Very challenging.
That describes what the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship became due to a low-pressure weather system that produced wind, rain and cooler-than-normal temperatures for last week’s four-day tournament.
After the first two days of action, officials decided to wrap things up with a 36-hole marathon on Thursday. But that didn’t work, as darkness suspended play during the fourth round and, after another suspension due to driving rain on Friday morning, play concluded that afternoon.
Peyton Mussina of Montoursville, Penn College’s last man standing at the end of the day, finished 49th in an original field of 225 after shooting a four-day 302, capping a brilliant career.
Leading up to Friday’s finale, Penn College’s team was positioned 38th in a 43-team field after shooting a 317 in Tuesday’s first round on Midvale Country Club’s 6,632-yard course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. Mussina shot an even-par 72 and was tied for 10th among 225 individuals.
Also on Tuesday, Logan Gawlinski of Kittanning shot a 79 and was tied for 135th, Brady Handy of Huntingdon and Will Orwig of Mifflintown both scored 83 and were tied for 194th, and Gunner Redmond of Lock Haven shot an 84 and was tied for 201st.
On a chilly and soggy Wednesday when birdies were challenging to come by, Mussina carded a one-over-par 73 on the 6,866-yard Cobblestone Creek Country Club course, giving him a two-day 145 and a tie for fourth. That allowed him to play on for another two days for the second year in a row.
Teamwise, the Wildcats’ season came to a close with a two-day 654 after a 337 score, which placed them 41st among 43 teams. Only the top 18 teams and six individuals not on those teams continued the rest of the way.
During Wednesday’s round, Handy recorded his second consecutive 83 for a 166 total and tied for 192nd. Orwig shot 83-89—172 to tie for 210th, Gawlinski shot 79-96—175 to tie for 216th, and Redmond shot 84-92—176 for 218th.
Returning to the rain-drenched Midvale course on Thursday, Mussina was 7-over-par after shooting a 79 during round three. He then completed 12 holes in the fourth round, going another 4-over-par, when play stopped at 7:45 p.m. due to darkness.
The action was scheduled to resume at 7:45 a.m. Friday, but worsening conditions pushed the restart to noon.
“It’s really bad. It’s really bad. The wind is blowing about 25-30 mph. It’s still raining. The golf course is basically underwater,” Wildcats’ coach Rob Lytle said at the time.
Mussina completed his last six holes 2-over for a 78, bringing to a close his three-year storied career with the Wildcats that included 21 top-4 finishes, a United East Conference individual champion in 2024, a three-time UE first-team selection, the UE Golfer of the Year in 2024, and a 12-time UE Player of the Week honoree. Also, he was one of 15 named to the PING/GCAA Division III All-Region III team for a second straight year after he finished third at the United East Championship in April and led the Wildcats to their third consecutive conference crown.
A year ago, in ideal weather conditions at Boulder City, Nevada, Mussina posted rounds of 69-68-75-74—286 and tied for 17th. That exact total this year would have earned him a fourth place as Edward Coffren of Lynchburg recorded a 280 to claim medalist honors, and only three golfers scored under 288. In the team competition, Methodist University successfully defended its title (its 15th overall) with 1,175, 44 strokes higher than it scored a year ago.
UE All-Sportsmanship honorees
Also, last week, six Penn College spring sports athletes received UE All-Sportsmanship Team accolades. They were Gawlinski (men’s golf), Devin Page of Pine City, New York (men’s lacrosse), Brandon Shane of Boyertown (baseball), Madison Herriman of Danville (softball), Kyle Shuler of Williamsport (men’s tennis) and Ellen Buckley of Binghamton, New York (women’s tennis).
For additional information, visit the Wildcats Athletics website.
For more about the United East, view the conference website.
The NCAA website is also a source of information.