Taya Battistella, a junior on the Portland State women’s golf team, has earned a berth in the NCAA Women’s West Regional Golf Championship, May 10-12 at Trysting Tree Golf Course in Corvallis, Ore.
Battistella is the first Viking to win the individual title at the Big Sky Conference Championship held in Layton, Utah. Battistella shot 80-70-69 for a three-over par 219 and seven-stroke victory. The native of Bend, Ore. set new Big Sky Conference records for lowest (69) and second-lowest (70) single rounds in the eight-year history of the event. Battistella’s 219 also eclipsed the previous 54-hole record of 223 set in 1999 by Tenille Howe of Weber State.
Moreover, Battistella established new standards at Portland State as the first women’s golfer ever to win the Big Sky individual title, and leading the team to its best-ever finish (third) in the four-year history of the Viking program.
Battistella’s 70 and 69 are also the two best individual scores ever for a Viking woman. Her 77.0 scoring average for the 2000-01 season is a school record.
Earning a berth in the NCAA West Regional Championship was no small feat for Battistella. Only two individuals in the West Region – and six players in the nation – earned at-large berths to next week’s three regionals. The West Regional, which takes place at Trysting Tree GC, will have 21 teams competing, including Big Sky Champion Weber State.
Battistella has an outstanding history at Trysting Tree Golf Course. Last fall, Battistella shot 74-76-71 (221) to tie for second at the Oregon State Invitational. At that time, it was the best-ever 54-hole effort for a PSU woman golfer. A three-time Oregon state champion at Bend High School, Battistella won two of her titles at Trysting Tree (1996 and 1998), as well as one at Langdon Farms Golf Club (1997).