CCS men capture Bigfoot

Freshman Evan Omelia claimed medalist honors in a one-hole playoff to lead the Community Colleges of Spokane men to the championship of the Bigfoot Invitational NWAACC league match that was played Sunday at Hangman Valley and Monday at Indian Canyon golf courses.

Omelia and Broc Johnson from Green River tied with 5-under-par 138s after 36 holes to force the playoff.

Two other Sasquatch freshmen, Cooper Wright of Moscow, Idaho, who shot 144 for third, and Daniel Cruzen, 148 to tie for sixth, helped lead CCS to a 584 team total and 14-stroke victory over Green River. The four CCS scorers shot 1 under par on Monday.

Women

Community Colleges of Spokane had two in the top six – Moscow sophomore Cindy Pitkin, who placed fourth at 176, and freshman Brigid Rypien (North Central), sixth at 182 – but the Sasquatch wound up fourth in the Big Foot Invitational NWAACC league match at Indian Canyon and Hangman Valley.

Green River had the medalist, Madeleine Ottosson, who won by nine shots with a 158. Columbia Basin, with three of its four scorers in the top seven, edged the Gators 533-537 for the team title.

• After a strong opening round, in which they were tied for fourth, the Eastern Washington Eagles tumbled to seventh after two rounds of the 54-hole Big Sky Conference Championships at Ocotillo Golf Resort in Chandler, Ariz.

Eastern’s two-day total of 613 is 21 shots back of leader Portland State.

Eagles’ freshman Marissa Borja, who had a 1-over 73 opening day, came back with a 77 for 150, eight back of the leader, Carleigh Silvers of Northern Colorado, who shot a tournament-low 69 in the second round.

• Washington, with three in the top 10, is third and Washington State tied for 10th after the first round of the Pac-12 Championships at Valencia Country Club in Valencia, Calif.

Sophomore SooBin Kim shot a par 72 to tie for fifth with teammates Charlotte Thomas and Ying Luo matching 73s as part of an eight-way tie for 10th to lead the Huskies to a 293 team total. Southern California has an 8-under 280 and a 10-shot lead over UCLA.

Junior Mallory Kent is Washington State’s leading scorer at 3-over 75 to tie for 25th. The Cougars’ 311 has them tied with Colorado at the bottom of the 11-school field.

• Struggles around the green proved costly to Idaho in the opening round of the Western Athletic Conference Championships at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz.

The Vandals had a 312 team total, 17 shots back of the University of Denver, the first-day leader at 295. San Jose State and Texas San Antonio share second, two strokes back at 297.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Oster and junior Rachel Choi led the Vandals with 4-over 76s and are in a group tied for 12th.

Denver’s Tonje Daffinrud is the first-round leader with a 4-under 68 for a two-shot margin.