Friday, April 21, 2023
PORTLAND, Ore. – The table is set for a repeat of last year’s title showdown along with the potential for new challengers to arise as all five GNAC programs head to the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho for the 2023 GNAC Women’s Golf Championships on Monday and Tuesday.
Western Washington comes into the tournament as the defending champion and has won the tournament each of the past two years. But the threepeat won’t come easy for the Vikings, who came from behind to defeat Simon last season and look set for another close fight for the title.
The Red Leafs are the highest-ranked team in the conference at No. 52 in the Golfstat rankings as of April 16. They have performed at a high level since the start of the season, amassing five top-five finishes, including a tournament win, and have finished outside of the top 10 in the team standings just once in eight tournaments. As a team, Simon Fraser also leads the GNAC with a 307.2 stroke average through 15 rounds.
Simon Fraser’s win came in its final tournament of the regular season, the San Marcos Shootout in Temecula, California on March 27 and 28. The Red Leafs finished with a two-round score of 610, beating out regionally-ranked Point Loma by two strokes. That field also featured Cal State San Marcos, the No. 2 ranked team in the region, which finished five strokes behind SFU.
Western Washington’s quest for a title defense has also produced quality results throughout the regular season. The Vikings have accumulated four top-five finishes with a tournament win and never finished outside of the top 10 in eight tournaments. They are second only to the Red Leafs in the GNAC with a 309.4 stroke average and are ranked No. 62 in the Golfstat rankings.
In contrast, the Vikings earned their win early in the season, claiming victory in September at the Saint Martin’s Bishop Invitational with a two-round score of 603. Western Washington finished five strokes ahead of second-place Simon Fraser in that tournament. The two teams have split results against each other this season, with each squad coming out ahead of the other three times.
Individually, Simon Fraser has benefitted from emerging talent Sueah Park. The freshman from Langley B.C. has led the Red Leafs in all three tournaments she has competed in as part of the main team this season and owns a 76.3 stroke average through seven rounds.
One of Park’s best performances of the year came at the San Marcos Shootout, where she carded a three-round score of 6-over-par 150 to take fourth place and lead SFU to the team victory. She was just four strokes behind tournament winner Alli Kim of Point Loma. The result was also her second top-five finish in three events after tying for third place at the Pack Classic in March with a two-round score of 3-over-par 147.
Fellow Simon Fraser freshman Meera Minhas has also had a strong season, averaging 76.8 strokes per round and earning a pair of top-10 results. Minhas had her top finish of the regular season at the San Marcos Shootout, where she carded a three-round score of 153 to tie for seventh.
Western Washington returns two of the top-five golfers from last year’s championships in senior Megan Billeter and junior Dani Bailey. Billeter earned a pair of top-10 finishes this season, including a win at the Saint Martin’s Bishop Invitational. Billeter carded a two-round score of 1-under-par 143 against competition from all five GNAC programs to lead the Vikings to the team victory. On the season, Billeter owns a 78.4 stroke average.
Bailey also notched her best result of the season at the SMU Bishop Invitational, finishing with a three-round score of 153 to tie for seventh. She is ranked No. 10 in the GNAC with a 78.9 stroke average on the season.
Northwest Nazarene comes into the GNAC Championships after a season where it amassed six top-10 finishes in nine tournaments. The Nighthawks opened the season on a strong note, placing second in September’s College of Idaho Invitational with a two-round score of 624. As a team, they are third in the conference with a 314.7 stroke average.
Northwest Nazarene is led by the most consistent golfer of the season in Elle McCord. The freshman from Star, Idaho leads the GNAC with a 76.2 stroke average through 18 rounds this season, equal to most of any conference golfer. McCord put together her best result of the season at the San Marcos Shootout, carding a two-round score of 5-over-par 149 to lead all GNAC golfers at the tournament in third place.
Continuing the trend of strong freshman performances this season, Kelsie Inouye leads Saint Martin’s into the GNAC Championships with a 77.2 stroke average that ranks fifth in the conference. Inouye notched her best finish of the regular season at SMU’s own Saint Martin’s Bishop Invitational, tying for fourth place with a two-round score of 8-over-par 152.
As a team, the Saints have recorded three top-10 results this season. The best finish came at the SMU Bishop Invitational where they took a third-place finish with a score of 629 behind only Western Washington and Simon Fraser.
Montana State Billings will look to the freshmen Adams twins to head up the charge in the GNAC Championships after the pair led way in the regular season with 83.6 stroke averages. Hannah Adams took the highest finish of the pair this season at the Yellowjacket Fall Invite in October, carding a three-round score of 161 to tie for fifth place with junior teammate Brennan Larson and lead MSUB to a second-place team result.
Haylee Adams also earned her best finish of the season at MSUB’s Yellowjacket Fall Invite, finishing in a tie for 10th with a score of 164. As a team, Montana State Billings has finished in the top 10 five times this season, including a pair of top-five results.
The GNAC Championships will begin Monday at 8:58 a.m. The second round will start on Tuesday at 8 a.m. The team champion will receive the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. Live stats can be found at GNACSports.com.