The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference

PSAC Golf Championship Preview: (October 17, 2007)

The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference will kick off another season of team championships Saturday, October 20, as the league golfers conduct their 52nd tournament. Saturday's play in the eight-team field begins at 11 a.m. at Wren Dale Golf Club in Hummelstown. Completion of the 36-hole tournament takes place on Sunday, with beginning tee times scheduled for 9 a.m.; The PSAC Golf Championship is unique in that it is the only conference championship in which men's and women's teams compete for the same title. The league consists of men's teams from California (Pa.), Clarion, Indiana (Pa.), Millersville and West Chester, and women's teams from California, Kutztown and West Chester.; Top returnees from last year's field include West Chester's Dominic Frassinelli, IUP's Nic Milito and Gavin Smith, along with Millersville's Corey Gast and Clarion's Justin Moose.

Frassinelli tied for third a year ago while Milito and Smith both tied for sixth. Smith is also the reigning PSAC Rookie of the Year after last year's strong showing where he finished in a tournament's top 10 six different times, including tying Milito for the third-best finish at the NCAA East Regional.; Millersville's Gast most recently recorded two first place finishes with a one-over par 141 at the Wheeling Jesuit Invitational and a three-over par 147 at Clarion's Hal Hansen Invitational, where six PSAC teams competed.; Clarion's Moose won the individual title in 2005 as a sophomore when he carded a 6-over par 150. He had tied for lowest round of the tournament and claimed the medalist honors after winning in a playoff on the second hole.; Other returning All-PSAC performers (top 10) from a year ago include Millersville's Darryn Deshong (9th) and Pete Steffy (T-10th).; Also of note is Simone DeSouza, from the California women's team. DeSouza recorded last year's lowest round, shooting a 69 in the final day of competition.; The West Chester men's squad won last year's title, giving the Golden Rams their first golf championship since 1969. The squad posted a 15-over par 303 on the first day of competition to lead IUP by four strokes. The Crimson Hawks fired back with a 298 in the final round of competition, cutting nine strokes off their first day total of 307, but it would not be enough to overcome the Golden Rams, who finished two strokes ahead with a final score of 603.; Millersville finished third (611) while Clarion, the 2005 champions, took fourth (612). California's men and women earned fifth and sixth place finishes, respectively. Kutztown and West Chester's women rounded out the field.

Winning the individual medalist honors was West Chester's Jared Miller. The senior shot a two-day total of 145.

The PSAC Golf Championship has occurred every year since 1957. In 2004, the championship was moved from the spring to the fall.

Wren Dale's par 72 course played at a length of 6,956 for the men in last year's tournament. The women tee off at a length of approximately 81% of the men's tees.

Results of the PSAC Golf Championships can be obtained by accessing the league’s web site at www.psacsports.org.