The Penn State Altoona men's golf team will be looking for their fourth consecutive Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship this fall. Successfully defending the championship will lead the Lions back to the NCAA Tournament in May 2025 in Rochester, N.Y.

The Lions will feature a core group of players with one junior and 11 sophomores, including two who transferred from regional programs. Four freshmen will also look to help the Lions in their quest for four consecutive titles.

Junior Peter Nusbaum (Pittsboro, NC/Thales Academy) is the returning AMCC Golfer of the Year and led the Lions in scoring average in 2023-24.

"Peter is the new face of leadership for this team. He leads on and off the course with the example he sets with his play and his team-first mentality," said 19^th-year head coach Tom Koehle. "His experience and talent are the foundation of our success. He is like an extra coach in many situations at practice and in preparation for events. We expect another standout year from Peter."

Sophomores Andrew Bruce (Moon Township, PA/Moon) and Jack Ankeny (Davidsville, PA/Conemaugh Township) were All-AMCC performers in 2023. Koehle will lean on that duo as well this season.

"Andrew and Jack experienced highs and lows of college golf in 23-24. They played some outstanding rounds of golf last season and gained valuable experience playing in the NCAA Tournament," Koehle said.

The Lions welcome four first-year golfers who Koehle hopes will contribute and push the established players to be better. He noted, "We continue to experience success on the recruiting trail. All four of our newcomers, as well as our two experienced transfers, have had post-season PIAA success during their high school years. I fully expect them to push themselves and our returning players to get better and stay sharp throughout a long season."

Once again, Koehle has organized a strong fall competitive schedule balanced with an outstanding quality of courses to enhance the experience for Lion golfers. As they look to prepare for a four-peat performance at the AMCC Championship, the Lions will take on conference rivals and other strong regional opponents.

The Lions will open up their season at home with the annual Mountain Valley Collegiate Classic. Day one is Friday, September 6 at Sinking Valley Country Club, the Lions' home course. Summit Country Club in Cresson will host day two on Saturday, September 7.

The Gauntlet will be next on the Lions' schedule and has moved to Bucknell Golf Club.

"The Gauntlet always provides a litmus test of where we stack up early in the season," Koehle said. "This is a very competitive tournament year in and year out and we have been fortunate enough to be competitive over the past few years."

The fourth annual Hite Cup Match Play, which pits the Lions against PAC rival Westminster College, will be played at the highly ranked Omni Bedford Springs Resort on Tuesday, September 17. This honors Lee Hite's beneficence to both Westminster and Penn State Altoona.

Koehle added, "This is a celebration of Mr. Hite's passion for golf and his affinity for both institutions. We have a friendly rivalry with Westminster, as both programs are consistently in contention for their conference championships."

The Lions will once again host the Region V Showcase at Manakiki Golf Club in Willoughby, Ohio with teams from across the Region V NCAA footprint. This is slated for September 21-22.

Wrapping up September, the Lions co-host the Northeast Elite along with fellow NCAA qualifier, Penn College of Technology. The second installment of this event will take place September 28-29 at Williamsport Country Club.

"WCC is a beautiful classic golf course that will host nine programs that competed at NCAAs last spring, along with other teams that were highly ranked in Scoreboard," Koehle said.

The Lions will seek to defend their AMCC Championship at Butler Country Club on October 14-15. The Lions will co-host with Mount Aloysius for the fourth consecutive year, and Koehle sees a return to Butler as another quality venue for the conference.

"Butler Country Club is one of the premier clubs in Western Pennsylvania, annually hosting PGA section and WPGA events. We have been welcomed back, after last visiting in 2021, and it is a quality championship test," he asserted.

The AMCC champion receives the conference's automatic qualifier into the NCAA Championship, to be contested at Midvale Country Club and Cobblestone Creek Golf Club from May 20-23, 2025 in Rochester, N.Y. Should the Lions repeat as champions, it would be their ninth AMCC crown and eighth NCAA Tournament appearance.

Koehle's squad wraps up the fall slate with a trip to Williamsburg, Va. and the Melee, hosted by Premier Collegiate Tournaments. 

"As long as we stay focused on a team-first mentality and put the necessary work in, the sky is the limit with this year's team. The talent is there, the experience is there, we need to play solid and smart golf at the right times," Koehle concluded.