Generally agree here, but a college or physics department with upper level astronomy or astrophysics electives that a physics major can take in addition to the usual physics major courses may have some advantage in allowing the student to confirm interest in that subarea.
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A physics major with an interest in pursuing astronomy/astrophysics should, especially, consider electives at the intersection of two or more of the fields of physics, math and astronomy, such as in cosmological physics, mathematical physics and general relativity.
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The issue is not LACs, in fact surprised that a few that have excellent physics/astronomy programs, Pomona, HMU, etc were not mentioned. BTW, most if not all require expensive equipment, especially if you include the observatories that these colleges tout. Pomona has e.g. a planetarium, in addition to telescopes, optics labs, again this is not a high school physics lab. Not a surprise that colleges (RU, LACs) that have good programs also are wealthy.
The issue is more of a random list that you think is good because it had what you wanted to see.
Again, this is cherry picking, if you looked at the other colleges who also had winners, you’d get this:
Chicago, Northwestern, Villanova, Williams(!), U of Iowa, U of Alabama, Yale (!), Hunter College, Pomona, Smith(!), Berkeley, Truman State, Florida Atlantic, U of Florida, Minnesota State (Mankato).
Apker has two awards one for Phd granting colleges and one for non-Phd universities, which is totally fair, but you should point that it’s LACs competing with each other and RUs competing with each other. At least this list has Pomona and HMU.
Actually, that’s not entirely correct. Not all the LACs compete with LACs; Wesleyan has been competing with RUs since the separate tracks were created. And, it’s won twice or had finalists within the last ten years.
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Before the Apker was considered by institutional type, LACs were represented in seeming disproportion to their enrollments, with graduates from Hamilton, Reed, Macalester and Amherst receiving awards during the “open” era; and Wesleyan, an LAC by most characterizations, has performed notably well in the current Ph.D.-granting institution category.
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For something more topical to the OP than Pulitzer Prizes, a Hamilton professor was honored recently by the American Physical Society for his research and the “extraordinary engagement and education of undergraduate students.”
After visiting Wes a few years ago, my D said that if you took a shot every time they mentioned Lin-Manuel Miranda, you would be bombed by the end of your visit 
(She was also miffed that the creators of How I Met Your Mother didn’t merit a mention.)
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