Thursday, March 28, 2024
by Thomas Lal

PORTLAND, Ore. – With the final tournaments of March officially in the books, GNAC women’s golf has officially entered championship season.

All five teams will be on the course in April ahead of the GNAC Women’s Golf Championships on April 22-23 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The lead-up to the conference tournament has already seen one record fall at the hands of Simon Fraser’s Meera Minhas while Montana State Billings and Northwest Nazarene have been among the busiest teams in the GNAC over the last 30 days. The upcoming month will see teams competing in tournaments across California, and Idaho.

RECORD RED LEAF: Simon Fraser’s Minhas had a March to remember on the course as she was named the GNAC Player of the Week twice after she picked up a pair of top-five finishes, including her first collegiate win, and set the conference single-round record. Minhas opened her month with a fourth-place finish at the Fujikura Invitational in Vista Calif., from March 11-12, finishing the tournament with a three-round score of 9-over-par 225 as the highest-placed GNAC golfer in the field.

Minhas’ best was still yet to come, however, and her talent would be on full display at the Southern Colorado Open in Pueblo, Colo., on Monday. Minhas opened the tournament with GNAC history, shooting a 5-under-par 67 to open the tournament. Minhas never shot over par in her record-setting round, notching five birdies on her first trip around the course. The performance eclipsed Minhas’ previous career-low round of 73 that she had achieved on several occasions previously. She returned to the familiar score for the second round shooting a 1-over-par 73 to finish the day with a two-round score of 4-under-par 140 to tie for the tournament win.

As a team, Simon Fraser finished 10th at the Fujikura Invitational with a three-round score of 940. The Red Leafs followed that up with another dose of history at the Southern Colorado Open where they took second place with a team score of 10-over-par 586 to card the third-lowest round in GNAC history. The team effort was highlighted by a 1-over-par 289 in the second round and kept SFU five strokes ahead of second-place Western New Mexico.

Along with Minhas, freshman Dana Smith also notched back-to-back top-10 results between California and Colorado. Smith carded a three-round score of 228 to tie for ninth at the Fujikura Invitational, using a pair of 2-over-par 74’s in the final two rounds to cement her place in the four-way tie. Smith repeated the ninth-place finish at the Southern Colorado Open with a two-round score of 4-over-par 148 for the fourth top-10 result of her young career. Smith was joined in that ninth-place tie by junior Kassie Muanyam. Both Smith and Muanyam rounded out the tournament with scores of 1-over-par 73. On the season, Smith leads Simon Fraser and the GNAC with an average of 74 strokes per round.

Simon Fraser will play in one more tournament ahead of the GNAC Championships as they head to the Sonoma State Spring Invitational in Rohnert Park, Calif., on April 8-9.

DESERT DAYS: Montana State Billings and Northwest Nazarene both spent the first half of March in Litchfield Park, Ariz. where Southwest Minnesota State hosted a trio of tournaments at the Wigwam Resort. The Yellowjackets competed in all three of those events while the Nighthawks played in the final two.

Montana State Billings opened its Arizona swing with 11th place at the SMSU Spring Invitational on March 4-5 with a two-round score of 687. Junior Meilyn Armstrong led the way for MSUB on the Wigwam Resort Red Course, carding a two-day score of 170 to tie for 49th. She was followed by sophomore Haylee Adams and freshman Chloe Van Strien in a tie for 51st.

Northwest Nazarene was the top GNAC program at the SMSU Challenge on March 7-8 as it notched a sixth-place finish with a two-round score of 648 on the Wigwam Resort Blue Course. Senior Madison Gridley was also the top individual finisher from the conference at the tournament, carding a two-day score of 9-over-par 153 to tie for fifth, just four strokes behind the leading scores set by Anna Cihak of Minnesota State and Cassidy Phelan of Colorado Mesa. Gridley’s effort was highlighted by the second-lowest round of the tournament with a 1-under-par 71 to open the event. Christine Cho made it two Nighthawks in the top 15 as she tied for 14th with a score of 158.

Montana State Billings saw some improvement on the Blue Course, moving up one place to 10th at the SMSU Challenge with a two-round score of 687. This time it was Hannah Adams leading the way with a two-day score of 162 to tie for 27th. Hannah Adams closed the tournament this her best round of the event, a team-low 6-over-par 80, to close the tournament. She was followed by sister Haylee Adams in a tie for 45th and Van Strien in a tie for 50th.

Both NNU and MSUB finished in the top 10 at the SMSU Classic to cap off the three-tournament stint with the Nighthawks taking sixth on a two-round score of 638 and the Yellowjackets continuing their trend of improvement to finish eighth with a two-day score of 662. It was Gridley who led the way for the conference once again, tying for fourth with a score of 4-over-par 148. Gridley shot her best round of the tournament on her second trip through the course, carding a 1-over-par 73 to close out the day. A total of four GNAC golfers finished in the top 30 of the 71-golfer field, Cho following Gridley in a tie for 22nd while NNU’s Tora Timinsky and MSUB’s Hannah Adams carded two-round scores of 163 to tie for 28th.

Northwest Nazarene will be in action next on Friday as it begins the RJGA Palm Valley Classic in Goodyear, Ariz., while Montana State Billings will not return to the course until April 12-13 at the NNU Nighthawk Challenge in Nampa, Idaho.

ROADTRIPPING SAINTS: Saint Martin’s joined Simon Fraser at the Southern Colorado Open where the Saints placed ninth with a two-round score of 621, just three strokes behind a pair of teams tied for seventh. Sophomore Kelsie Inouye was the top golfer for SMU in Colorado, carding a two-round score of 5-over-par 149 to take 14th. Inouye also carded a team-low round of even-par-72 to open the tournament. Reigning GNAC Champion Ashley Bruland made it two Saints in the top 15 as she finished just one stroke behind Inouye with a score of 6-over-par 150 to tie for 15th.

Both Inouye and Bruland have been among the conference’s most efficient golfers this season. Inouye ranks fifth in the GNAC with a75.5 strokes per round on average through 13 rounds while Bruland is right behind in sixth with a 75.6 average across 10 rounds.

After playing just one tournament in March, Saint Martin’s has three on the docket for April. The Saints will begin the month at the RJGA Palm Valley Classic in Goodyear, Ariz., on April 5-6 where they will compete alongside Northwest Nazarene. They will share the course with the Nighthawks again on April 12-13 in Nampa for the NNU Nighthawk Challenge where they will also see Montana State Billings on the course for the first time this spring. The final tournament scheduled for April is the GNAC Championships in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on April 22-23.

GEARING UP IN THE GOLDEN STATE: Western Washington played at just one tournament in March, carding a three-round score of 947 on the way to a 12th-place finish at the Fujikura Invitational in Vista, Calif. The Vikings will return to California for their final tournament before the GNAC Championships as they contest the Sonoma State Spring Invitational in Rohnert Park on April 8-9.

Sophomore Emma Worgum led the Vikings at the Fujikura Invitational with a three-round score of 229 to finish in a tie for 13th. Along with her total score, Worgum also carded the team’s lowest round of the tournament as she opened the event with a 1-over-par 73. On the season, Worgum leads the team and ranks eighth in the conference with an average of 76.5 strokes per round. Fellow sophomore Kasey Maralack made it two WWU golfers in the top 25 as she tied for 24th with a two-day score of 232.

SMSU Spring Invitational (March 4-5, at Wigwam Resort - Red Course, Litchfield Park, Ariz.) Team – T-1, Missouri Western State, 599. T-1, Western New Mexico, 599. 11, Montana State Billings, 687. Individuals – T-1, Brooklynn Maes, Western New Mexico, 147. T-1, Cassidy Phelan, Colorado Mesa, 147. T-49, Meilyn Armstrong, Montana State Billings, 170. T-51, Haylee Adams, Montana State Billings, 171. T-51, Chloe Van Strien, Montana State Billings, 171. T-59, Hannah Adams, Montana State Billings, 177. 64, Adessa Lundberg, Montana State Billings, 183.

SMSU Challenge (March 7-8, at Wigwam Resort - Blue Course, Litchfield Park, Ariz.) Team – 1, Minnesota State, 619. 6, Northwest Nazarene, 648. 10, Montana State Billings, 687. Individuals – T-1, Anna Cihak, Minnesota State, 149. T-1, Cassidy Phelan, Colorado Mesa, 149. T-5, Madison Gridley, Northwest Nazarene, 153. T-14, Christine Cho, Northwest Nazarene, 158. T-27, Hannah Adams, Montana State Billings, 162. T-37, Tora Timinsky, Northwest Nazarene, 167. T-45, Haylee Adams, Montana State Billings, 172.

SMSU Classic (March 11-12, at Wigwam Resort - Blue Course, Litchfield Park, Ariz.) Team – 1, St. Leo, 601. 6, Northwest Nazarene, 638. 8, Montana State Billings, 663. Individuals – 1, Elena Verticchio, St. Leo, 143. T-4, Madison Gridley, Northwest Nazarene, 148. T-22, Christine Cho, Northwest Nazarene, 161. T-28, Hannah Adams, Montana State Billings, 163. T-28, Tora Timinsky, Northwest Nazarene, 163. T-31, Haylee Adams, Montana State Billings, 164. T-35, Adessa Lundberg, Montana State Billings, 165.

Fujikura Invitational (March 11-12, at Shadow Ridge GC, Vista, Calif.) Team – 1, Cal State San Marcos, 901. 10, Simon Fraser, 940. 12, Western Washington, 947. Individuals – 1, Madison Murr, Cal State San Marcos, 215. 4, Meera Minhas, Simon Fraser, 225. T-9, Dana Smith, Simon Fraser, 228. T-13, Emma Worgum, Western Washington, 229. T-24, Kasey Maralack, Western Washington, 232. T-32, Izzy Ferguson, Simon Fraser, 235.

Southern Colorado Open (March 24, at Walking Stick GC, Pueblo, Colo.) Team ­– 1, CSU Pueblo, 576. 2, Simon Fraser, 586. 9, Saint Martin’s, 621. Individuals – T-1, Meera Minhas, Simon Fraser, 140. T-1, Kylie Severin, CSU Pueblo, 140. T-9, Kassie Muanyam, Simon Fraser, 148. T-9, Dana Smith, Simon Fraser, 148. 14, Kelsie Inouye, Saint Martin’s, 149. T-15, Ashley Bruland, Saint Martin’s, 150. T-15, Sueah Park, Simon Fraser, 150. 27, Hannah White, Saint Martin’s, 155.

March 25 GNAC Women's Golf Player of the Week

Meera Minhas, Simon Fraser

Third-career player of the week – third this season.

Minhas went bogey-free in her record round, carding five birdies including four during a 4-under-par 32 on the front nine. She followed with two more birdies her second time through the course, giving her seven total on the day. Minhas’s efforts helped the SFU women tie the third-lowest team score in GNAC history, as they put together a 1-over-par 289 to finish the event in second place. Minhas lowered her scoring average on the season to 74.3 strokes per round, ranking her second in the conference.

“She put herself in scoring position on the par 5s and took advantage,” said head coach Matthew Steinbach. “Going bogey free was the bigger accomplishment. That speaks to course management and her short game. She put the ball in the right places, and then got up and down when she was out of position. Her short game and putting really did the trick for her.”

Also Nominated: Kelsie Inouye, SMU.

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.