Friday, April 21, 2017

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – After last year’s one-hole playoff for the individual conference crown, the 2017 GNAC Women’s Golf Championships promises to deliver with a strong field of six teams returning to the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course on Monday and Tuesday.

Simon Fraser enters as the defending champion after ending Western Washington’s five-year reign. The Clan will have to defend its team title without its top two finishers from last year, including individual champion Michelle Waters. The Clan had a strong fall season with a reloaded lineup, finishing among the top three teams at three consecutive events, including winning the team title at the Saint Martin’s Invitational.

Emily Leung has been the team’s statistical leader so far this season with an average of 77.7 strokes per round, which ranks second in the conference. Leung placed 18th in the GNAC Championships in 2016, but figures to be one of the top competitors for the individual crown this year. Teammate Jaya Rampuri is also among the top competitors for the individual title, ranking fifth in the conference in strokes per round with 78.3 after finishing eighth at the Sonoma State Spring Invitational.

After having its string of five consecutive conference titles snapped, Western Washington is looking to get a new streak started. The West Region’s 13th-ranked Vikings haven’t finished behind a GNAC team at any event during the spring portion of the season. They wrapped up the last week of the regular season with a fifth-place team finish at the Mustang Intercollegiate.

Jenn Paul finished in a tie for third place at last year’s championships with a score of 11-over-par 153, which is the best score of any returning player. Paul also leads the conference in strokes per round at 77.6 after carding an even-par 144 at the Mustang Intercollegiate. Stephanie Sewell also ranks among the GNAC’s top 10 in strokes per round at 79.3, which includes a team-best three top-10 finishes.

Montana State Billings ranks second in the conference in strokes per round at 316.4 in 15 rounds this season. The Yellowjackets have tasted winning already this year, capturing their own MSUB Yellowjacket Spring Invitational by a 38-stroke margin. Bailee Dexter and Sammy Walter will be among the ‘Jackets’ top competitors for the individual title. Both average an identical 78.9 strokes per round, ranking seventh in the conference. Dexter placed sixth in last year’s GNAC Championships, and Walter has a team-best three top-five finishes this season.

Concordia finished in a tie for fourth place in its first year in the GNAC Championships in 2016, but could challenge for the team title in its second attempt. In the final week of the season, Concordia took seventh place at the Mustang Intercollegiate, which was the second-best result of the four GNAC teams at the event. Concordia also won the one-round Saint Martin’s Invitational, which featured all six GNAC squads in October.

Concordia has a GNAC-best three golfers ranked among the top 10 in the conference in strokes per round. Stan McKenzi, who won the Saint Martin’s Invitational, ranks fifth in the conference in strokes per round at 77.9, which is just three-tenths behind the GNAC leader. She is followed by Cammie Decker’s 78.4 strokes per round and team-best two top-5 finishes, while two-time GNAC Player of the Week Shantel Antonio ranks 10th in strokes per round with 79.4.

Northwest Nazarene may be an underdog for the team title, but the Crusaders have a pair of sisters that will both be in the mix for the individual title. Samantha Miller won the Northwest Nazarene Invitational with a score of 6-over-par 150 and is a two-time recipient of GNAC Player of the Week honors. She’s also proven her comfort playing in her home state for the GNAC Championships by tying for seventh place in last year’s competition with a score of 15-over-par 157. Her sister Stephanie Miller tied for 13th place last year at Coeur d’Alene and has finished in the top five at three events this year.

Saint Martin’s has showed at times this season that it can compete with the best teams in the GNAC. At the Otter Invite, the Saints placed 13th in the two-round event with a score of 88-over-par 672, which ranked third out of four GNAC teams. Western Washington led all GNAC teams in the event, but only led Saint Martin’s by five strokes after the first round. Lisa Zelasko took 19th place individually with a score of 13-over-par 157 tied with WWU’s Paul and one stroke behind Concordia’s Antonio, who earned that week’s GNAC Player of the Week honor.