NWC Fall Classic: Bruins Rally to Defend Classic Title; Nap, Morrison 3-4 on Board

BEND, Ore. - Led by All-American Brianna Nap’s round of 80, the second-best score of the day, the George Fox University Bruins rallied from eight strokes down after the first day to eight strokes ahead, successfully defending their Northwest Conference Women’s Golf Fall Classic title Sunday here at the Lost Tracks Golf Course.

After a 328 on Saturday, George Fox trailed Whitworth University’s 320 and was only one stroke ahead of third-place Linfield. The Bruins shot a 331 on the par 73, 5,890-yard course on Sunday to finish with a winning 659, but almost every team’s score went up on the second day, some dramatically, mainly due to adverse weather conditions of cold, rain, and strong winds throughout the day. One team (Pacific Lutheran University) shot the same score both days, and one team (Pacific University) withdrew in the middle of the second round.

Runner-up to George Fox was Whitworth with a 320-347=667, followed by Linfield at 329-364=693, Whitman College at 348-350=698, the University of Puget Sound at 348-372=720, Pacific Lutheran at 383-383=766, and Willamette University at 411-421=832. Pacific had a 355 on Saturday in its completed round, while Lewis & Clark College had only two players entered and thus no team score.

Nap led the Bruins with an 81-80=161, finishing third in the individual standings. Kelsey Morrison, the first-round leader by a stroke, ended with a 76-86=162 and slipped back to fourth. Jill Westendorf shot an 86-82=168 to tie for seventh, Sarah Askin had an 88-83=171 to tie for 11th, Abby Mann carded an 85-86=171 to tie for 11th, and Mandy Cameron finished with an 86-86=172 to place 14th.

“I am so proud of all six of our young ladies,” said George Fox coach MaryJo McCloskey, “coming back to win like they did under such severe weather conditions. We didn’t shoot a bad round on Saturday - Whitworth just played extremely well - and to come out and shoot a 331 in today’s circumstances says a lot about the mental toughness and focus of our team. They were able to put aside the weather and concentrate on their game, and it paid off with a tremendous win.”

Sarah Bicker of Puget Sound climbed from fourth to take medalist honors with a 78-79=157., two shots ahead of last year’s winner, Emily Guthrie of Whitworth, who had a 77-82=159. After Nap and Morrison, fifth place went to Katie Zajicke of Whitman, who shot an 82-83=165.

The NWC Fall Classic was the final match of the fall season for all the conference teams.

Complete results of the Northwest Conference Fall Classic, courtesy of the host Linfield sports information office, are available on line on the George Fox women’s golf website at athletics.georgefox.edu/sports/wgolf/2010-11/files/1024.htm.

SPORTS RELEASE: WOMEN’S GOLF From George Fox University gfubruins.com

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