Men's Golf | 9/8/2026 10:45:00 AM
ERIE, Pa. – After another championship-level season that included an NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Regional title and a fifth trip to the NCAA Division II National Championships in the last six years, the Gannon men's golf team enters 2026-27 with a strong veteran core and another opportunity to compete among the best teams in the region.
Director of Golf Scott Stano enters his third season overseeing the men's program after being named the 2026 Golf Pride Grips NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Coach of the Year and earning PSAC Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season.
Gannon won five tournaments during the 2025-26 season, captured the Atlantic/East Regional championship and finished 18th at the NCAA Division II National Championships. The Golden Knights recorded top-five finishes in 10 of 13 tournaments.
Seppanen Returns After All-America Season
Redshirt senior Rasmus Seppanen (Bastad, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium) headlines the Golden Knights after one of the best seasons of his career.
Seppanen earned Honorable Mention NCAA Division II PING All-America honors for the second straight year after also being named the PSAC Men's Golf Athlete of the Year and earning First Team All-PSAC recognition. He finished the season with a team-best 72.7 scoring average over 34 rounds and recorded five top-five finishes and seven top-10 showings.
Seppanen saved some of his best golf for the postseason, finishing runner-up at the NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Regional after shooting a 1-under-par 209 over three rounds. His performance helped Gannon capture the regional championship and advance to nationals.
The Sweden native enters 2026-27 as a two-time PING All-American and two-time PING All-Atlantic Region selection.
Parrini Gives Gannon Another Proven Leader
Senior Mattia Parrini (Verolengo, Italy/Verolengo) returns alongside Seppanen to give Gannon another golfer with extensive postseason and championship experience.
Parrini earned First Team All-PSAC and PING All-Atlantic Region honors during the 2025-26 season. He was also an Honorable Mention PING All-American following the 2024-25 campaign, when he led Gannon with a 72.2 scoring average, won three tournaments and claimed the PSAC individual championship with an 8-under-par 208.
That gives Gannon two golfers on its current roster who have already earned PING All-America recognition during their careers.
Veteran Core Provides Experience
The Golden Knights enter the season with four seniors among their 11-player roster.
Seppanen and Parrini are joined by Kyle Westfall (Erie, Pa./Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy (Erie)) and Jacob Wolak (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock Area), both of whom bring significant collegiate experience into their senior seasons.
Westfall and Wolak were both part of Gannon's season-opening lineup a year ago, providing additional continuity around Seppanen and Parrini.
Junior Vincent Lenze (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys Area), sophomore Dan Moses (Garibaldi Highlands, British Columbia/Howe Sound Secondary School) and redshirt sophomore Mario Estevez (Gijón, Spain/Colegio Montedeva de Gijón) give the Golden Knights three more returning players who will compete for spots throughout the lineup.
With several experienced players returning, Gannon will have options as it looks to replace the production of Giovanni Delorenzi (Reggio Emilia, Italy/International School of Modena), who earned First Team All-PSAC and All-Atlantic Region honors last season but is no longer on the roster.
Four Freshmen Join the Program
Gannon will also add four freshmen to the roster in 2026-27.
Local product Anthony LaBoda (Erie, Pa./Fairview) joins the Golden Knights from Fairview, while Gavin Letourneau (Jericho, Vt./Mount Mansfield Union) comes to Erie from Jericho, Vermont. Carson Moniz (Laramie, WY/Laramie) is a native of Laramie, Wyoming, and Sebastián Rubio joins the program from Bogotá, Colombia.
The group gives Stano another young class to develop while competing behind an experienced collection of upperclassmen.
Stano Continues Successful Start
Stano's first two seasons leading the men's program have produced immediate results.
Gannon won its first PSAC championship during the 2024-25 season and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championships. The Golden Knights followed that by capturing the Atlantic/East Regional championship in 2025-26 and returning to nationals for the fifth time in six seasons.
Stano was named PSAC Coach of the Year in each of his first two seasons overseeing the program before adding Atlantic Region Coach of the Year honors last spring.
Championship Standard Remains
The standard remains high for a Gannon program that has established itself as one of the top teams in the Atlantic Region.
The Golden Knights return two former All-Americans in Seppanen and Parrini, four seniors overall and several younger golfers who have already spent time in the program.
After winning the regional championship and reaching the NCAA National Championships last season, Gannon will look to remain in contention for PSAC and regional titles while continuing its recent run of postseason success.
Season-Opening Tournament: Wed., Sept. 9 to Thurs., Sept. 10 at UC Golden Eagle Fall Invitational
Golf Course: Berry Hills Country Club
Format: 54-hole stroke play event: 36 holes Wednesday and 18 holes Thursday
Lineup: Play 5, score 4
Gannon Lineup: Rasmus Seppanen (Bastad, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium), Mattia Parrini (Verolengo, Italy/Verolengo), Jacob Wolak (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock Area), Kyle Westfall (Erie, Pa./Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy (Erie)), Vincent Lenze (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys Area)
Gannon Individuals: Anthony Laboda, Carson Moniz (Laramie, WY/Laramie), Mario Estevez (Gijón, Spain/Colegio Montedeva de Gijón)
Time: 8:30 a.m. shotgun on Wednesday; 10 a.m. shotgun on Thursday
Expected Teams (18): Charleston (W.Va.), Gannon, West Chester, Wheeling, Fairmont State, West Virginia State, Point Park, Glenville State, Winston-Salem State, IUP, Davis & Elkins, Virginia Union, Bluefield State, West Virginia Wesleyan, Fayetteville State, Concord, Wilmington (Del.) and Hocking.
Gannon will send a veteran five-man lineup of Rasmus Seppanen (Bastad, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium), Mattia Parrini (Verolengo, Italy/Verolengo), Jacob Wolak (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock Area), Kyle Westfall (Erie, Pa./Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy (Erie)) and Vincent Lenze (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys Area) to the season opener, while Anthony Laboda, Carson Moniz (Laramie, WY/Laramie) and Mario Estevez (Gijón, Spain/Colegio Montedeva de Gijón) are set to compete as individuals.
