Lions finish 2nd overall at PSUAC Championships

From left: Anthony Ruggeri, Colin Hoy, Jeremy Harper, Joshua Provost, Head Coach Jason Martonick and Mark Lusk.
From left: Anthony Ruggeri, Colin Hoy, Jeremy Harper, Joshua Provost, Head Coach Jason Martonick and Mark Lusk.
October 8, 2019

State College, Pa. - Following Monday's rainout, the PSUAC/USCAA championships were forced into a single day of competition on Tuesday afternoon at the Penn State Blue Course. Hazleton, finished in 2nd place amongst Penn State University Athletic Conference opponents with a combined score of 323, falling short by 15 strokes to championship winner, Penn State Lehigh Valley. 

Hazleton freshman Jeremy Harper (Mountain Top, Pa.) finished off the season with a terrific round of 74. The freshman challenged for the individual medalist honors but came in one shot behind Lehigh Valley's Brian Zinman for a 2nd place individual finish. Harper got off to great start, playing his first seven holes at one under par and continued to grind as his made the turn to the back nine. Harper drained a 12 footer to save par on the par five 12th hole but failed to convert several short birdie opportunities down the stretch to erase three bogies on his final nine holes and keep pace with the leaders. Harper's round of two over par garnered a PSUAC All-Conference selection and 14th place finish in the congruently run USCAA championship, landing the freshman a 2nd Team All-American honor. 

Freshman Colin Hoy (Harleysville, Pa.) got off to a rocky start on Tuesday after finding the pond on his first shot of the day on the par five, fifth hole. Hoy followed up with a bogie at the eighth and double at the ninth hole but percevered through his early struggles to turn his day around. After making the turn to the back nine, Hoy started to find the short grass and get the putter going. He played the back nine with just one blemish on the card and erased that miscue with a birdie on hole one. With the rocky start well behind him, Hoy finished the final 13 holes of the day at one over par, finishing 24th overall in the USCAA and earn PSUAC All-Conference honors with a top ten finish in the PSUAC competition. 

Hazleton freshman Mark Lusk (Drums, Pa.) and senior Joshua Provost (Hazleton, Pa.) ended the day with rounds of 85 and 87 respectively to round out the Hazleton score of 323. Hazleton's 2nd place finish completes a tremendous bounce back year. The Lions finished tied for first twice in PSUAC competition and two second place finishes coming at the Schuylkill Invitational and Tuesday's championships.