Friday, May 5, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. – With a conference championship in hand and a trip to the NCAA Championships on the docket, Western Washington senior Jordan Lee leads the 2023 GNAC Men’s Golf All-Conference Team as the unanimous Player of the Year.

Lee has been dominant at the most important time of the season, winning his last three tournaments heading into the NCAA West/South Central Regional in Rohnert Park, California. Along with his victory at the GNAC Championships, Lee also took victories at the Hanny Stanislaus Invitational and the NCAA West Regional Spring Preview.

In Coeur d’Alene, Lee took victory by a margin of nine strokes with a three-round score of 6-under-par 207. He posted the lowest round of the tournament as well, capping off his championship run with a 67. On the season, Lee led the GNAC with a 70.7 stroke average and racked up seven top-10 finishes in nine tournaments. The All-Conference honor is the fourth of his career.

The GNAC Men’s Golf Coach of the Year honors head north of the border to Simon Fraser’s Matthew Steinbach after he led the Red Leafs to their first conference title since 2019. The award marks the third time Steinbach has earned Men’s Golf Coach of the Year honors and is his sixth GNAC Coach of the Year honor overall. Under Steinbach’s leadership this season, Simon Fraser earned eight top-10 finishes across nine events, including five top-two results.

The remaining two conference special awards go to Saint Martin’s with Mason Bratcher being voted GNAC Men’s Golf Freshman of the Year and freshman Kyle Erwin being selected at the GNAC Men’s Golf Newcomer of the Year.

Bratcher notched his best result of the season at the GNAC Championships, finishing in eighth place with a three-round score of 223. For the season, Bratcher ranks third for the Saints with a 76.5 stroke average and owns a low round of 68.

Erwin, also a Second Team All-GNAC honoree, was one of the most consistent golfers in the conference this season. Erwin’s 75.2 stroke average ranks second for the Saints and is ninth in the GNAC.

Saint Martin’s senior Max Turnquist earned First Team All-GNAC honors for the third time in his career after leading SMU and ranking sixth in the conference with a 73.6 stroke average while amassing three top-10 finishes. Turnquist also led the Saint’s efforts at the GNAC Championships where he finished in sixth place with a three-round score of 8-over-par 221.

Simon Fraser and Western Washington lead the GNAC Men’s Golf All-Conference team with five total selections apiece. Saint Martin’s and Montana State Billings each have two honorees.

Of Simon Fraser’s five All-GNAC golfers, four of them were named to the first team. Sophomore Ryan Hodgins earned his second straight First-Team selection and is joined by senior Aidan Goodfellow, sophomore Bailey Bjornson and senior Jordan Bean.

Hodgins earned selection after averaging 74.5 strokes per round to rank sixth for the Red Leafs. His season was highlighted by his second-place finish at the GNAC Championships. Hodgins finished with a three-round score of 3-over-par 216 at Coeur d’Alene with a low round of 68 after sinking the first albatross in conference championships history.

Goodfellow was the most reliable golfer of the season for SFU, owning a 72.7 stroke average to lead the Red Leafs and rank second in the GNAC. Bjornson and Bean aren’t far behind Goodfellow, averaging 73.5 and 73.6 strokes per round, respectively. Heading into the NCAA Championships, Goodfellow has three top-10 finishes while Bjornson has four and Bean one.