Waynesburg University’s men’s golf team competed in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championships on Monday and Tuesday in Warren, Ohio, finishing sixth out of seven teams.

In what the team was hoping to be a solid final round for the team’s season, the men sit at the exact same place they started at due to the team’s fluctuating scores.

Sophomore William Purbaugh felt the team performed adequately and as a cohesive unit, despite the overall result.

“I feel that we, as a team, played well,” said Purbaugh. “I felt that we could have had a better first round, but even then, we scored decently well. We did, however, definitely step our game up the second round and I feel we have a lot to be proud of.”

From an outside perspective, Purbaugh said there wasn’t much expectation for the team to win the PAC Championship, but instead further improve as a team.

“This is a growing season for us,” said Purbaugh. “We won’t be competing for the championship, but the way we performed these last few rounds makes us feel confident we can improve in the future.”

Freshman Luke Diel led the charge for the Jackets, shooting an 85 to start and a 78 in round two, resulting in a 19 over par for the tournament. He placed a team-high 17th overall.

Sophomore CJ Sekanick followed with a plus 21 score of 93 in the first round but came back with a respectable 83 the second round, capping off his tournament with a total score of 32 over.

Sekanick felt proud of the way he played because he stayed calm but said there was still more he could have done to improve.

“The past two rounds I felt I for sure played well but I still feel I can do better in the future,” said Sekanick. “I scored in the 90’s the first round of the championship, but I feel I deserved to be in the 80’s. The second round showed me the work I put in this season and I’m happy with where I’m heading.”

Quickly following them was sophomore Dylan Nowakowski, shooting a 90 on Monday with and an 87 the next day, finishing with an overall score of 33 over.

Purbaugh started out well with 14 over equivalating to an 86, but couldn’t continue his form on Tuesday with a plus 20 and a score of 92, finishing with a total score of 34 over.

Junior Alex Orlandini also made the trip, shooting 95 and 85 in his two rounds leading to a 35 over.

Sekanick was pleased with how he performed, especially considering his poor season by his standards.

“It was not the best season for me for sure,” said Sekanick. “I was not in the right mentality to start and I didn’t play well as we went on. But I feel I gradually got a hold of myself, regained a strong mentality and control over my swing. I’m glad about how I ended, I felt in control and I feel ready to start the upcoming spring season.”

The team finished above Bethany in the tournament, but the result will not have any effect on the standings in their conference.

While there was 36 holes of golf played, there will be an additional 18 played in the spring to conclude the PAC tournament.