Willamette Ties for Second Place at NWC Spring Classic

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

KENNEWICK, WASH. -- Led by strong finishes from Taneesh Sra (So., Fremont, CA/Mission San Jose HS) and Mckenzie Weinhold (Jr., Placerville, CA/El Dorado HS/Univ. of Nevada-Reno), Willamette University tied for second place in the final standings as the Northwest Conference Spring Classic in women's golf concluded at Canyon Lakes Golf Course on Sunday, April 6.

Both rounds were played in windy conditions, which created even more of a factor on the second day, as winds gusted between 15 and 25 miles per hour throughout the final 18 holes.

Even so, Sra registered a score of 83 to earn second place overall at 165. Weinhold carded an 85 in the second round to end the tournament tied for fifth at 168.

Sra's score over the final 18 holes of the tournament was the second lowest result of the day, while Mckenzie tied for the third best score of the second round.

Sydney Maluenda from George Fox University, who achieved medalist recognition by winning the tournament with a score of 153 (77-76), recorded the low round on both days.

Third place went to Melissa Nugent from GFU, who carded a 166 (79-87). She fell one spot after the first round, as Sra gained four strokes over the last 18 holes. Nicole Lomax from Whitworth University, who was tied with Sra for third place after the first round, took fourth in the final standings at 167 (82-85).

Weinhold and Katie Zajicek from Whitman College tied for fifth place. Zajicek matched Weinhold's score of 168, as both golfers shot 83-85.

Madison Perry from George Fox and Michal Schuster from Whitworth tied for seven at 171, with each athlete carding 83-88. Hailey Osrom of GFU was ninth at 172 (86-86).

A trio of golfers -- Yvonee LaCoursiere of Whitworth along with Whitman athletes Alyssa Maine and Catelyn Webber -- tied for 10th at 174. LaCoursiere shot 87-87, while Maine went 88-86 and Webber earned 86-88.

George Fox claimed the team title at 660 (323-337). The Bruins led by 16 strokes at the end of the first round and added 14 strokes to their advantage during the second round. Willamette and Whitworth tied for second at 690 with matching scores of 339-351. Whitman took fourth place at 695 (343-352).

Lewis & Clark College was fifth with a score of 737 (359-378), with Pacific Lutheran University in sixth at 759 (382-377). Linfield College was seventh at 798 (395-403). Pacific University moved up from ninth after the first round into eighth place by improving from 414 to 339, as the Boxers scored 813 overall. University of Puget Sound was ninth at 828 (402-426).

Willamette's LettaJoe Gallup (Jr., Alameda, CA/Holy Names HS) shot 177 (88-89) to take 15th out of the 43 golfers competing. Jessi Weaver (Fr., Lincoln City, OR/Taft HS) ended the weekend at 180 (86-94) for the Bearcats, while Elise Levy (So., Reno, NV/Bishop Manogue HS) shot 189 (93-96).

The NWC Spring Classic and the NWC Fall Classic each count for one-fourth of the overall NWC Championship. The NWC Tournament, set for April 26-27 at the Oregon Golf Association Golf Course in Woodburn, Ore., will count for the final half of the total.

After two of the three NWC events, George Fox is in first place with 15 points. Whitman is second with 13 points, while Willamette is third at 12.5 and Whitworth is fourth at 11.5. Lewis & Clark holds fifth place with 8 points, Pacific Lutheran is sixth at 6, Linfield is seventh at 4, Pacific is eighth with 2 and Puget Sound is ninth with no points.