Men's Golf | 4/26/2026 12:55:00 AM

Allegheny championship team picture courtesy of Robert Hayes

BOARDMAN, Ohio (pacathletics.org) - Entering the final round with just a one-shot lead, Allegheny College fired a Tournament-low 294 Saturday to secure its third straight Presidents' Athletic Conference Men's Golf Championship.

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.

By capturing the crown, the Gators earned the PAC's automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division III Championships. Team selections for the Division III Men's Championships will be announced Monday, May 4 and their Championships are scheduled for May 12-15 at Mission Resort and Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

The Gators brought a nine-stroke advantage over from the fall, but Washington & Jefferson College chipped into that in Friday's third round. Highlighted by a 73 from sophomore William Ainswroth as one of three scores of 75 or better, the Presidents shaved eight shots off their deficit and were within one heading into Saturday.

Allegheny would not only hang on, but pull away over the final 18 holes. Freshman Christopher Hoffman, who nearly had a remarkable comeback on the individual side, totaled 72 in the last round, as did junior Conner Bell, which helped the Gators fire a Tournament-low round of 294. Their final score of 1203 put them 22 shots in front of W&J, as the Gators collected their third PAC title in a row and 16th overall.

Pacing Grove City College to a third place finish (1241) was sophomore Luke Gronbeck, who earned PAC Player of the Year. The second-year Wolverine went 67-72-69 through the initial 54 holes to have a 12-stroke lead after three rounds. But as Allegheny's Hoffman heated up, particularly on the back nine Saturday where he shot 33, Gronbeck's lead was shrinking. On his final hole, Gronbeck needed a 12-foot putt to save par and avoid a playoff with Hoffman, who had moved within a stroke. Gronbeck though would sink the putt to win the PAC individual title with a four-round score of 292. He became the first Grove City player to win the individual championship since Cole McCook won it in 2019. 

Coming in fourth in the team standings was Saint Vincent College (1248), while taking fifth was Thiel College (1266). Following the Tomcats in sixth was Westminster College (1267), seventh place went to Waynesburg University (1285), Bethany College placed eighth (1291), Hiram College was ninth (1321) and Geneva College took 10th (1325).

Although Hoffman didn't win Player of the Year, his overall score of 293 did place him second to gather First Team All-PAC honors. He was also the highest first-year player to finish, which earned Hoffman PAC Newcomer of the Year. He is the first Gator to win the top newcomer honor from the conference.

Four others rounded out First Team All-PAC, including Westminster junior Tyler Hager, who posted a final total of 296 for the Championships. Joining Hoffman on First Team from the champion Gators was senior Dylan Kochis at 298 and a pair of W&J players in Ainsworth and sophomore Matthew Morelli tied for fifth at 300 to round out First Team All-PAC.

The coaches of the conference voted Allegheny's Jeff Groff as the PAC Coach of the Year, his third consecutive honor. 

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.

The PAC also released its 2025-26 Men's Golf Sportsmanship Team (linked above). The PAC Sportsmanship Teams were established to recognize student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior and are an ongoing effort to recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among all PAC teams and student-athletes.

PAC Award Winners
PAC Player of the Year: Grove City sophomore Luke Gronbeck
PAC Newcomer of the Year: Allegheny freshman Christopher Hoffman
PAC Coach of the Year: Allegheny Head Coach Jeff Groff
 

First Team All-PAC
Name	School	Score	Year	Hometown/High School
Luke Gronbeck	Grove City	288 (+8)	So.	Gibsonia, Pa./Eden Christian
Christopher Hoffman	Allegheny	293 (+9)	Fr.	Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny
Tyler Hager	Westminster	296 (+12)	Jr.	Lehighton, Pa./Palmerton
Dylan Kochis	Allegheny	298 (+14)	Sr.	St. Augustine, Fla./B. Reed Henderson (Pa.)
Matthew Morelli	W&J	300 (+16)	So.	New Castle, Pa./Neshannock
William Ainsworth	W&J	300 (+16)	So.	Woldingham, Surrey/Reigate Grammar School