Towner Places 15th at NWC Spring Classic in Women's Golf
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Lexi Towner (Jr., Chico, CA/Chico HS) from Willamette University improved by five strokes on the second day of the Northwest Conference Spring Classic in women's golf on Sunday, April 14 at the Olympia Country & Golf Club. Towner finished the tournament in 15th place with a 36-hole score of 181.
Towner shot 93 in the first round on Saturday, but lowered her score to 88 on Sunday.
Kristen Barclay (Jr./So., Kenmore, WA/Cedar Park Christian School) and Katerin Vasquez (So., Indio, CA/Coachella Valley HS) also improved in the second round for the Bearcats. Barclay, who shot 107 on Saturday, recorded a 96 on Sunday for an overall score of 203. Vasquez was 21 strokes lower on Sunday, as she went from a 133 to a 112 for a total of 245.
The individual champion of the Spring Classic was Iris Kawada from George Fox University. She carded scores of 75 and 81 for a total of 12-over-par 156. Kawada won by six strokes and led a 1-2-3 finish for the Bruins, with Alex McMenamin in second place at 162 (81-81) and Janelle Decker in third at 163 (79-84).
Shiyang Fan of Whitman College placed fourth at 164 after shooting 80 and 84. Two golfers, Ally Collier of Whitman and Kayle Hunn from George Fox, tied for fifth place at 167. Collier shot 84-83, while Hunn recorded 85-82.
Sammy Briney from Pacific Lutheran University was seventh with a score of 168 (84-84). Tied for eighth at 170 were Rachel Drgastin of GFU and Kacey Godwin of Whitman. Drgastin registered scores of 87 and 83, while Godwin earned scores of 86 and 84. Allie Slingsby from Whitworth rounded out the top 10 at 172 (89-83).
George Fox topped the team standings at 647 (320-327). Whitman followed in second at 677 (341-336) and Whitworth was third at 706 (351-355). Pacific Lutheran improved by 27 strokes in the second round and was fourth at 751 (389-362). Lewis & Clark College held fifth place at 759 (386-373), University of Puget Sound was sixth at 795 (401-394), and Pacific University was seventh at 810 (412-398). Linfield College and Willamette did not field complete teams.
The NWC Spring Classic is one of three tournaments used to determine the overall NWC champion. The NWC Fall Classic is worth one-fourth of the overall title and the NWC Spring Classic also is worth one-fourth. The NWC Tournament on April 27-28 at Wine Valley Golf Club, in Walla Walla, Washington, will count for one-half of the title.
Big Moment of the Tournament for Willamette
Lexi Towner placed 15th overall with a score of 181. She shot a 93
in the first round and then improved by five strokes to an 88 in the
second round. She led a strong second day for the Bearcats, with
improved scores for all three competitors. Kristen Barclay reduced
her score by 11 strokes and Katerin Vasquez dropped her score
by 21 strokes.