General | 5/4/2026 11:59:00 AM
THE EVENT FACTS
The Event: NCAA DII Atlantic/East Regional
When: Thursday, May 7th - Saturday, May 9th
Where: Sunnehanna Country Club - Johnstown, PA
THE LINEUP
1: Rasmus Seppanen (Bastad, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium)
2: Mattia Parrini (Verolengo, Italy/Verolengo)
3: Giovanni Delorenzi (Reggio Emilia, Italy/International School of Modena)
4: Jacob Wolak (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock Area)
5: Mario Estevez (Gijón, Spain/Colegio Montedeva de Gijón)
Sub: Kyle Westfall (Erie, Pa./Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy (Erie))
ERIE, Pa. — It's been a minute since the finish to last years regional, and the Golden Knights now find themselves right back in the thick of the postseason this week. Gannon will make the short drive to Johnstown, PA to compete in the NCAA DII Atlantic/East Regional this upcoming Thursday through Saturday.
If GU finishes in the top three, they'll advance to the NCAA Championships for the fifth time in six seasons. The Golden Knights tied for first in last years regional, held in Erie, PA, to advance to the national tournament.
The finish to the 2025 regional came down to literally the last second of daylight, or lack thereof. With light fading at Whispering Woods Golf Club Gannon and Davis & Elkins finished 54 holes tied for first place at 24-over par 888. The round was delayed by an hour-and-a-half due to frost for the second straight day.
A playoff was discussed but after some confusion and a call to the NCAA Davis & Elkins was declared the champion and Gannon the second-place finisher. The deciding factor was the aggregate total of the fifth non-playing golfer, with Davis & Elkins holding the advantage.
This year, Gannon comes into the regional tournament looking to continue the momentum of a strong second half of the season. GU placed third at PSAC Championships in the fall, but since then have placed in the top 10 of every spring tournament, including a first place finish at the Vulcan Fire Classic, second place result at the Pawley's Island Beach Bash, and third at the Findianapolis Intercollegiate in a stacked field.
The other good news? The lineup from last year's regional is nearly identical to the expected one this year. Specifically, Rasmus Seppanen (Bastad, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium) (2nd, -2 in 2025), Giovanni Delorenzi (Reggio Emilia, Italy/International School of Modena) (T5, +5), and Mattia Parrini (Verolengo, Italy/Verolengo) (T11, +8) helped to anchor the Golden Knights lineup a season ago and will return with experience this season.
The Sunnehanna Country Club will provide a stern test for Gannon and the rest of the field this week. Playing around 7,000 yards on most days, its slope of 73.9 means a score at or near even par may be in the running to win the tournament. Last year at Whispering Woods, only two golfers finished under par. This will not be the first time Gannon has played the course this year. The Golden Knights played in the Sunnehanna Collegiate back at the end of September and won the event in a field of 17 teams. GU was 14 over par for the tourney and won by five strokes over UPJ.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Giovanni Delorenzi (Reggio Emilia, Italy/International School of Modena) - No one in the Gannon lineup has more experience at this tournament that Delorenzi, who is making his fourth start with a Gannon bag tag at the regional. Last year, he finished tied for fifth at five-over par, including back to back rounds of 73 to conclude the event. He also has finishes of 14th (2023-24) and a career high finish of second (2022-23) at the regional in his freshman season. This year, Delorenzi has been just as consistent, including a win at the Bud Elwell Invitational, and two second place results. He leads the team with a 72.9 stroke average heading into the three day event.
Rasmus Seppanen (Bastad, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium) - His most famous putt may have come at the regional last year, when Seppanen sank a undulating birdie putt at the 18th to, at the time, loft Gannon into a first place tie for the team lead. Seppanen would finish second at two-under a season ago and will look to continue the momentum this year. He, arguably, has been Gannon's most reliable performer this spring, finishing T-4 and T-12 at the last two tournaments of the regular season. Seppanen has a win this season, tied for first at the Midwest/Central Region Preview back in September, and has six top ten finishes under his belt, the most on the team this season.
Mattia Parrini (Verolengo, Italy/Verolengo) - Parrini will be chomping at the bit to start the regional this year. The junior was in striking distance of winning the regional a year ago, going into the final round at just one over, but a final round of 79 ended his chances of victory as he ended tied for 11th. This will be his third start at the regional; he finishes 21st in his freshman campaign. Parrini has a win during the spring portion of the season, winning the Vulcan Fire Classic at four-under par, and has four top five finishes this year. He'll look to card his first top ten regional finish with a Gannon bag.
Jacob Wolak (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock Area) - If there is one golfer that could be the spark plug for the Golden Knights, it's Wolak, who not only had a season best but career best round of 65 when Gannon competed on the same golf course at the Sunnehanna Collegiate in the fall. In fact, Wolak was three-under par entering the final round of that tournament and stayed in the top 25 to end the tourney. He played the final round of the regional a season ago, shooting an 83. This year, Wolak has a top five finish and a 75.8 stroke average, which is currently a career best.
From Head Coach Scott Stano
"Sunnehanna Country Club is an elite golf course and are very excited to take on the challenge. We were able to win there in the fall season and we will be able to rely on those positive experiences from that tournament for the Regional Championship. The team has been working so hard all season for this tournament. We are excited for the opportunity to play and the challenge to move on to Nationals."
