On the Right Course

The Penn State Altoona men's golf team has gone where no other Lions athletic team has gone before—earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The squad accomplished this feat by winning the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championship held on October 6 and 7 in Painesville, Ohio. After finishing either first or second in all but one match this season, the team is anxious to take its game to the next level and compete against some of the best Division III golfers in the nation.

"We look forward to the challenge that the NCAA Tournament presents," states third-year head coach Tom Koehle. "The team has accomplished all of its goals for the fall, but we have a long road ahead to prepare for the competition this spring."

The Lions also hosted the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) South Region Championship at Sinking Valley Country Club on October 12. In the 36-hole event, Altoona was victorious once again, besting nine other schools and finishing nine strokes ahead of second place Grove City College.

Two local products, junior Quintin Dziabo (Cresson, Pennsylvania) and freshman Jake Biltz (Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania) have displayed great leadership and consistency for Coach Koehle's squad. Playing number one the entire year, Dziabo has finished as the Lions' low scorer in one-third of the team's matches. His score of seventy-two at the Pitt-Bradford Invitational was good enough for medalist honors, while his two-day total of 160 at the AMCC Championship won him the title of AMCC Individual Champion. He also has been named AMCC Golfer of the Week twice this year.

Biltz has been equally impressive, finishing with Altoona's top score in three different matches. His seventy-four at the Frostburg State Invitational tied him for medalist honors before another seventy-four at the Penn State Altoona Invitational made him the outright medalist. Playing number two for the Lions all year, Biltz demonstrated a confidence and belief in his ability that many players—especially freshman—may never acquire.

"Quintin and Jake have been two players that the team can depend on," notes Koehle. "We'll continue to build on their success not only at the NCAA Tournament, but for next year as well, as both will be returning. Next year's freshmen will be fortunate to be tutored by players of Quintin's and Jake's caliber."

This was the first year that the champion of the AMCC in men's golf earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Division III Men's Golf Tournament will be held in Carmel and Fishers, Indiana, both suburbs of Indianapolis, from May 15-18. According to Koehle, the journey this season has been as rewarding and enjoyable as ever. And it's not over yet.

"We'll be one of only thirty-five teams at the tournament," states Koehle. "Although it's our first ever national championship, we certainly expect to compete and be among the top finishers. Our success this fall has been a total team effort, and this squad has been nothing but a pleasure to coach."

New in 2006, Penn State Altoona introduced a women's golf team, although women's golf is not an official AMCC sport. That didn't prevent freshman Jenna Rothermel from torching the competition throughout the year. She consistently fired sub-eighty rounds and won every individual event in which she played, including the AMCC Women's Invitational.