Cody Roth
The Vikings finished on 27-over 891 and were led by freshman, and Bellingham's own, Cody Roth who shot a closing level-par 72 to finish the tournament on five-over 221 and tied for 12th individually. Junior Brett Johnson also had a fine final round - a one-under 71 that left him tied for 16th on 222.
"The guys took a step in the right direction with today’s round…something we can build on,” said head coach Luke Bennett. “Brett and Cody were both rock solid today."
Also receiving praise from Coach Bennett was Brennan Emory who played the final nine holes in three-under to salvage an otherwise disappointing tourament, ultimately finishing tied for 63rd on 237. "He and the rest of the team competed hard all the way to the end of the tournament," said Bennett.
The two other Vikings in the 95-man field were Chris Hatch who tied for 14th on six-over 222, and Jeff Marcum, tied for 33rd on 228. WWU was the highest placed of the five Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) schools. The No. 26 Vikings also placed ahead of No. 14 Cal State San Marcos (+32) and No. 11 Simon Fraser (+35).
Host Cal Baptist won the event on five-over 869, with BYU-Hawaii and Colorado Christian tieing for second on 876. Colorado Christian senior Nathanial Goddard (-3, 213) edged out Cal Baptist sophomore Kavan Eubank (-2, 214) for medalist honors.
Results here.
Meanwhile, three hundred and fifty miles northwest of Corona, the WWU women's team (right) finished second at the Otter Invitational played at the Bayonet and Black Horse golf courses in Seaside, Calif. after improving on their opening 31-over 319 by 16 shots in yesterday's second and final round. Sudden Valley's Jenn Paul starred yet again for the Vikings, shooting a final round two-over 74 to finish on nine-over 153 and tied for fourth. It was the sophomore's fifth successive top-ten finish.
Joining her in the top ten was Audrey Orem who tied for ninth on 154. Brooke Branigan finished T20 on 157, Stephanie Sewell rose from T51 to T24 with a final round 75 to finish on 158, and Kristen Hansen came in tied for 42nd on 163.
“I am really proud of the team for the way they battled back and made some adjustments from yesterday’s round,” said head coach Bo Stephan. “We knew we could make a few changes, and put a good round together to move up, and we did just that. They came out and battled a tough course, and had a great day.”
Tarleton State won the tournament, finishing 13 shots ahead of the Vikings on 33-over 609. And the TexAnn's Beatriz Prados won medalist honors on six-over 150.
Results here.
