Penn State secured the team title at the 49th-annual Rutherford Intercollegiate, according to an April 19 announcement. The Nittany Lions finished with a score of nine-under-par, regaining their home invitational championship at the Penn State Blue Course.
The win marks Penn State’s tenth team victory in this event since 2015 and their thirty-second overall. Their final score of 843 ties their own record for lowest winning score under current conditions on the par-71, 7,130-yard course.
Head coach Mark Leon said, “We’ve been talking all year about how we were so close to breaking through, but it was going to take a full team effort if we wanted to get the job done — This week we got it.” He also said, “The team approached qualifying with competitiveness and intensity over the past two weeks, and it showed up big time this weekend. I’m so proud of this team and what they accomplished this year at the Rutherford.”
Senior Andrew Barraza led Penn State individually by finishing five-under-par for his first collegiate title. His performance is tied for tenth lowest winning score in tournament history under current setup. Leon commented on Barraza’s achievement: “Andres Barraza getting the individual win was such a fitting end to the week. He has come so far this year with his ability to tackle adversity and compete. He’s had a couple of great 36 hole starts this spring but struggled to close. Today he played the best round of golf of the entire year to seal the deal. I’m so happy for him!”
Other notable finishes included junior Tim Peters tying for sixth place at one-under-par and freshman Jackson Saroney tying for tenth after posting his best career finish.
The Nittany Lions will have a break before competing in the B1G Championships from May 1-3 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club.
