Eagles finish top ten in Big Sky Championship
MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 months, 3 weeks AGO
Eastern Washington’s women's golf placed top ten in the Big Sky Championships. Spencer Cerenzia took top marks for the day with a hole-in-one on the par three, ninth hole.
COURTESY PHOTO/EWU ATHLETICS
LITCHFIELD PARK, AZ – Eastern Washington’s womens golf finished ninth in the Big Sky Championships on Wednesday, shooting 911 overall, according to a statement by Eastern Washington University Athletics.
"This week's finish was not the outcome we were hoping for after a strong finish last week," head coach Brenda Howe explained. "Day one had some good scores from our one, two and three seeded players, with the four and five struggling. Day two and three, the four and five seeded players [Brooke Mahler and Spencer Cerenzia] stepped up and did their job playing in those positions. Unfortunately, we struggled in the one-through-three spots the last two days."
Gabriella Ilardi rebounded in the final round today, shooting 73 (+2), recording four birdies to move into a tie for 11th on the individual leaderboard. She shot 219 (+6) for the Championships.
Kami Twining's Eagle career also came to an end in Litchfield Park, as the senior tied for 36th (231) at the Championships.
Freshman Spencer Cerenzia grabbed the highlight of the day for Eastern, knocking in a hole-in-one on the par-three, ninth hole.
"Gabbi [Ilardi] played well today with a couple of hiccups in the middle of the round but turned things around with a few late-round birdies," Howe added. "I'm really proud of Spencer following a breakthrough tournament last week. She was the wide-eyed freshman experiencing a conference championship for the first time on Monday, but once she settled down, she really stepped it up and fought until the end to provide us some crucial scores from the five-spot when the higher-seeded players struggled. She made her first hole-in-one today and had some bogeys before and after but finished her last six holes one under par. Brooke, playing in the four-spot, also finished strong to post a much-needed counting score."
Sacramento State won the championship, winning by 15 strokes over Weber State for second. The Hornets had an 853 (+1) for the three-day competition. Montana State's Maddie Montoya claimed the individual title, taking the top spot with a 69 (-2) today and a 209 (-4) total score for the championships. Sac. St.'s Caitlin Maurice earned runner-up status after shooting 210 (-3).
ARTICLES BY MIKE MAYNARD
Eagles suffer loss ahead of conference tourney
CHENEY — The Eastern Washington Eagles (13-18) were white hot coming into their game against the Vandals on an eight-game win streak. However, their momentum ran out at home as Idaho outscored the Eagles 85-81 Monday. “They just had an edge to them tonight,” Associate Head Coach Ryan Lundgren said. “They were the tougher team tonight, bottom line. I mean, they just wanted that game more than us."
Eagles fall after fourth quarter rally by Idaho
CHENEY — After a competitive first half, the Vandals were able to run away with the game 75-64, as they stunted any momentum Eastern Washington (14-17) built. Despite the loss, Head Coach Joddie Gleason felt her team played hard, according to a statement by EWU Athletics. “These were two good teams that battled tonight, and the conference champs took control in the fourth to secure the win,” Gleason said. “Ella Gallatin was absolutely amazing tonight and helped propel us into the lead at halftime. Unfortunately, we couldn't keep them off the glass to start the game and then again in the pivotal moments in the fourth. We didn't match their physicality, or we had the chance to steal the game in Moscow.”
Skjonsby’s late heroics lift Cougs to road win over Long Beach State
LONG BEACH, Cali. — After a late rally led by Ryan Skjonsby, the Washington State Cougars (5-6) defeated the Long Beach State Dirtbags 9-7 Sunday. In a postgame interview with WSU Athletics, Skjonsby credited his team for finding a way to win.