Surprise season comes to an end

Playing in their fourth NCAA Regional Tournament this decade, the Portland State women’s golf team finished 20th out of 21 teams at the NCAA West Regional in Sacramento, Calif., this past weekend.

Pitted against many of the top teams in the nation, the Vikings were unable to compete with most of the other schools in the field, despite posting their best score in the NCAA Tournament in school history.

The Vikings three-day total of 928 landed them at 68 shots behind the University of Southern California, who won the tournament with a three-day total of 855 and had four of their five players finish at even par or better.

With their top score, the Trojans are one of the eight teams from the region that advanced to the NCAA Championships to be played May 20-23, in Albuquerque, N.M.

Although the result was a disappointing conclusion for first-year head coach Kathleen Takaishi, her team has reason to be optimistic headed into the off-season.

“It was tough playing against the best teams in the nation,” said junior Kayla Morinaga. “But we really enjoyed the experience and we can consider this season a success.”

After struggling to finish in the top-tier in any of their spring tournaments and despite being picked to finish in the middle of the pack in the Big Sky Conference, the Vikings surprised many when they won the conference tournament and earned a spot among the nation’s elite.

“We kept improving throughout the year and saw improvement at the right times,” said Takaishi in her evaluation of her teams season before the tournament began.

Their surprise finish as the best team in the Big Sky at the conference tournament earned the Vikings a spot among the nation’s premier teams, an experience that should prove valuable to the young squad that will be returning next season.

“We have very high hopes for next year,” Morinaga said. “We haven’t discussed goals yet, but of course we want to be able to go back to the national tournament.”

If the West Regional is any indication, the Vikings should have an opportunity to establish themselves as the dominant team in the Big Sky next season.

Freshman Alexia Brown’s three-day total of 226 placed her among the top 50 at the tournament. Brown recorded a 73 in her final round of play, the best round ever by a Viking in a NCAA Regional.

Although the Vikings lose sophomore Hannah Bews, the Big Sky Medalist who is transferring to Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Fla., they return the rest of their roster and will be further bolstered by the addition of at least one transfer and one new recruit.

The roster will likely feature Brown and Morinaga, an all-conference performer the last two seasons who, despite struggling in the final tournament of the season, boasts a resume that would rival any former Portland State golfer.

“I didn’t finish as well as I would have wanted, and that was difficult. But to be one of the top 63 teams in the nation is a big accomplishment for our team,” Morinaga said. “The experience we gained will definitely help us next season.”

West Regional team scores

1. USC855

2. Arizona State 870

3. UNLV 879

4. Arizona 880

5. Oklahoma State 882

5. Arkansas 882

7. Tulsa 884

8. UC Davis 892*

8. Stanford 892

8. Ohio State 892 *Won in playoff**Top eight teams advance to NCAA Championships

Individual scores (three-day total)

1. Therese Koelbaek 210 UNLV

1. Alison Walshe 210 Arizona

3. Azahara Munoz 211 Arizona State

3. Stefanie Endstrasser 211 USC

5. Jaclyn Sweeney 213 Oklahoma State

*Top three individuals advance to NCAA Championships

Portland State

49. Alexia Brown 226

56. Hannah Bews 228

86. Danielle Ranallo 234

103. Kayla Morinaga 245

105. Aubrey Vaughn 249