Idaho’s Mortellaro defends WAC title

Idaho’s Kayla Mortellaro defended her title at the Western Athletic Conference Golf Championship, winning on the fourth hole of a playoff Wednesday in Mesa, Ariz.

Mortellaro shot a 1-over-par 73 in Wednesday’s final round and finished tied with New Mexico State’s Demi Mak, who shot a 5-under 67 to record the lowest round of the tournament.

Both players parred the first three playoff holes before Mortellaro birdied the fourth for the championship, the 10th individual title of her career.

Mortellaro used a different approach on the final playoff hole, the water-lined 364-yard fourth hole.

“I had not taken the right line (in earlier rounds),” said Mortellaro, who bogeyed the hole in regulation. “I committed to the swing, made the effort and absolutely hit it on the right line.”

She hit her drive to the center of the fairway and just 87 yards from the hole. She hit her approach to 6 inches and tapped in for the title.

The Vandals finished second as a team at 890, 13 strokes behind first-place San Jose State.

Idaho’s Teo Poplawski concluded her collegiate career with a tie for fifth place at 4-over 220. The Vandals’ Leilanie Kim tied for 14th at 228, Rachel Choi tied for 17th at 231 and Kaitlyn Oster tied for 19th at 232.

Mortellaro also earned her third WAC Player of the Year honor and Idaho coach Lisa Johnson was named co-Coach of the Year. Poplawski was a second-team all-conference selection and Mortellaro was selected to the first team.

College tennis

The Gonzaga men’s and women’s tennis teams finished their seasons with first-round losses at the West Coast Conference Championships in San Diego.

The eighth-seeded GU women lost to No. 5 seed Santa Clara, while the ninth-seeded men lost to No. 4 seed Brigham Young. The women finished 9-12 overall, while the men finished 9-13.

Wednesday’s match was the final one for three senior women – Kristina Zauere, Sophie Lantta and Madeline Parker – and two senior men, Scott Sullivan and Zhia Hwa Chong.

Sullivan led the Bulldogs with 23 wins this season.

College baseball

Walla Walla Community College swept Community Colleges of Spokane in an NWAACC doubleheader at Walla Walla, winning the first game 7-6 and the second 6-3.

The Sasquatch dropped to 13-21 overall, 5-13 in conference.