Willamette Places Second at NWC Spring Classic; Bearcats Lead Season Standings
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
TACOMA, Wash. -- The Willamette University men's golf team finished in second place at the 2022 Northwest Conference Spring Classic as the tournament concluded on Sunday, April 10 at Oakbrook Golf Course. Pacific Lutheran University took first place at 585 (296-289), while Willamette followed at 593 (299-294). Whitworth University was third at 611 (299-312). In the individual standings, Caden Arnold of PLU earned first place with a score of 1-under par 141 (70-71), while Austin Davis (Sr., Culver City, CA/Culver City HS) and Andrew Kibbee (Sr., Kenmore, WA/Bothell HS) of Willamette were involved in a three-way tie for second.
Willamette currently leads the NWC overall standings after two of the three events used to determine the NWC champion. The Bearcats won the NWC Fall Classic and have 15 points in the overall standings. Whitworth is second overall with 13 points after taking third place at the NWC Fall Classic and second place at the NWC Spring Classic. Pacific Lutheran is third overall with 12 points, as the Lutes placed fifth at the NWC Fall Classic before winning the NWC Spring Classic.
The NWC Fall Classic and the NWC Spring Classic are each worth one-fourth of the NWC Championship, while the NWC Tournament is worth one-half of the title. The NWC Tournament is set for April 23-24, with Willamette hosting the event at Creekside Golf Club in Salem, Oregon.
Following PLU's 585, Willamette's 593, and Whitworth's 611 on the team leaderboard were George Fox University and Whitman College, both at 618, as they tied for fourth place. GFU shot 316-302 and Whitman carded 310-308. Linfield University was sixth at 626 (322-304), with the University of Puget Sound in seventh at 634 (325-309), Pacific University in eighth at 648 (326-322), and Lewis & Clark College in ninth at 656 (334-322).
Arnold won the individual title by five strokes for PLU. Davis and Kibbee of Willamette tied for second place with Joshua Clogston from PLU at 146. Davis shot 76-70, Kibbee carded 75-71, and Clogston shot 74-72. Caleb Bolton from Whitworth placed fifth at 147 (72-75) and Gunner Nielsen of PLU was sixth at 148 (76-72). Seventh place went to Oliver Nordberg of Whitworth, who shot 149 (75-74).
Alex Weirth (Sr., Port Orchard, WA/Crosspoint Academy) of Willamette was part of a three-way tie for eighth place at 150. Weirth registered a 75 in both rounds. Also tied for eighth place were Parker Krovisky of Whitman (74-76) and Ryan Pearson of Pacific Lutheran (76-74). Alex Hong of Lewis & Clark and Alex Knox from Whitman tied for 11th place at 151, with Hong shooting 80-71 and Knox recording rounds of 76 and 75.
Willamette's team also included Paxton Jones (Fy., Wellington, NZ/Scots College) and Riley Lankford (Sr., Pilot Rock, OR/Pilot Rock HS). Jones tied for 18th at 156 (73-83) and Lankford tied for 20th at 157 (79-78). A total of 45 golfers competed during the tournament.