Wednesday, April 24, 2013

PORTLAND, Ore. - Jake Webb and Claire Rachor, both  from  Western Washington, have been voted the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Golfers of the Year by the conference’s coaches.

Webb won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s medallist title Monday and Tuesday in a playoff with teammate Dylan Goodwin after both players shot 54-hole totals of even par 213.  He also currently leads all GNAC male golfers with a 73.3 scoring average.

Rachor, who leads the conference women with a 80.1 scoring average, was selected the GNAC Women’s Golfer of the Year for the second year in a row.  She finished second in the GNAC Championships Presented by the Coeur d’Alene Resort with a 36-hole score of 153.  WWU’s Kara Zitzman won medallist honors with a 151 total.

Also earning special awards  were Connor Miele of Saint Martin’s, Jessica Knight of Northwest Nazarene, Bret Thompson of Simon Fraser and Kristen Hanson of Western Washington.

Miele and Knight were selected the GNAC Male and Female Newcomers of the Year, while Thompson and Hanson were voted the GNAC Male and Female Freshman of the Year.

Western Washington’s Steve Card and Shawn O’Brien of Montana State Billings were voted the GNAC Male Team and Female Team Coaches of the Year.

Card led the Viking men to their sixth straight conference title also earning his sixth Coach of the Year award.  The Yellowjackets finished third in the conference meet, finishing just two shots back of second-place Saint Martin’s as Western Washington claimed its third consecutive conference title.

The Vikings dominated both the men’s and women’s all-conference teams placing four players on each squad.

Joining Webb on the men’s first team were teammates Goodwin, Mark Strickland and Evan Needham.  Gage Huft of Montana State Billings completed the first team.

Named to the women’s first team were Rachor, Zitzman, Hanson, WWU’s Anna Bourland and Mandy Wittmier of Saint Martin’s.