INDIANA, Pa. — For the 10th time in program history, the Penn State Altoona men’s golf team is the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference champion.
The Lions fended off a late push from second-place Mount Aloysius College on Tuesday, Oct. 13, day two of the AMCC Championships, to secure the conference title, which will lead to the program’s ninth-ever NCAA Division III postseason tournament appearance in May.
Entering Tuesday’s round at Indiana Country Club with a 14-shot advantage, the Lions had to fight to maintain their grip on the top spot. Mount Aloysius surged back and trimmed Penn State Altoona’s lead to single digits midway through Tuesday’s round, but the Lions battled down the stretch to hang on for the conference crown.
Penn State Altoona finished with a two-day score of 592, including 308 on Tuesday, to wrap up first place in the eight-team AMCC field. Mount Aloysius was the runner-up with 598, and Pitt-Greensburg and Pitt-Bradford tied for third place with 629. Penn State Behrend (651), La Roche University (686), Hilbert College (711) and Carlow University (746) rounded out the rest of the conference leaderboard.
Max Mottura, of Vandergrift, and Andrew Bruce, of Moon Township, were the Lions’ top finishers, tying Mount Aloysius’ Michael Sevier atop the player leaderboard with two-round scores of 146. Mottura shot 4-over par on Tuesday with a 75, and Bruce carded a 78.
Sevier ultimately defeated Mottura and Bruce in a playoff to claim the AMCC’s individual championship, with Mottura finishing as the individual runner-up.
Meanwhile, Joey Sabol, of State College, shot a 5-over-par 76 in Tuesday’s action to compile a total score of 150, tying for sixth place individually. Nicholas Helsley, of Altoona, placed ninth after shooting 82 on Tuesday and totaling 153 for the tournament. Nicky Riscica, of Newtown, shot 79 on day two, earning a combined score of 157 to tie for 13th place individually.
Penn State Altoona’s AMCC championship is its 10th in program history, as well as the team’s first since 2024. The victory gives the Lions the conference’s automatic bid to compete in the NCAA Division III Championship, set for May 18-21, 2027, at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Next up, the Lions will continue their fall schedule at home this weekend, hosting the Sinking Valley Collegiate Classic on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17 and 18, at Sinking Valley Country Club. Saturday’s round is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.