Thursday, March 11, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – Western Washington wasted no time in getting to the top of the leaderboard, opening its season with a win at the Nighthawks Invitational on Monday and Tuesday at the Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore, California.

The Vikings finished tied for first place with Sonoma State with a final score of 610 over two rounds. Both teams finished with a 307 in the first round and a 303 in the second round. The Vikings won the team title with a scoreboard tiebreaker, decided by scores on the eighth hole. The Vikings had 21 total strokes on the par-4 while the Seawolves had 24.

All four scoring players for WWU placed in the top-25. Junior Aidan Thain led the way for the Vikings and the GNAC, finishing tied for third place with Nikolai Friedman of Sonoma State at 4-over-par 148, which included an even-par 72 in the first round.

Fellow Vikings’ junior Devin Andrews also broke the top-10, finishing tied for eighth at 7-over-par 151. Junior Brody Bonfilio and freshman Drew Halili rounded out the WWU scorers. Bonfilio finished tied for 21st at 155 while Halili finished a stroke behind, tied for 23rd at 156.

Representing the Nighthawks at their own tournament, NNU senior Isaac Emerson opened his season with a top-10 finish. He finished tied for eighth place with a score of 7-over-par 151. Emerson shot a 79 in the first round before improving to an even-par 72 in the second round.

LAST WEEK’S TOURNAMENTS
Bay Area Invitational (Feb. 22-23 at the TPC Stonebrae Country Club, Hayward, Calif.): Team - 4, Montana State Billings, 944. Individual - T7, Riley Lawrence, Montana State Billings, 231. T7, Garrett Woodin, Montana State Billings, 231. 16, Paul O’Neil, Montana State Billings, 240. T18, Riley Kaercher, Montana State Billings, 243. T20, Dawson Strobel, Montana State Billings, 244. T20, Caleb Trost, Montana State Billings, 244.

Nighthawks Invitational (Mar. 8-9 at the Poppy Ridge Golf Course, Livermore, Calif.): Team - T1, Western Washington, 610. 7, Saint Martin’s, 617. 8, Northwest Nazarene, 629. T9, Montana State Billings, 630. 13, Northwest Nazarene “B,” 667. Individual - T3, Aidan Thain, Western Washington, 148. T8, Devin Andrews, Western Washington, 151. T8, Isaac Emerson, Northwest Nazarene, 151. T12, Tyler Fitchett, Saint Martin’s, 152. T12, Jordan Terada, Saint Martin’s, 152. T12, Garrett Woodin, Montana State Billings, 152.

AROUND THE GNAC
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings finished in fourth place with a final score of 944 at the Bay Area Invitational on Feb. 22-23 at the TPC Stonebrae Country Club in Hayward, California. The Yellowjackets also competed at the Nighthawks Invitational on Monday and Tuesday, finishing tied for ninth with Dominican (Calif.) with a score of 630.

• Junior Riley Lawrence and senior Garrett Woodin led the Yellowjackets at the Bay Area Invitational, finishing tied with each other in seventh place with three-round scores of 231. Lawrence’s tournament included a low score of 74 in the first round.

• Woodin paced MSUB at the Nighthawks Invitational, finishing in a four-way tie for 12th place with a two-round score of 8-over-par 152. Woodin shot a 79 in the first round before improving to a 73 in the second round.

• Sophomore Dawson Strobel also impressed at the Nighthawks Invitational, finishing in a three-way tie for 23rd place at 156. Strobel finished tied for 20th at the Bay Area Invitational at 244.

• Up next, MSUB will head to DuPont, Washington, to compete at the Saint Martin’s Regional Preview on Mar. 22-23.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene finished in eighth place with a final score of 629 at its own Nighthawks Invitational on Monday and Tuesday at the Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore, California. The Nighthawks also sent a “B” squad to the tournament, which finished in 13th place at 667.

• Senior Isaac Emerson led NNU with a two-round score of 7-over-par 151 to finish in a four-way tie for eighth place. Emerson’s performance included an even-par 72 in the second round.

• Sophomore Grayson Giboney placed in the top-30, finishing in a six-way tie for 26th place with a score of 157. Fellow sophomore Cole Evarts and senior Tyler Joplin were two of six players who finished tied for 37th place at 159.

• Northwest Nazarene will continue its season on Friday, playing College of Idaho in Nampa. The Nighthawks will then compete at the Lewis-Clark State Spring Invitational on Mar. 15-16 in Clarkston, Washington.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s finished seventh at the Nighthawks Invitational on Monday and Tuesday with a final score of 617 over the two rounds.

• Senior Tyler Fitchett and junior Jordan Terada paced the Saints with top-15 finishes, finishing in a four-way tie for 12th place with a score of 8-over-par 152. Both Fitchett and Terada turned in a 76 in both rounds.

• Junior Max Turnquist turned in a top-20 performance, finishing in a three-way tie for 18th place at 10-over-par 154. His tournament included a 74 in the first round.

• The Saints will be back in action when they host the Saint Martin’s Regional Preview on Mar. 22-23 at the Home Course in DuPont, Washington. Saint Martin’s will host the NCAA West Regional at the Home Course from May 6-8.

SIMON FRASER
• Due to the closure of the U.S./Canada border due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon Fraser’s golf season is on hold.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington won the team title in its first tournament of the season, finishing tied for first place with Sonoma State at the Nighthawks Invitational with a final score of 610. Both teams finished with a 307 in the first round and a 303 in the second. The Vikings won the title with a tiebreaker, which was decided by Poppy Ridge Golf Course’s eighth hole. The Vikings had 21 total strokes on the hole, compared to the Seawolves’ 24.

• Junior Aidan Thain led the Vikings and was the top GNAC player at the Nighthawks Invitational, finishing tied for third place with Sonoma State’s Nikolai Friedman with a two-round score of 4-over-par 148. Thain carded an even-par 72 in the first round and a 76 in the second round.

• Junior Devin Andrews also placed in the top-10, finishing in a four-way tie for eighth place with a score of 7-over-par 151, which included a low round of 75 in the second round.

• Junior Brody Bonfilio just missed the top-20, finishing tied for 21st with a score of 155. Freshman Drew Halili rounded out the Vikings’ scorers, finishing in a three-way tie for 23rd place at 156.

• The Vikings will look to stay hot as they will compete at the Saint Martin’s Regional Preview on Mar. 22-23 in DuPont, Washington.