Lion golf team eliminated from NCAA Tournament after missing cut
5.16.07
The Penn State Altoona golf team's 2007 NCAA Tournament run came to an end Wednesday as the Lions failed to make the cut after two rounds of competition.  Head coach Tom Koehle's squad shot a team score of 337 (+49) Wednesday, which placed Altoona 29th overall, six spots below the cut line.  Of the 35 participating teams, only the top 23 advance to the final two rounds on Thursday and Friday.  After finishing day one tied for 22nd overall with a team 321 (+33) at Hawthorns Golf and Country Club, the Lions struggled  at neighboring Prairie View Golf Club Wednesday.  The best individual score was courtesy of Derek Bailey (Berwick, PA/Berwick), who fired an 81 (+9).  Teammate Jake Biltz (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) shot an 11-over 83 while junior Quintin Dziabo (Cresson, PA/Penn Cambria) checked in with a +12 84.  Courtney Jones (Ligonier, PA/Ligonier Valley) was the fourth and final contributor to the overall team score, shooting a +17 89.  R.J. Cilley (Hershey, PA/Hershey) shot a +26 98.  Through both days, Penn State Altoona managed just eight birdies.  After Wednesday's second round, a new individual leader emerged from the pack in St. John's University (MN) standout Clinton Dammann.  He enters Thursday at -1, the only player in the 180-man field currently in the red.  St. John's is also leading the team standings with a two-day score of 600 (+24; +12 Tuesday, +12 Wednesday).  To follow the final two rounds of the 2007 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Tournament, visit the official Golfstat website at www.golfstat.com. 

Golf competes at St. Vincent Invitational
4.20.07
The Penn State Altoona golf team competed in its second and final spring invitational before heading to the NCAA Tournament in mid-May.  The squad finished 13th overall out of 16 teams at the St. Vincent Invitational Thursday in Latrobe, PA.  The Lions finished the single day event with a team score of 355.  Quintin Dziabo shot an 85 while teammate Jake Biltz followed that up with an 87.  RJ Cilley (90), Derek Bailey (93), and Courtney Jones (95) rounded out the Penn State Altoona scorecard.  The top four individual scores counted toward the overall team score.  Division II Clarion University won the event, shooting a team score of 310 for the afternoon.  La Roche and Pitt-Greensburg were the other AMCC teams represented at the tournament.  The Redhawks of La Roche finished eighth overall (335) while the Bobcats from Greensburg finished last (405).  The Lions will have three weeks of practice before leaving for its first ever NCAA Tournament bid in Indianapolis, Indiana, from May 15-18. 

Men's golf places 13th at spring season opener
4.9.07
Amidst a field of elite Division III squads, the Penn State Altoona men's golf team finished 13th overall at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Invitational on April 8-9 in Hershey.  This marked the first of three spring matches leading up to the program's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in mid-May.  As a team, Altoona shot a 681 for the tournament (341, 340) and finished ahead of two teams, Hobart and Nazareth.  Individually, freshman Jake Biltz had a solid two-day event, finishing tied for 16th with a 160 (81, 79).  Teammates RJ Cilley (168, T-43rd), Derek Bailey (177, T-64), Chris Bullington (179, T-70), and Quintin Dziabo (182, 73rd) rounded out the Altoona scorecard.  Franklin & Marshall won the regional with a team score of 624 after both days.  Stephen Goodridge of Rochester University was the individual champion, posting rounds of 76 and 73 en route to a match best 149.  Goodridge was tops in the nation last year at the NCAA Tournament and will try to defend his national individual championship if Rochester qualifies again this season.  The Lions dropped to 76-18 overall, 2-12 in the non-traditional spring season, and will compete on Monday, April 16, at the Allegheny Invitational.  Allegheny finished runner-up to Franklin & Marshall in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament with a team score of 628.
 

Keep it rolling:  Men's golf set for spring campaign
4.6.07
The Penn State Altoona golf squad had a season for the ages in the fall, winning five of its nine matches and capturing the program's second ever Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championship.  The team boasts AMCC Player of the Year Quintin Dziabo and two other standouts, Jake Biltz and Derek Bailey, who average scores in the mid to upper 70's.   Biltz was the conference Newcomer of the Year and helped lead the squad to its second ever Eastern College Athletic Conference championship this season.  Because of its 2006 performance, head coach Tom Koehle's squad earned the right to play a spring season in 2007 in preparation for the NCAA Tournament May 15-18 in Indianapolis.     READ MORE
 

Men's Golf finishes third at W&J Invitational
10.16.06
The Penn State Altoona men's golf team, in preparation for the NCAA Tournament in May of 2007, ventured outside the AMCC to the Washington and Jefferson Fall Invitational October 15-16.  The Lions finished third out of the five competing teams, posting a total team score of 635 through 36 holes.  Quintin Dziabo was the low scorer for Altoona with a two-round total of 151, good enough for sixth overall out of 30 golfers.  Host W&J finished first with a team score of 583 while Carnegie Mellon University finished second with a 602.  Altoona's Jake Biltz tied for eighth on the afternoon by shooting a combined 152 for the tournament.  Nick McLaughlin (166), Derek Bailey (167), and Ryan Koehle (168) rounded out the Lion scorecard.  For full team and individual results, Click Here.

Men's Golf wins ECAC Championship
10.12.06
The Penn State Altoona men's golf team, fresh off their AMCC Championship and NCAA Tournament qualification, notched another impressive award by winning the ECAC Division III Southern Region Championships Thursday at their home course of Sinking Valley Country Club.  The Lions bested second place Grove City by nine strokes in the 36-hole event that featured 10 squads.  Individually, Derek Bailey finished third overall (154), Courtney Jones finished fourth (155), and Quintin Dziabo finished fifth (156).  Jake Biltz tied for sixth (158) and Ryan Koehle tied for 30th (169) to round out the Lions scorecard. The Lions will play four to five matches in the spring in preparation for the NCAA Tournament May 15-18 just outside Indianapolis, Indiana.

For full results, Click Here.

Two Lions named AMCC Players of the Week
10.10.06
Penn State Altoona men's golfer Quintin Dziabo and men's soccer goalkeeper Mike Ginnona have been selected as AMCC Players of the Week for the week of October 9th.  Dziabo, a junior from Cresson, PA, shot a 160 (82 - 78) over 36 holes, earning individual medalist honors at the AMCC championships.  His effort also led the Lions to the team title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, the first bid for any Lion sport in school history.  This is the second time Dziabo has earned Golfer of the Week honors.  Ginnona, a freshman from Spring City, PA, contributed 100 minutes of scoreless soccer to help the Lions record their sixth and seventh team shutouts of the season.  He has conceded only one goal in 400 minutes of play to help the Lions to a 9-1-2 overall record through 12 contests.

Men's Golf wins AMCC Championships, advances to NCAA Tournament
10.9.06
The Penn State Altoona men's golf team has done what no other Lion athletics team has.....advance to the NCAA Tournament.  The squad won this past weekend's AMCC Championships by posting a two-day team score of 653, besting second place La Roche by 14 strokes.  Led by medalist Quinton Dziabo (two day score of 160), Penn St. Altoona capped a stellar weekend in Painesville, Ohio by shooting a team score of 653 over 36 holes (Day 1: 328/Day 2: 325).  In the AMCC women's invitational, Penn State Altoona's Jenna Rothermal took medalist honors by shooting a 130 over 27 holes.  Read the full release and get details about the NCAA Tournament by clicking the link below.
  
Lions win AMCC Championships, advance to NCAA Tournament!


Men's Golf finishes second at Lake Erie Invitational
9.30.06
The Penn State Altoona men's golf team had its first look at Fowler's Mill Golf Course (Painesville, OH) in preparation for next weekend's AMCC Championships hosted by Lake Erie College.  The Lions finished runner up to non-conference foe, Baldwin Wallace, by two strokes.  Altoona was led by freshmen Jake Biltz and Courtney Jones.  Biltz shot 77 to finish third alone and Jones shot 78 to tie for fourth.  Quintin Dziabo and Derek Bailey shot pair of 85s to round out the scoring for Altoona.  The 325 team total and second place finish ups the Lions record to an impressive 55-3 overall.  The Lions finished ahead of seven AMCC opponents in the field.  Lake Erie College and Fowler's Mill Golf Course will host the AMCC Championships October 7 and 8.  The champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championships.

Biltz took the individual title by 3 shots over Gary Dillaman of Penn State Behrend.  Biltz has been on a tear lately shooting three 74s and a 76 in his first four college tournaments. 

"Jake is a hard worker.  His local knowledge certainly helped today, but he played a steady round of golf, avoided big mistakes and made a lot of pars when he had to," said Lions' head coach Tom Koehle.

The Lions finished with a 312 total, a distant 13 shots ahead of second place Frostburg State.  The victory runs their season record to 37-2, with two wins and two second place finishes in four events. 

In women's action, Penn State Altoona's Jenna Rothermel won by a distant 16 shots claiming her third tournament in as many tries.  Her 75 followed a school record 74 Thursday.

"We were truly fortunate to have Jenna playing at Penn State Altoona.  She is a tremendous asset to the team and certainly has a bright future ahead of her," Koehle said.

The Lions will be back in action Tuesday as Mount Aloysius hosts its annual invitational at Summit Country Club.

COMPLETE TEAM RESULTS

COMPLETE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS