Choosing a college for high school students is tough, especially if there are several Division I options that are offering scholarships for student-athletes. The choice for Zach Allinson, however, was fairly easy. Lehigh stuck out for a variety of reasons.

"I was looking very strongly at Lafayette," Allinson said. "But in the end, I wanted to come to a school that had a good business program. Lehigh has that over Lafayette. And both of my parents went here so its nice to try and follow in their footsteps and play for a solid Division I school."

Success as a Mountain Hawk came quickly for the former Green Hornet. He tied for 23rd at his first collegiate event, shooting 220 (71, 75, 74) at the Bucknell Invitational. His first round 71 was a season-best.

Allinson was also Lehigh's No. 2 finisher at the Hartford Invitational, tying for 56th at 233 (77, 76, 80).

"I went into the Bucknell tournament just to have fun, with it being my first collegiate tournament," said Allinson. "I just wanted to get a feel for how it was going to be. I was able to keep my focus together and play well. The course set up nice for me because it was a short back nine with a lot of wedges. So that is going to be one of my favorite tournaments each year.

"Hartford was a tough course to play. There were tough conditions with the cold weather. I felt like I hit the ball well there. They had some really tough greens, so I just had to keep the ball in play."

Lehigh finished the 2012 spring season in second place at the Lehigh Valley Collegiate tournament at Saucon Valley Country Club, and the Mountain Hawks placed third during the two-day Patriot League Championship at Bucknell.

With a strong freshman campaign, Allinson feels his Lehigh club will be even better competitors this season.

"My freshman year was a great experience," Allinson said. "I had the best of both worlds with the academics and the sports atmosphere. It really kept my priorities straight. I expect that we will be competitive and be there looking for a Patriot League title. We have two pretty good recruits coming in, and a lot of the guys had a pretty good summer. I feel like I can take my game to the next level. Hopefully I can get a couple of top 10 finishes and see where that takes me."

Allinson credits playing at Emmaus and the beautiful course at Brookside Country Club for the success he has experienced on the collegiate level, with the competition being so high at Emmaus and in the Lehigh Valley Conference.

Lehigh opens up play at the Colgate Invitational on the weekend of September 8-9.