Wednesday, February 28, 2024
by Thomas Lal

PORTLAND, Ore. – With the conclusion of the Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout earlier this week, the GNAC women’s golf season is well and truly back in swing for spring.

The first tournament action of 2024 provided a pair of top-10 results for conference teams and promises plenty of excitement for the GNAC Women’s Golf Championships in April. The next month will see all five teams in action across three states as the programs make trips to Arizona, California and Colorado. Montana State Billings is set to be the busiest program as it plays three tournaments across the next two weeks while Northwest Nazarene and Simon Fraser will each play in a pair of tournaments during March.

 
TIM TIERNEY TEE-OFF: The Tim Tierney Shootout in Alameda, Calif., provided the first tournament action of the spring schedule for most of the conference as Saint Martin’s, Simon Fraser and Western Washington all hit the course on Monday and Tuesday. The Red Leafs continued their strong run of form from the fall to lead all GNAC teams in seventh place with a two-round score of 609. The result marked the fifth straight top-10 finish for SFU this season. Western Washington also notched a top-10 finish, taking 10th with a two-day score of 623 while the Saints carded a team score of 650 to finish 15th.

Simon Fraser’s Meera Minhas was the top finisher for the conference, tying for 10th place with a score of 5-over-par 149 in the 96-player field. The reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year carded a low round of 2-over-par 74 to open the tournament and help pick up her second top-10 finish of the season. Minhas was followed by Dana Smith, a contender for this year’s GNAC Freshman of the Year honor, in a tie for 18th place with a score of 7-over-par 151. Simon Fraser will be in action next at the Cal State San Marcos Fujikura Invitational in Vista, Calif., on March 11-12.

The Vikings were led by the conference’s second-highest finisher at the tournament in sophomore Emma Worgum in a tie for 15th. Worgum carded a two-round score of 6-over-par 150 with a pair and shot a 3-over-par 75 on both days. Sophomore Lauren Lee followed Worgum in a tie for 29th with a score of 155. Senior Dani Bailey was just three strokes behind Lee in a tie for 41st. Western Washington will also be back on the course at the Fujikura Invitational for its only scheduled tournament of March.

Saint Martin’s sophomore Kelsie Inouye continued her run as one of the Saints’ top golfers this season as she led the team at the Tim Tierney Shootout with a two-day score of 156 to tie for 32nd. Junior Hannah White and sophomore Sabrina Poole followed Inouye in ties for 52nd and 69th, respectively, with scores of 160 and 164. The Saints also competed in a dual meet Pacific Lutheran on Feb. 19 at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club where they came away with a 323-355 team win over the Lutes. Inouye led the way there as well, carding a score of 2-over-par 72 while White was three strokes back with a score of 5-over-par 77. The Saints are not set to compete again until March 24-25 at the Southern Colorado Open.

SOUTHWEST SWING: Both Northwest Nazarene and Montana State Billings will begin their spring season in Litchfield Park, Ariz., to start the month of March. The Yellowjackets originally planned to be on the course for the Cal State LA Spring Kickoff in early February but have been forced to wait a little longer after the tournament was canceled due to poor weather conditions in southern California.

The Yellowjackets will play in a total of three tournaments hosted by Southwest Minnesota State in Arizona while the Nighthawks will play in two. Montana State Billings is set to be the lone GNAC representative at the SMSU Spring Invitational on March 4-5 which will take place on the 36-hole Wigwam Resort Red Course. Immediately following that tournament, both MSUB and NNU will play at the SMSU Challenge on March 7-8 which will take place on the 36-hole Wigwam Resort Blue Course. The two teams will close out their stint in Arizona at the SMSU Classic on March 11-12 which will also be played on the Wigwam Resort Blue Course.

Montana State Billings contested the SMSU Classic on the Blue Course last season, taking seventh place in the 2023 edition. It was one of several events last season where MSUB was led by sisters Haylee and Hannah Adams as the pair finished in 23rd and 25th, respectively. The pair are among the Yellowjacket’s top golfers again this season with Hannah averaging 81.4 strokes per round while Haylee is averaging 84.6 strokes per round. Freshman Orraya Tipasathien has been the most efficient golfer for MSUB through the fall, averaging 78 strokes per round to rank 13th in the GNAC and three top-five results.

Northwest Nazarene will enter its pair of tournaments on the heels of a strong fall schedule where it notched three top-10 finishes, including a pair of top-three results. Senior Madison Gridley was the top golfer for the Nighthawks through the fall slate, earning a pair of top-five results and averaging 75 strokes per round to rank second in the conference. Reigning GNAC Player of the Year Elle McCord has been close behind Gridley this season, ranking second on the team and fifth in the conference with an average of 75.3 strokes per round to go with a pair of top-10 finishes.

Dennis Rose Invitational (Oct. 27-28, at Hapuna Golf Course, Waimea, Hawaii) Team – 1, Cal State San Marcos, 563. 7, Simon Fraser, 595.  T-11, Western Washington, 608. 15, Northwest Nazarene, 615. 16, Saint Martin’s, 625. Individuals – 1. Madison Murr, Cal State San Marcos, 133. T-11, Dana Smith, Simon Fraser, 145. T-16, Claire Moon, Western Washington, 147. T-25, Elle McCord, Northwest Nazarene, 149. T-30, Anaya Bhandal, Simon Fraser, 150. T-30 , Meera Minhas, Simon Fraser, 150. T-30, Kassie Muanyam, Simon Fraser, 150. T-39, Madison Gridley, Northwest Nazarene, 151.

Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout (Feb. 26-27, at Corica Park Golf Course, Alameda, Calif.) Team – 1, Cal State East Bay, 592. 7, Simon Fraser, 609. 10, Western Washington, 623. 15, Saint Martin’s, 650. Individuals – 1, Morgan Sjoerdsma, Cal State LA, 139. T-10, Meera Minhas, Simon Fraser, 149. T-15, Emma Worgum, Western Washington, 150. T-18, Dana Smith, Simon Fraser, 151. T-29, Lauren Lee, Western Washington, 155. T-32, Kelsie Inouye, Saint Martin’s, 156. T-32, Izzy Ferguson, Simon Fraser, 156.

Oct. 23 GNAC Women's Golf Player of the Week

Dana Smith, Simon Fraser

Second-career player of the week – second this season.

Smith earned her second weekly award of the season, with a pair of outstanding performances in Hawaii. Smith was the GNAC’s top finisher at the Dennis Rose Invitational in a tie for 11th with a two-round score of 1-over-par 145, including a 2-under-par 70 in her opening round. That performance came after a fourth-place finish at the Hawaii Pacific Sharks Shootout earlier in the week, where she notched a two-round score of 3-over-par 143 (70-73). “She had never played on Bermuda grass which they have in Hawaii, and she adapted so well to it,” said SFU head coach Matthew Steinbach. “Her putting was her strength, and it’s hard to believe she is a freshman. She is rugged and determined, and it was very impressive.”

Smith has made par or better in three of her six rounds to kick off her freshman campaign, and leads the GNAC in scoring average at 72.2 strokes per round. “The courses and competition aren’t easier than in junior golf, but having the support of her teammates and being in the SFU culture has freed her up to just go out and play golf,” Steinbach said on Smith’s transition to playing at the collegiate level. “She is playing freely and her skill and talent are all just coming together.”

Also Nominated: Elle McCord, NNU; Kelsie Inouye, SMU; Claire Moon, WWU.

The 2024 GNAC Women's Golf Championships will be held April 22-23 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. All five programs will compete in the two-round tournament with the team champion receiving the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.