Friday, April 21, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. – Whether they come in teeing off with a tailwind or playing the shot where it lies, all five GNAC programs are headed to the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Club in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho for the 2023 GNAC Men’s Golf Championships on Monday and Tuesday.

Defending champion Western Washington enters the tournament looking to secure its 11th GNAC title in program history. The Vikings have been the class of the field this season, earning five top-five team finishes and two tournament wins. Western Washington took victory in its own WWU Invitational in September and at the Hanny Stanislaus Invitational in March.

Simon Fraser will aim to upset Vikings’ bid for a second consecutive championship after a strong regular season of its own. The Red Leafs also notched five top-five results this season, including a tournament win at the Saint Martin’s Bishop Invitational in September and a trio of runner-up finishes.

Both Western Washington and Simon Fraser are ranked regionally ranked. The Vikings are No. 3 in the West Region while the Red Leafs are right behind at No. 4. The Vikings are also No. 14 in the Golfstat rankings with Simon Fraser at No. 40.

The GNAC Championships field features seven of the tournament’s top-10 finishers from last year and three of the top-four golfers. Simon Fraser sophomore Bailey Bjornson, Western Washington senior Jordan Lee and Saint Martin’s senior Max Turnquist all finished in a tie for second in 2022 with a score of 2-over-par 215.

Individually, WWU’s Lee has been rounding into form at the perfect time of the year. Lee enters the GNAC Championships on the back of six top-10 finishes in his last eight events and has earned top individual honors at the last two tournaments he has played in. He also leads the conference with a stroke average of 71.0 through 21 rounds this season.

Lee’s first win of the year came at the Hanny Stanislaus Classic on March 27 and 28 where he carded a three-round score of 4-under-par 212 to lead WWU to the team victory. He followed that up with top co-medalist honors at the NCAA West Regional Spring Preview in Rohnert Park, California on April 10 and 11, carding a three-round score of 8-under-par 208. Lee has been named the GNAC Men’s Golf Player of the Week an unprecedented five times this season.

Simon Fraser boasts three of the top-five most efficient golfers in the conference in senior Aidan Goodfellow, senior Jordan Bean and Bjornson. Goodfellow leads the trio with a 72.7 stroke average through 21 rounds. He has taken a pair of top-10 finishes this season and notched a tournament victory at the SMU Bishop Invitational where he carded a two-round score of 6-under-par 138 to open the season.

Bean ranks fourth in the GNAC with a 73.2 stroke average across 19 rounds. His best result of the regular season came at the Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout in March where he finished in a tie for ninth place with a three-round score of 3-under-par 141. Bjornson ranks fifth in the conference with a 73.4 stroke average in 22 rounds this season. He opened the season with three consecutive top-10 finishes, highlighted by a tie for fourth at the WWU Invitational with a three-round score of 5-under-par 211.

Saint Martin’s is led by a pair of GNAC top-10 golfers in Turnquist and freshman Kyle Erwin. Turnquist has notched a pair of top-10 finishes this season and turned in his top performance at the Hawaii Pacific Sharks Shootout in October where he carded a two-round score of 6-under-par 138 to tie for sixth place.

Erwin’s best result of the regular season came at October’s Dennis Rose Invitational in Waikoloa, Hawaii. He finished the tournament in a tie for 19th with a three-round score of 3-over-par 143. As a team, Saint Martin’s has recorded three top-10 finishes, highlighted by a fifth place at the Hawaii Pacific Sharks Shootout where the Saints finished with a score of 6-under-par 570.

Leading the way for Montana State Billings is senior Dawson Strobel who ranks ninth in the GNAC with a 74.7 stroke average through 24 rounds. He has three top-10 finishes this season, including a pair of tournament wins. As a team, MSUB has four top-10 finishes with one tournament victory at the Yellojacket Fall Invite.

Strobel earned his first win of the season at the Hardrocker Fall Invite in September with a two-round score of 6-under-par 138. In October, he took top individual honors at the Yellowjacket Fall Invite with a three-round score of 5-under-par 211.

Junior Paul O’Neil has also been strong for the Yellowjackets this season, recording three top-10 finishes and owning a 75.5 stroke average. He put together his best performance of the regular season at the Yellowjacket Fall Invite, finishing in fourth with a score of 1-under-par 215.

Northwest Nazarene has recorded three top-10 results this season, taking its top team result at the College of Idaho Invitational in September. The Nighthawks finished in second place with a three-round score of 885.

Junior Cole Evarts leads NNU with a 75.7 stroke average. Evarts put together one of his best performances of the season at the Tim Tierney Pioneer shootout where he finished in a tie for 24 in the 94-golfer field with a score of even-par 144.

Junior Grayson Giboney took the only top individual honors for Northwest Nazarene in the regular season with a win at the College of Idaho Invitational. Giboney finished the tournament with a three-round score of 4-under-par 212. He ranks third on the team with a 76.0 stroke average.

The GNAC Championships begin Monday at 7:30 a.m. with the second round beginning at 1 p.m. The third and final round will start Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. The team champion will receive the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. Live stats can be accessed at GNACSports.com.