Willamette Women's Golf Places 4th in Final Standings at Puget Sound Invite
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
DuPONT, Wash. -- Willamette University lowered its team score by 15 strokes on the second day of the Puget Sound Invitational on Sunday, March 8, and the Bearcats finished fourth, as the tournament concluded at The Home Course. In the individual standings, Lexi Towner (Sr., Chico, CA/Chico HS) of Willamette placed 17th. Kristen Barclay (Sr./Jr., Kenmore, WA/Cedar Park Christian School) earned 18th place for the Bearcats.
Whitman College won the team championship with a 36-hole team result of 644. The Blues shot 333 in the first round and registered the low team round of the tournament with a 311 on Sunday. Whitworth University was second at 651. The Pirates started the day tied with Whitman at 333 and then carded a 318 in the second round. St. Martin's University (Wash.) placed third at 658 (335-323), Willamette was fourth at 773 (394-379), and the University of Puget Sound was fifth at 782 (408-374). Bellevue Community College did not record a team score in the second round.
Allie Slingsby of Whitworth gained medalist honors with a 36-hole score of 147 (73-74). She registered the two lowest rounds of the tournament to win by 10 strokes. Kathryn Crimp from St. Martin's finished second at 157 (76-81), while Hannah Roh of Whitman took third place at 159 (82-77). Two golfers, Emma Beyer of Whitman and Cheyenne Marchand from Whitworth, tied for fourth at 163. Beyer carded scores of 76 and 87, while Marchand shot 84 and 79.
Amy Collier from Whitman was sixth with a score of 164 (86-78). Michaela Morris and Hoku Nagamine, both from St. Martin's, joined Wihtworth's Maggie Peters in a tie for seventh at 165. Morris shot 85-80, Nagamine registered sores of 88-77, and Peters carded 84-81.
For Willamette, Towner's score of 182 included rounds of 94 and 88. Barclay shot 189 with scores of 96 and 93. Meghan Hook (So./Fy., Sunnyvale, CA/Homestead HS) earned scores of 96 and 97 for a total of 193. Also for the Bearcats, Analyssa Ruiz (So./Fy., Keizer, OR/Blanchet Catholic School) shot 209 (108-101), Alexis Schwartz (So./Fy., Ontario, OR/Ontario HS) achieved scores of 120 and 108, and Kiki Fierstos (So./Fy., Redmond, OR/Redmond HS) shot 126 and 113.
The Bearcats will host the Willamette Valley Cup on Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15 at Creekside Country Club in Salem, Ore. The 36-hole tournament will feature 18 holes each day.