The Pennsylvania College of Technology men’s golf team is preparing for the United East Conference championship, aiming for its third consecutive title. The event will take place on Friday and Saturday at the Chambersburg Country Club Black Course. Nine teams, including top-seeded Penn College, are set to compete.
The Wildcats are striving to become the first team to achieve a three-peat since Rutgers-Camden’s five consecutive wins from 2013 to 2017, during the time it was part of the North Eastern Athletic Conference. If successful, Penn College, which has claimed three of the last four titles, will have a place in the NCAA Division III Championship in Boulder City, Nevada.
The team’s fall performance at the UE Preview was strong, with Peyton Mussina, the medalist, leading with a 74. “The fall preview doesn’t mean anything to us. The focus is on what’s in front of us (a championship),” coach Rob Lytle stated.
Lytle emphasized the importance of maintaining calmness before the championship. “There’s no stressing. There’s no changing anything. It’s just reassurance,” he remarked. The team faced challenging conditions this spring and had weather-related tournament cancellations, yet Lytle remains optimistic.
Reflecting on past experiences, Lytle said, “Two years ago, in the conference championship, it was raining, and we had to play 36 holes in one day; I asked the team to play good, to play hard early. I think that’s going to be our mentality.” The team has a clear goal: “The expectation is to win the conference,” Lytle concluded.
