Nelson Leads Catamounts Golf to WPCC Championship
Freshman Matt Nelson fired a solid 76 in the toughest conditions of the year to win the individual medalist honors at the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference (WPCC) Championship this past weekend. Day one of the event was canceled due to weather and the event which is normally schedule for 36 holes was shortened to an 18 hole event. Day two didn’t bring any better weather or course conditions, but the event had to be played. With 20+ MPH winds, steady rain, and a course that had soaked fairways and standing water everywhere, the conditions were by far the worst of the year. “We played in some tough weather this year and throughout my time as coach, but I can honestly say with the combination of the course conditions and the elements, this was by far the worse playing conditions we have had,” said head coach Aaron Edwards.
On the day Nelson played well through the tough conditions and posted a 76 which gave him the individual championship by one stroke over Garrett Bylinowski of Butler County Community College. Matt’s score also helped the Catamounts claim their 6th straight WPCC Championship in a row. Following in behind Nelson, the Catamount squad claimed 4 of the top 6 spots in the event on their way to the blowout victory. Placing third was Chris Bushey and Mike Toth with 79’s and in a tie for 6th was Ryan MacPherson with an 81. Kyle Hudgins also claimed all-tournament team honors with a top 10 finish.
Also being honored at the event were the members of the WPCC all-conference team for their play throughout the regular season. This selection is earned from a point system that is used throughout the season at each event, and the Catamounts had 5 golfers take home this honor. Chris Bushey, Matt Nelson, Kyle Hudgins, Ryan MacPherson, and Mitch O’Shell were all named as members of this team. “We had a great year and WPCC Championship,” said Potomac State Head Coach Aaron Edwards. “All of our players were either named to the all-conference or the all-tournament team, so that is a great accomplishment.”
Up next for the recently nationally ranked Catamount golf team is the Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association (PCAA) State Championship that will be held Oct. 10th and 11th at Penn National Golf Club. The Catamounts are 4 time defending Champions of the event and are looking to continue the winning tradition at the event. The top players from the WPCC and the EPCC will compete for two days to determine the team and Individual champion. “The east verses west setup is a great event,” said Edwards. “ It gives us a chance to play some different schools and a few teams from the East are very solid.”
The PCAA Championship will bring an end to the PSC Fall golf season. Overall for the year, the team is 30-0 against other 2 year institutions and 12-3-1 against 4 year universities. The Catamounts were also included in the Oct. 3rd edition of Golf World Magazine as they were voted as a top 10 team in the Nike Golf Coaches Poll. Additionally, the team has been ranked 5th in the nation by Golfstat one of the official NJCAA polling agencies. The Official NJCAA ranking will be released in Early November.