HERSHEY, Pa. - For a record 31st time, the IUP men's golf program has won a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship as the Crimson Hawks captured the 2021 trophy Sunday at the Hershey Country Club. 

IUP held off a hard-charging Gannon squad on Sunday, edging the Golden Knights by six strokes, 875-to-881. The Hawks shot a 15-over 299 in the third round to GU's 8-over 292. Mercyhurst finished in a distance third with an 890 while Pitt-Johnstown was fourth at 891 and West Chester finished fifth with an 899. Other teams finishing were Cal U (912) in sixth, Shepherd (913) in seventh, Millersville (933) in eighth, Clarion (938) in ninth, and Bloomsburg (990) in 10th. 

The Crimson Hawks sat in third place after the first round with a 292 and moved into the lead after a standout second round performance, shooting a tournament-best 284 on Saturday. 

The 31 league titles are by far the most of any PSAC school. Slippery Rock, which doesn't have a men's golf team anymore, has 14, Clarion eight, West Chester five, Millersville four, with four other schools winning one each. 
 
This was IUP's fifth title in the last six years, also winning in 2016, 2017, 2019, and during the truncated 2020-21 season. The Crimson Hawks have been dominant this century with 14 championships since 2000.
 
It was the third title in as many PSAC tournament for head coach Dan Braun, who took over in the spring of 2019. 

IUP had its top three scorers finish among the top-8 players on the leaderboard, highlighted by freshman Isaiah Swan who won the individual conference title. Swan finished the 54-hole tournament with an even-par 213, shooting 71-69-73 on the par 71 East Course at Hershey.

Swan is IUP's 17th PSAC individual champion since 1993 and the 10th since 2007. 

Senior Jack Buccigross was six strokes back of his teammate with a 6-over 219, finishing in fourth place. Junior Shaun Fedor, who won the PSAC title as a freshman in 2019, tied for seventh overall with an 8-over 221. 

Senior Nicholas Ward tied for 18th overall with a 14-over 227 and junior Richie Kline tied for 31st with a 19-over 232. 
 
The conference championship clinches a berth in the 2022 NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Region Championships for the Crimson Hawks. The appearance will be the 25th in program history, a region record.
 
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