Friday, May 31, 2013
PORTLAND, Ore. – Steve Card, who led Western Washington to a third place finish in last week’s NCAA Division II national men’s golf tournament at Hershey, Pa., has been selected the GNAC Coach of the Month for May.
The Vikings tied for seventh in the medal portion of the tournament to qualify for the match portion where they defeated Florida Southern in the quarterfinals. WWU then lost to Lynn, Fla. 4-1 in the semifinals.
That performance also earned the Vikings the final GNAC Team of the Week award for the 2012-13 year.
May was quite a month for Card and the Vikings.
WWU started the month finishing second in the NCAA Division II South Central/West Super Regional May 6-8 at The Home Course in Dupont.
Viking sophomore Kyle Schrader won medalist honors in that tournament shooting a 10-under par 206 total, including a final round 66 matching the best round of the tournament.
Jake Webb then keyed WWU’s performance at nationals tying for first place in the medal portion of the tournament before losing in a playoff. Webb, who finished the season with a GNAC-best 73.1 stroke average, had a final round 65 to finish with a 211 total.
Webb’s 65 was three strokes better than any other round in the tournament, and was just one stroke off the course record of 64 held by PGA pro Nick Watney,
“Jake had a fabulous round, one of the best if not the best of my 20 years as coach,” Card said.
“He played solid from tee to green and his short game was incredible,” Card said. “To nearly match the course record of an elite pro like Nick Watney was a fantastic accomplishment.”
WWU was making its 12th national appearance in Card’s 20-year coaching career and its third-place finish was its best-ever.
“It was a pretty special month,” Card said. “I was especially proud of the way we came back to qualify for the match play at nationals (after going into the final round in 12th place). It was a great way to perhaps wrap up my 20-year coaching career (at WWU).”
Card will take off the 2014-15 golf season as he concentrates on his duties as the interim athletic director at Western Washington. Card was named to the interim position in early May following the resignation of long-time AD Lynda Goodrich.
Replacing Card as the WWU men’s golf coach on an interim basis will be former Viking player and current women’s assistant coach Luke Bennett.
Three WWU Players Earn GCAA All-Region Honors
Three members of the Western Washington University men’s golf team - Kyle Schrader (So., Olympia/Tumwater), Mark Strickland (So., Mukilteo/Kamiak) and Jake Webb (Sr., Issaquah/Skyline). - have been named to the Golf Coaches Athletic Association of America Division II PING West Region all-star team.
Webb tied for first place in the medal portion of the NCAA II National Championships, losing in a two-hole playoff to tie for second. He finished the season with a team and Great Northwest Athletic Conference best 73.3 stroke average.
Webb fired a 6-under par 65 in the final round at nationals, three strokes better than any other round in the tournament, and just one stroke off the course record of 64 held by PGA pro Nick Watney.
Earlier, Webb was the GNAC medalist and took conference Player of the Year honors.
Schrader won medalist honors at the South Central/West Regional, shooting a 10-under 206, including a final round 66 to match the best round of the tournament.
Schrader finished with a 76.0 scoring average and Strickland, who averaged 74.1 strokes, won one regular-season tournament and placed second in two others.