BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men’s golf team will compete in the 2018 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships on Monday and Tuesday at the Coeur d’Alene Golf Resort in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
The Vikings are the two-time defending champions of the 54-hole event that will feature 36 holes in the first and second rounds on Monday and the final 18 holes in the final round on Tuesday. WWU is the No. 1 seed in the six-team tournament entering the postseason with a Golfstat relative ranking of No. 39 in NCAA Division II.
WWU will be looking for a three-peat at the GNAC Championships and has had great success at the annual event, winning 8 of the 10 titles since the tournament debuted in 2008. Western is currently ranked No. 8 in the NCAA II West Region and in good position to make a 20th consecutive appearance in the NCAA II Men’s Golf Championships.
“This is always a great tournament that brings out the best in players,” said head coach Luke Bennett, the GNAC Coach of the Year the last two seasons. “It is a tough course, but it is also a fun layout and the team competition really makes it a great experience for the student-athletes. We always enjoy going to Coeur d’Alene and we are looking forward once again to the GNAC putting on a great event.”
WWU heads into the GNAC Championships with the top team scoring average in the conference at 294.9 (+7.81 relative to par) and placed in the top 6 in 8 of 9 tournaments during the 2017-18 season. WWU also had 14 top-10 individual finishes during the season. The Vikings are coming off one of their best performances in program history, tying for 3rd place at the Mustang Intercollegiate April 2-3 in Goodyear, Arizona, finishing the 54-hole tournament at 19-under-par.
“I felt like we had a strong finish to the regular season and the guys are in a good spot mentally,” added Bennett. “They know this tournament is tough and there will be a lot of competition for the top spot, but I think they are looking forward to the challenge.”
WWU has five players listed among the top 10 in the conference in scoring average, with all five in the starting lineup for the GNAC Championships. Freshman Brody Bonfilio (Boise, ID/Bishop Kelly) leads the team and is 2nd in the conference with a scoring average of 73.28 (+1.44 to par), trailing two-time conference player of the year Chris Crisologo (Simon Fraser), who owns a season scoring average of 70.4.
Courtesy of WWU Athletics.
