Whits ‘three-peat’ in men’s golf
For a third straight year, Whitworth has proved it has the best men’s golf team in the Northwest Conference. For the first time in that span, the Pirates find out how they compare nationally.
“I’ll be interested to see,” coach Warren Friedrichs said Monday after the Pirates posted a dominating 19-stroke victory in the NWC tournament at Tokatee Golf Course in Blue River, Ore. “We’ve never been there before so I don’t know how we’ll stack up, but I’d like to find out.”
Led by medalist Steven Johnson, Whitworth compiled a 54-hole team score of 870 to earn the conference’s first automatic berth to the NCAA Division III tournament. It will be May 15-18 in Fishers, Ind. In previous years, the NWC champion had to hold out hope for an at-large bid.
Johnson, a sophomore, shot a 218, including a 3-under-par 69 in Sunday’s opening round, for a one-stroke victory to dethrone teammate Andrew Parrott, who finished fourth at 221. Both earned all-conference recognition, and Friedrichs was named NWC Coach of the Year for a third straight year.
“It’ll be fun,” Friedrichs said of going to nationals. “This is a pretty solid team.”
He noted that Parrott, Sean Thompson, who tied for fifth (222), and Jordan Carter, eighth (223), “have been on the team all three years – and they’ve improved all along.”
Whitworth also had a fifth golfer in the top eight, Patrick Dorsing, who was in a three-way tie in fifth with Thompson.
•Washington and Washington State are seventh and eighth, respectively, after the first of three rounds of the Pac-10 women’s championships in Seattle.
Washington, led by Christina Yoon (tied for fourth at 1-over 73), shot 313. WSU shot 317. Arizona State has a six-stroke lead at 297. WSU’s leading scorers were Tracy Borders and Brooke Henderson at 6-over 78.
•Washington State has two golfers in the top 10, Chris Collins and Jordan Madison among those in a tie for 10th with 1-under-par 143s, after the first two rounds of the Pac-10 men’s tournament in Eugene, Ore.
WSU is tied for seventh at 733, 33 shots back of leader Southern California. Washington is fifth at 725. Huskies senior Alex Prugh (Ferris) is tied for 19th at even-par 144.
GSL golf
Lewis and Clark had the medalists and the girls team winner in the Greater Spokane League’s fourth match of the season at The Links Golf Course.
Chessey Thomas’ 2-over-par 74 led LC to a 436-441 margin over runner-up Mead in the girls event. Lauren Howell of Mead shot 77.
Justin Haoke of LC had a 4-under 68 for a one-shot edge over Dustin Poe of Ferris, whose Saxons won the boys event, 376-380 over Mead. LC was third at 389.
Baseball
Gonzaga sophomore first baseman Ryan Wiegand, who batted .467 as the Bulldogs posted a 3-1 record last week, is the West Coast Conference Player of the Week.
Wiegand, who was 7 for 15, had two doubles, two home runs, scored five runs, drove in five runs and stole a base as GU ran its record to 26-18, 9-3 in WCC play.
High school softball
An 11-run first inning, ignited by Chelsea Bauman’s single and including Allie Isaac’s two-run triple, launched West Valley to a 14-2, five-inning win over Riverside in the completion of a Great Northern League doubleheader from April 14.
Bauman finished 3 for 3, including a double, with three runs scored and two RBIs and Isaac was 2 for 2, including the triple, with two runs scored and three RBIs.