BOARDMAN, Ohio - Sitting in third place and trailing by 13 shots entering Saturday's final round, Washington & Jefferson College stormed back by shooting 292 over the final 18 holes to claim the 2023 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship Saturday.

The final two rounds were played at Mill Creek Golf Course in Boardman, Ohio, with teams playing the Donald Ross-designed South Course, a 6526-yard, par-70 layout.

The team title is the 21st in W&J program history and the first since 2019-20. W&J will be making its ninth appearance at the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships, which are scheduled for May 16-19 at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

W&J had entered the final round 13 shots back of Allegheny College and in third place in the team standings. The Presidents carded a team score of 292 in the final round to capture the team title by the slimmest of margins. W&J totaled a score of 596 during the 36-hole spring competition, which outpaced both Allegheny (604) and Westminster (610) en route to the comeback.

The numbers during the spring rounds gave the Presidents a final team score of 1211, one shot ahead of Allegheny (1212) and two in front of Westminster (1213), who had a five-stroke advantge following the two Fall rounds of the Championships, which were played at the Avalon Lakes Golf Course in Warren, Ohio, in October.

Grove City College finished in fourth place for the Championships with a score of 1296, followed by Saint Vincent College (1302), Geneva College (1305), Waynesburg University (1359) and Thiel College (1394). Bethany College did not field a full team in the fall, but shot 853 over the two rounds in the spring. 

Allegheny College sophomore Carter Hassenplug (North East, Pa./North East) earned PAC MVP accolades after earning individual medalist honors across the 72-hole conference championship tournament. Hassenplug fired a 4-over 144 (74-70) at the PAC Spring Championships. Combined with his 3-over 147 (73-74) from the fall portion of the PAC tournament in mid-October, the second-year linksman finished the conference championship with a cumulative 291.

W&J freshman Andrew Platt (Somerset, Pa./Somerset) was named the PAC Newcomer of the Year. He was the top freshman on the leaderboard, as he also earned Second Team All-PAC distinction by tying for eighth overall with a 309 (82/77/73/77). Platt made par on the par four 18th hole to secure the championship for the Presidents. 

For his efforts in guiding the Presidents, eighth-year head coach Matt Kluck was recognized as PAC Men's Golf Coach of the Year for a fifth time. 

The All-PAC teams, along with the PAC Player of the Year and PAC Newcomer of the Year, are determined by the combined 72-hole scores from the fall and spring championships. A player must compete in all four rounds in the fall and spring to be eligible for All-PAC honors.