Willamette Wins Ohana Classic Match Play Competition

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

KANEOHE, HAWAII -- Willamette University won the Ohana Classic Match Play competition on Wednesday, March 27 at the Ko'olau Golf Club, as the Bearcats went 2-0 in three of the five threesomes. The Bearcats scored 7.5 points out of a possible 10 points. Hawaii Pacific University earned 4.5 points to finish second and Whitworth University achieved 3.0 points to finish third.

Each match play victory was worth one point in the team standings.

Sweeping their respective playing groups for the Bearcats were Mele Ana Kastner (So., Vancouver, WA/Columbia River HS), LettaJoe Gallup (So., Alameda, CA/Holy Names HS) and Taneesh Kaur Sra (Fr., Fremont, CA/Mission San Jose HS).

Kastner defeated both of her opponents in Group 1. She downed Zora Vickova of Hawaii Pacific, 7 and 6, while also defeating Cindy Tapia from Whitworth, 7 and 6.

In Group 2, Gallup edged out both Emily Travis of Whitworth and Dominique Bushong from HPU. Gallup finished in front of Travis, 4 and 3, and outlasted Bushong, 1-up.

Sra easily defeated Presli Pilati of HPU, 8 and 7, in Group 3, but barely held off Chelsea Baily of Whitworth, 2-up, by winning the last hole.

Group 4 was won by Susanna Sarkki from Hawaii Pacific, who defeated Elise Levy (Fr., Reno, NV/Bishop Monague HS) of Willamette, 8 and 7, to go along with a similar win over Yvonne LaCoursiere of Whitworth, 8 and 7. Levy defeated LaCoursiere, 2 and 1, to secure one point for the Bearcats.

There was a solid battle in Group 5, as Emily Guthrie won two points for the Pirates of Whitworth. Guthrie outlasted Willamette's Mckenzie Weinhold (So., Placerville, CA/El Dorado HS/Univ. of Nevada-Reno), 2-up, and downed Kailee Kuehn of HPU, 3 and 1.

In the Guthrie-versus-Weinhold competition, Guthrie was 1-up entering the 18th hole. Weinhold had a chance to win the hole and tie the match, but barely missed a shot from just off the green. Weinhold and Kuehn finished all square in their matchup, as each team received one-half point.

Willamette also won the stroke play competition on Tuesday at the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course with a score of 325, with Whitworth in second place at 331 and the Sea Warriors for Hawaii Pacific in third at 343.

In the overall standings for both days, Willamette finished first with 4 points (2 for placing first each day), while Whitworth and Hawaii Pacific tied for second with 1 point each (for placing second on one of the two days).

The Bearcats will return to action April 6-7 at the NWC Spring Classic, which will be held at Gold Mountain Golf Course in Bremerton, Wash.