Lions tackle Hershey Country Club's East Course
Hershey, Pa. - Hazleton traveled south for their lone non-league competition of the fall on Tuesday, participating in a field of 28 squads hosted by Elizabethtown College at the Hershey Country Club's East Course. Hazleton struggled to master the elevated greens and quick pace of the putting surfaces leading to a 25th place finish in the team rankings, combining for a team total of 361. The Lions finished 28 shots behind Penn State Mont Alto who topped all Penn State University Athletic Conference participants and seven shots behind Penn State Lehigh Valley who finished in 22nd place. Stevenson University and Muhlenberg College tied for the top team scores of the afternoon, totaling 302 for the event with the tiebreaker going to Stevenson.
Tuesday's individual medalist honors went to Lebanon Valley College's David Herbst who shot an even par round of 71, followed by Stevenson's Matthew Malone with 72 and four other competitors tied at 73 including Mont Alto's Tom Shearer. Sophomore John Hawley (Mountain Top, Pa.) and senior Zach Kyttle (Berwick, Pa.) led Hazleton with scores of 85 and 88 respectively. Both players had plenty of opportunities but gauging speed on chip shots and normally routine two-putt distances proved difficult for the Hazleton duo who finished in 80th and 92nd place individually amongst a field of nearly 150 competitors. Rounding out the top four scores for the Lions were sophomore Joshua Provost (Hazleton, Pa.) who shot 92 and freshman Eric Grodzicki (Nanticoke, Pa.) who totaled 96 strokes.
Next Up
Hazleton looks to bounce back on the scorecard as they resume PSUAC play next week. The Lions will take on the Penn State White Course in State College, Pa. in the second round of PSUAC invitationals at University Park on Monday, September 25 at 10:00 a.m.
