Monday, April 29, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Simon Fraser women's golf team got postseason play started off on the right foot last week, emerging as the winner of the GNAC Championships in thrilling fashion.

The Clan took home the team title, finishing with a two-day total of 45-over par. That mark was three strokes clear of second-place Concordia, edging out the defending champions for SFU's third title in the last four years.

The victory also earned Simon Fraser the selection as GNAC Team of the Week. The win marked the team's third top-two performance of the year after placing second in the Saint Martin's Invitational and CSUSM Fall Classic in October. 

Head coach Matthew Steinbach's team was paced in Coeur d'Alene by senior Belinda Lin, who carded a two-round total of 148 (6-over par). Lin finished in second amongst competing individuals at the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course.

Her final round score of 69 was the lowest in the field on a windy Tuesday morning, helping lead Simon Fraser back from its third-place position to start the day.

"I am extremely proud of this group and they deserve all the recognition they're receiving," said Steinbach. "In a challenging season, they have come together as a team and it showed in the final round at the GNAC Championships. The final round charge, coming from eight shots back, was amazing to see."

Lin's 2-under par round was just one of many impressive performances that would ultimately tie the GNAC spring single-round record with a team score of 294 on the final day. Junior Jaya Rampuri carded a 73 to lift her into third-place individually, while senior Kylie Jack followed right behind with a second round 74.

"Shooting a program-record team score of 294 in very difficult conditions was most impressive," Steinbach said. "This is a testament to all the hard work and sacrifice from our players and coaches. Now we're excited to keep the ball rolling out at regionals."

Simon Fraser earned the GNAC's automatic bid into those regionals thanks to its most recent league title. The automatic berth is the first in conference history.

Rampuri leads the team into the regional, ranking fourth in the conference in scoring with an average of 77.5 through 19 rounds of play.

The team's postseason run will continue on May 6, when it returns to action at the NCAA Division II West Super Regional. The tournament will be contested May 6-8 in Amarillo, Texas.