Friday, April 28, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. – After a pair of stellar seasons that ended with the teams battling in a playoff at the GNAC Championships, Simon Fraser and Western Washington are headed to the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf West/South Central Regional in Rohnert Park, California.

The Vikings head into the tournament as the No. 3 team in the West Region behind top-ranked CCAA programs Cal State San Marcos and Sonoma State. The Red Leafs are at No. 4 after winning their third GNAC title in program history, claiming the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. Along with the two team selections, Saint Martin’s senior Max Turnquist has been selected to compete as an individual.

Simon Fraser and Western Washington were inseparable at the GNAC Championships in Coeur d’Alene, with both teams tying with three-round scores of 874. The even scores forced a playoff between the two squads that lasted for two holes and rewarded SFU with its first team championship since 2018.

In Coeur d’Alene, the Red Leafs were led by sophomore Ryan Hodgins, who placed second with a three-round score of 3-over-par 216. He also made GNAC history, sinking the first albatross in a GNAC Championships in the second round. On the season, Hodgins averages 74.5 strokes per round. His low round of the year came on Monday at the conference championships in the same round as his albatross.

Hodgins was joined by teammates Aidan Goodfellow, Bailey Bjornson and Michael Crisologo in the top 10 at the GNAC Championships. Goodfellow finished in a tie for third with a score of 4-over-par 217 while Bjornson was seventh with a three-round score of 222. Crisologo rounded out scoring for the championship-winning side in a tie for ninth with a score of 224.

The GNAC individual champion will also be on the course in Califonia as senior Jordan Lee leads the charge for Western Washington. Lee has paced the conference for much of the season and showed his strength in Coeur d’Alene with a winning score of 6-under-par 207.

The win was Lee’s third in a row after taking top honors at the Hanny  Stanislaus Classic and the NCAA West Regional Spring Preview. For the season, Lee leads the GNAC with a 70.7 stroke average. He has shot 10 consecutive rounds of par or better heading into the regional.

Western Washington placed three of its scoring golfers in the top 10 at the conference championships. While Lee took medalist honors, Cody Oakes finished in a tie for third with a score of 4-over-par 217 and Conrad Brown finished in a tie for ninth with a score of 224. Seth King completed the scoring effort for WWU in a tie for 12th with a score of 226.

Turnquist is the lone non-CCAA individual selection and heads into the regional tournament on the back of a sixth-place finish at the GNAC Championships. Turnquist finished the tournament with a three-round score of 8-over-par 221 and was the highest-placed SMU golfer in the tournament. On the season, he ranks sixth in the conference with a 73.6 stroke average.

The NCAA Division II West/South Central Super Regional will take place at the Foxtail Golf Club in Rohnert Park, California from May 11-13. The top three teams and top two individuals not with a team will advance to the Division II Championships at Avalon Lakes in Warren, Ohio on May 22-26.