Blog 61, 9/28/10 - Vikings Tied For Lead at Bellingham GCC
Sure enough, after a slightly disappointing opening round of three-over 291 that put them in a tie for fourth, the Vikings fought back in the afternoon to tie CSU Moneterey Bay at the top of the leaderboard with a round of 285. Chico State, which finished runner-up to Western in Olympia on Saturday, and Sonoma State - both from California - share third place two shots behind the co-leaders.
Leading the Vikings is Nick Varelia whose 36-hole total of 143 puts him in a tie for 11th, eight shots behind Western's Brian Barhanovich (left) who shot a new course record eight-under 64 in the morning and who, sadly for WWU, is playing as an individual. In fact, Western has four other squad members playing as individuals and, amazingly, together this 'team' would collectively be nine shots clear at the top of the leaderboard. Sam Ayotte and Thomas Jun both shot 69, 70 to tie for third on the individual leaderboard while Adam Brisben shots two 77s and Evan Needham had an 81 and 78."That just shows our depth and strength,” said Head Coach Steve Card. “Clearly, right now we can go eight guys deep. Brian, Thomas and Sam have been playing well so far this year, but in a straight-up, stroke-play qualifier they didn’t make it to last weekend’s first tournament. The five players we took to Saint Martin’s all played well and won the tournament, so there was no need to make any changes in the lineup. If only I had a crystal ball. But those guys are going to see plenty of action this year, maybe sooner than later, based on their performance today.”
After Varelia in the varsity team come Dylan Goodwin and Sandy Vaughn who both followed morning 73s with a 71 in the second round to end the day tied for 15th. Xavier Dailly, the winner at St Martin's, couldn't hit his stride today and, with rounds of 75 and 71, is tied for 25th. Patrick Boag is tied for 31st on 147.
