Portland State golf returns this fall as the Big Sky champion for the seventh time in 12 years.
Last year, for the first time in school history, the Vikings had six players average in the 70s. A Ram Choi (who led PSU with a scoring average of 74.25), Kelly Miller and Alyssa Waite are all returning and will be joined by incoming freshmen Hansol Koo and Sonia Sanchez-Fernandez. Koo is from Honolulu and Sanchez-Fernandez is from Sitges, Spain. The Vikings have lost the reigning Big Sky Freshman of the Year, Madison Bentley.
This team, despite the loss of Bentley, is set to be a contender for a consecutive title. They tied for 21st in the NCAA regional and Miller shot a 79–73–78=230—the best finish ever for a Viking; rookie head coach Kailin Downs was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year, and in the Price’s Give ‘Em Five Intercollegiate, hosted by New Mexico State in October, PSU set a 54-hole record for scoring. Choi set a school record of 8 under par at the same tournament.
In addition to losing Bentley, the Vikings have lost Riley Leming (who shot a runner-up two under at the Give Em’ Five) and Kristin Henno. These players were fourth and fifth in scoring for the Vikings, respectively. However, optimism around the PSU Vikings is easy to maintain. Choi is set to finish her career at PSU at the end of this season, marking the end of one of the most storied careers in Vikings golf history. Last year she earned her second consecutive Big Sky Player of the Year honors while breaking the school record for lowest scoring average which she had set in 2012–13.
The arrival of Sanchez-Fernandez adds an intriguing element to this year’s Vikings. She finished first place in the under-25 Interterritorial Tournament, 10th at the International Dutch Open, and second at the Catalonia under-18 tournament.
“I am excited to have [Sanchez-Fernandez] join our Viking family in the fall,” said head coach Kailin Downs. “She has…represented her country, training and competing for the national team. I look forward to her stepping in and having an immediate impact on our program.”
PSU golf is the most successful of PSU’s sports programs. Their seven titles are second to none. And the best news? It doesn’t seem like their success will end anytime soon.
