Penn College golf coach Rob Lytle said on Apr. 24 that his team is prepared for the upcoming United East Conference Championship, where it will compete for its fourth consecutive title. The event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Friday and Saturday at Dauphin Highlands Country Club in Harrisburg.
The tournament holds significance as the winner will earn a spot in the NCAA Division III Championships, which are set to take place from May 12-15 at Mission Resort and Club in Howie-in-the-Hills, Florida. Penn College has secured three straight conference titles and made three consecutive trips to nationals as a result.
In last October’s UE Fall Preview held on the same course, Gunner Redmond of Lock Haven led Penn College by medaling with a score of 72 among a field of 47 golfers. The team finished with a total score of 308, narrowly surpassing Penn State Harrisburg by two strokes, Lancaster Bible College by seven strokes, and Rutgers-Camden by ten strokes.
Other teams expected to participate include Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Brandywine, Wilson College, along with those already mentioned. Lytle said after recent performances that “We’ve followed the process. We’re tuning up and getting our reps in.” He added that four Wildcats finished among the top five during their latest six-team event victory and noted Brett Keenan’s collegiate career-best round of 73 during another competition where they placed second out of eight teams.
This spring season has seen Redmond leading with an average score of 74.3 per round; Chase Dillman averages 76.4; Brady Handy averages 78.5; Keenan averages 80.3; and Logan Gawlinski averages 80.6 per round.
Penn College Wildcats Men’s Golf participates in the Northwest Athletic Conference according to the official website. The program operates from Port Angeles, Washington according to the official website.
Lytle summed up his team’s attitude heading into championship weekend: “We’re ready to rock and roll.”
