Pictured left to right: Assistant Coach Don Edwards, Brendan Dillon, Travis Kidwell, Luke Dempsey, Brian Affleck, Matt Pellillo, and Head Coach Aaron Edwards

Pittsburgh, PA- The Potomac State College golf team battled the elements as they laid claim to their second straight Region XX golf title.  The Catamounts teed it up Monday and Tuesday at Pittsburgh National in Gibsonia, PA trying to earn their second straight bid to the NJCAA DII National Golf Tournament.  The weather grabbed the headlines as day one was played entirely in a driving rain storm, and day two also produced less than ideal conditions with 20 MPH wind gust and cold temperatures.  As the rain fell the Catamounts pushed on and posted a good score of 321 to take an early tournament lead.  The day featured nasty conditions that caused two golfers to quit play early. 

On the day the PSC golf program was led by sophomore Brendan Dillon who fired a good 78 on an already tough golf course.  The Catamounts were followed by sophomore Brian Affleck and freshman Luke Dempsey with 79's.   "Pittsburgh National is a very tough golf course," said Coach Aaron Edwards.  "On a good day, a score in the mid seventies is a very good round of golf, and the guys did not see anything close to good conditions.  All of my guys enjoy golf and have fun playing it, but Monday was not about fun, it was about posting a score and trying to stay focused, and each of them did just that."  The first round individual lead was shared by Anthony Vincenti of Harford Community College.  On an individual level, the course yielded only 4 rounds of golf in the 70's on day one and PSC posted three of them.

In the team competition, the Catamounts jumped out to a large 21 shot lead with the 321 as Harford Community College and the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) each posted 342's on the day.  "We did not get off to a good start the year before, so it was a little easier sleeping this time around," said Coach Edwards.  The lead going into day two did not make the Catamounts rest easy, and they pushed forward and wanted to make a statement and show why they were the 5^th ranked team in the nation heading into the Championship.  On day two the team posted a 305 on way to the victory that saw the eventual championship margin stretched to 55 shots.  Harford edged CSM by one stroke to take home second place. 

On the individual side, Dillon who fired a 71 (-1) on day 2 and took home the individual medalist honors for the second straight year.  The defending Region XX Champion did not want to give away his crown and won going away by 6 shots.  Familiar faces followed Dillon as Affleck and Dempsey posted 76's on day two to tie for second place.  In total, the Catamounts took home the top three spots and also placed 4 of the five golfers on the Region XX All-tournament team.  Sophomore Matt Pellillo, who finished 7^th individually in the event, was the final PSC golfer named to the All Region XX team.

"It was a good event and while the team did not post our best results, under the conditions, they were very solid ones.  In the end the main thing is we advanced and have met one of our goals for the season, a birth in the National Tournament.  Now we have one more thing to do!"  The team will finish off a tremendous season as they travel to Scottsboro, AL and via for the National Championship at Goose Pond Colony golf course.  The 2008-2009 Catamount team has posted a 68-1 record against NJCAA competition, and an overall mark of 105-20 against all NCAA and NJCAA schools.  The team will be heading into the National tournament ranked 5^th in the nation and look to have a solid showing.  The NJCAA DII National Tournament starts on May 19^th and continues for four days and 72 holes of golf.  This is the fourth time in school history the team will be heading to the national tournament as a whole, and the 13^th time in school history they will be represented on the national level overall.  The PSC golf team has had a representative at the National tournament every year in their thirteen year history.