The Allegheny men’s golf team is nearing the end of its season after tying for ninth at the 2023 Hershey Cup. The Gators scored a total of 636 during rounds on April 2 and 3.
Two standout players from the weekend were Carter Hassenplug, ’25, and Bergas Anargya, ’25. The two tied for 23rd as individuals. Hassenplug shot rounds of 80 and 76 while Bergas shot rounds of 79 and 77, both finishing with a score of 156.

Hassenplug has been a standout player for the team, starting in the lineup every competition so far this spring season. As a team captain, he has high hopes for not only himself but the team as well.

“I want to win,” Hassenplug said. “I’ve come close many times so I know it’s bound to happen soon. Our goal is to try and win every tournament we’re in, and the overall goal is to win the PAC championship, but we just need to try and stay positive.”

Hassenplug has swung well all season, and even earned a runner-up finish at The Ruckus on March 18 and 19, and in the fall season last year he earned co-medalist honors at the PAC fall championship.

“We need to try and be more cohesive,” Hassenplug said. “ We’ll have tournaments where two of us are on and doing well while other guys might be doing a little less. Our struggle right now is all of us playing good at the same time.”

Hassenplug is already making headway as a sophomore, and he plans to do more in his time playing at Allegheny.

“I talk to my dad a lot and he and I always discuss how I can leave an impact on the school,” Hassenplug said. “I want to leave my legacy behind so that new players who come into the program can be inspired by me and the things that I do.”

The golf teams compete in both the fall and spring, and their offseason is one where they have to keep in tune with as much as they can in terms of their swings and putting. That can be hard when living in Meadville, however.

“We can’t go to the driving range to swing and the range we go to is closed too,” Hassenplug said. “We try to do everything we can to make sure our forms stay consistent. When we’re in-season, I lift three times a week and work with our strength and conditioning coach Corey Mason.”

Another player for the men that has been consistently playing is Zachary Melzar, ’25. At the Hershey Cup he shot rounds of 84 and 81 to get a score of 165 where he tied for 56th. At The Ruckus he also tied at 41st with a score of 165 to help bring the Gators to a second place finish.

“Going into this tournament was going to be tough, but we just had to keep our heads down,” Melzar explained. “We needed to dial in and work on consistency. In golf, nothing ever goes your way, so we have to prepare how to handle anything physically and mentally.”

Melzar and his teammates are a younger group of golfers — most of them are sophomores.

“There is a little bit of pressure being young and playing, but I think it creates a good amount of stress,” he said. “I know we just have to not try and force things to happen and just play how we know how to.”

This is Jeff Groff’s 21st season as the team’s head coach, and he has taken the Gators to the Hershey Cup every year it has been held.

“It’s a challenging course and there are several ranked teams that we’re playing against, but we’re coming off of our spring trip prepared for the rest of the season,” Groff said.

Melzar and Hassenplug are two of four sophomores that have been competing in every tournament so far.

“They are the anchor of the team, and they’ve done well both in the fall and this spring, so they get to stay out there and keep competing,” Groff said.

“For this cup, we needed to aim for low-to-mid 70s which is easier said than done,” Groff said. “Even though everyone is playing individually, this is very much a team sport. Each guy is playing to get the best score for himself, but he is also playing to get the best score for the team.”

Before the Hershey Cup, the men were ranked second in PAC. Now, they are ranked fourth.

This is the men’s last competition before the PAC Championships on April 21 and 22 at Mill Creek Golf Course in Boardman, Ohio where they will play 36 holes.