Thursday, March 9, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. – Spring golf is in full swing with all five GNAC women’s golf programs having competed in California between the end of February and the first week of March.

Montana State Billings got rolling first, heading south to the Bay Area Invitational in Stockton on Feb. 20, while Simon Fraser, Northwest Nazarene and Saint Martin’s were all in action at the Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout on Feb. 17 in Alameda. Western Washington opened its season with the CSUSM Fujikura Invitational on March 6 and 7 in Vista.

Simon Fraser freshman Sueah Park was named the first GNAC Women’s Golf Player of the Week of the spring after leading all conference golfers at the Tim Tierney Shootout which was cut short due to inclement weather. Park finished tied for 13th with a score of 6-over-par 78 to lead Simon Fraser to a seventh-place finish on debut.

The Red Leafs ended the shootout with a score of 319, four strokes ahead of their closest GNAC competitor Northwest Nazarene with a scoring four comprised of all freshmen.

Montana State Billings will be back in action competing at the SW Minnesota State Spring Classic in Litchfield Park, Ariz. on March 13 and 14 before joining Western Washington, Simon Fraser and Saint Martin’s for the Pack Classic in Pueblo, Colo. on March 19 and 20.

PREVIOUS TOURNAMENTS

Bay Area Invitational (Feb. 20, at The Reserve at Spanos Park, Stockton, Calif.) Team – 1, Cal State East Bay, 302. 9, Montana State Billings, 338. Individual – T-1, Drishti Karumbaya, Cal State East Bay, 72. T-1, Ebba Wernered, Holy Names, 72. T-30, Brennan Larson, Montana State Billings, 81. T-40, Haylee Adams, Montana State Billings, 84. 42, Hannah Adams, Montana State Billings, 85. T-48, Meilyn Armstrong, Montana State Billings, 88. 54, Aubree Mitchum, Montana State Billings, 91.

Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout (Feb. 27 at Chuck Corica GC - South Course, Alameda, Calif.) Team – 1, Cal State East Bay, 306. 7, Simon Fraser 319. 10, Northwest Nazarene, 323. 14, Saint Martin’s, 336. Individual – 1, Alli Kim, Point Loma, 71. T-13, Sueah Park, Simon Fraser, 78. T-19, Meera Minhas, Simon Fraser, 79. T-30, Izzy Ferguson, Simon Fraser, 80. T-30, Madison Gridley, Northwest Nazarene, 80. T-30, Kelsie Inouye, Saint Martin’s, 80. T-37, Christine Chloe, Northwest Nazarene, 81. T-37, Elle McCord, Northwest Nazarene, 81. T-37, Paige Vancil, Northwest Nazarene, 81. T-45, Jada French, Saint Martin’s, 82. T-45, Chloe Tran, Simon Fraser, 82.

CSUSM Fujikura Invitational (March 6-7, at Shadowridge CC, Vista, Calif.) Team – Cal State Monterey Bay, 610. 9, Western Washington. Individual – T-7, Megan Billeter, Western Washington, 152. T-29, Dani Bailey, Western Washington, 158. T-40, Claire Moon, Western Washington, 160. T-40, Emma Worgum, Western Washington, 160. T-68, Kasey Maralack, Western Washington, 169.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS

• Montana State Billings opened its spring season at the Bay Area Invitational in Stockton, Calif. where they finished ninth with a team score of 338 in the one-round tournament.

• Junior Brennan Larson led the way for the Yellowjackets, carding a 9-over-par 81 to tie for 30th place. Larson was followed by freshmen sisters Haylee Adams and Hannah Adams in a tie for 40th and 42nd, respectively. Haylee Adams finished with a score of 84 while Hannah Adams was just one stroke behind with a score of 85.

• Sophomore Meilyn Armstrong rounded out scoring for MSUB, finishing the day with a score of 88 in a tie for 48th place.

• Montana State Billings will be back on the course on Monday and Tuesday for the SW Minnesota State Spring Classic in Litchfield Park, Ariz.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE

• Northwest Nazarene was one of three GNAC teams to start its spring at the Tim Tierney Pioneer shootout, though the tournament was cut short due to inclement weather. The Nighthawks finished in 10th place with a team score of 325, four strokes behind seventh-place Simon Fraser and nine strokes ahead of 14th-place Saint Martin’s.

• Junior Madison Gridley led the way for the Nighthawks, carding an 8-over-par 80 to tie for 30th place with SFU’s Izzy Ferguson and Saint Martin’s Kelsie Inouye along with four other golfers.

• Right behind Gridley was a trio of her teammates tied for 37th as sophomore Christine Cho, freshman Elle McCord and sophomore Paige Vancil all carded a score of 9-over-par 81. The three were part of a six-way tie for 37th place.

• Northwest Nazarene will not return to the course until it competes at the San Marcos Shootout on March 27 and 28 in Temecula, Calif.

SAINT MARTIN’S

• Saint Martin’s finished 14th at the weather-affected Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout in Alameda, Calif. with a score of 336, 10 strokes ahead of 15th-place South Dakota Mines.

• The Saints were led by freshman Kelsie Inouye who carded an 8-over-par 80 in a seven-way tie for 30th place.

• All five Saint Martin’s golfers were covered by 10 strokes. Senior Jada French followed Inouye in a tie for 45th with a score of 82. Freshman Ashley Bruland and sophomore Hannah White were also separated by just two strokes with scores of 86 and 88 respectively. Senior Kathryn Crimp was two strokes back from White with a score of 90.

• Saint Martin’s will have the week off before returning to action at the Pack Classic in Pueblo, Calif on March 19 and 20.

SIMON FRASER

• Simon Fraser was the highest-placing GNAC team at the Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout, finishing the shortened tournament with a score of 319 in seventh place. The Red Leafs were just one stroke behind sixth place Cal State LA and three strokes ahead of their nearest GNAC rival, Northwest Nazarene, in 10th.

• The Red Leafs were led by freshman Sueah Park who also led all conference golfers with a score of 6-over-par 78 to finish in a tie for 13th place in her debut for the Red Leafs. The performance earned Park recognition as the first GNAC Women’s Golfer of the Week for the spring.

• Freshman Meera Minhas made it two golfers in the top 20 for SFU, finishing one stroke behind Park in a tie for 19th with a score of 7-over-par 79. The all-freshman scoring four was rounded out by Izzy Ferguson and Chloe Tran. Ferguson finished in a tie for 30th with a score of 8-over-par 80 while Tran carded a score of 82.

• Simon Fraser will also have the week off before traveling to Publeo, Colo. to compete in the Pack Classic.

WESTERN WASHINGTON

• Western Washington was the only GNAC representative at the Cal State San Marcos Fujikura Invitational on March 6 and 7, finishing in ninth place with a two-day score of 630. The Vikings were three strokes ahead of 10th-place Sonoma State and three strokes behind seventh-place Biola and Holy Names.

• The Vikings were led by senior Megan Billeter who carded a two-day score of 8-over-par 152 to finish in a tie for seventh place. Billeter opened the tournament with a 77 on day one. She followed that up by going two strokes better to close out the tournament the next day.

• Junior Dani Bailey was the next scoring golfer for WWU, finishing with a two-day score of 158 to tie for 29th. Junior Claire Moon and freshman Emma Worgum rounded out the scoring for the Vikings as part of a tie for 40th with scores of 160.

• Western Washington will join Saint Martin's and Simon Fraser in taking a week off before competing at the Pack Classic in Pueblo, Colo. on March 19 and 20.