Putting for prizes

Portland State University’s women’s golf team won the Big Sky Title for the third season in a row. The win gave the team an automatic trip to the NCAA Regional Tournament and will find out Monday where they play.

The Viking Golfers had a team score of 905 over 54 holes, winning the title at the Palm Valley Golf Club in Goodyear, AZ.

They beat out their closest competition by 13 shots.

The Portland State Vikings will now attend the NCAA Regional Tournament May 4-6.

Over the course of the tournament, PSU shot 289-311-305, scoring a school-record on the first day and finished leading by 12 shots.

On Tuesday the Vikings kept ahead by 10 strokes despite heavy winds, finishing the Wednesday tournament with a score of 305.

Senior Jeana Lee shot 73 on the final day of the conference and tied with senior Sarah Tiller for third.

Tiller shot 69-74-82 for a final score of 225, while Lee shot 74-78-73 for a total of 225 as well.

Out of the 40 golfers competing, freshman Haley Brown placed seventh shooting 71-80-76 over 54 holes for a total 227. Junior Danielle Reilly placed 12th with 75-79-77 for 231, and sophomore Ashley Anast tied for 21st.

Portland State’s total score of 905 was the same as their conference-winning score of 2003. The Vikings achieved a Big Sky record score of 886 in 2004.

Other competitors in the conference included the Montana Grizzlies, who were fifth going into the final round but then placed second after shooting a school record of 299.

The Grizzlies total score was 918.

Eastern Washington placed third, moving up from fourth in the final round. During the final round the Eagles shot a 305 to make that their best round of the week and ending with a 54 hole final score of 922.

The individual title went to freshman Sophia Choi of Northern Arizona who shot 71-71-77 for a final score of 219.

This third straight conference title has now ended another year for the Vikings against their Big Sky competition.

In the 2004-2005 year, PSU was 22-2 in head-to-head scoring against other Big Sky schools and over the past two years, has been 46-2.

Tiller was awarded Player of the Year honors and is a five-time Conference Player of the Week. Lee was awarded first team All-Big Sky and Haley Brown received second-team All-Big Sky Conference.

PSU has done outstanding in winning Big Sky titles in women’s golf. It has won as many in women’s golf (three) as it has in all other Big Sky sports (men’s basketball, women’s soccer and men’s golf), which have each won one.

PSU has now won six overall titles.

This is the third trip to the NCAA Regional for PSU in three years. In the past two years the Vikings have placed 16th and 20th at regionals. The top eight teams from all three of the regional competition around the country will move on to the NCAA Championship on May 17-20 in Sunriver, OR.