, Heffelfinger, DiTrani, and Joey Toth (South Park, PA/South Park) were all voted to the first team of the All-AMCC squad, while Peter Nusbaum (Pittsboro, NC/Thales Academy) took second team honors.
Heffelfinger led the AMCC in scoring average this season, shooting 75.63 per round while golfing in eight total rounds for the Lions this fall. He carded sub-80 scores in seven of his eight rounds, including a season-low 70 during day two of The Gauntlet on Sept. 12. During the AMCC Championships on October 10-11, Heffelfinger shot two of the conference’s four rounds under 80 to win the tournament’s individual title with a two-day score of 150. During the season, he was named the AMCC Golfer of the Week on Sept. 12.
This marks the third time in Heffelfinger’s collegiate career that he has been voted to the first team of the All-AMCC squad, and it is his first conference Golfer of the Year recognition. It also marks the third straight year that a Penn State Altoona golfer has been voted to the league’s top individual honor.
DiTrani golfed in all 11 rounds for the Lions this season and ranked second on his team and third among all AMCC golfers with a scoring average of 78.45. He scored under 80 in seven rounds this fall, including back-to-back season-low scores of 75 and 74 during The Gauntlet on Sept. 11-12. DiTrani also took the individual runner-up medal in the AMCC Championships, shooting 78 and 81 to compile a two-round score of 159 that placed him second among all participants. During the season, he was named the AMCC Golfer of the Week on Oct. 10.
Toth competed in all 11 rounds for Penn State Altoona this season, finishing fifth in the AMCC and fourth on his team with a scoring average of 79.55. Five of Toth’s rounds this season finished under 80, including a career-low 72 in day one of the Mountain Valley Collegiate Classic on September 16. He took fourth place individually during the AMCC Championships, shooting 85 and 80 for a two-day score of 165.
This is Toth’s first career selection to an All-AMCC team.
Nusbaum golfed in all 11 rounds for the Lions and ranked fourth in the conference and third on his team in scoring average, shooting 79.36 per round. He registered eight rounds of sub-80 scores this fall, including a season-low 71 at the season-opening Pitt-Bradford Invitational on Sept. 3 that placed him first individually out of 47 golfers. Nusbaum placed 20th during the AMCC Championships with a combined score of 181. During the season, he was twice selected as the conference Golfer of the Week, receiving the recognition on Sept. 6 and 27.
Following its seventh AMCC title win earlier this month, the Penn State Altoona men’s golf team receives the conference’s automatic bid to compete in the NCAA Division III Championships on May 16-19 at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Ky.
Prior to the NCAA Championships, the Lions will compete in a schedule of spring events that opens on April 1-2, when the team will host the annual Penn State Division III Challenge at the Penn State Blue and White Golf Courses.