CORVALLIS, Ore. – The first conference event of the new season tees off Monday as UBC returns to Cascade Collegiate Conference action.
Last year, the Thunderbirds had to opt out of the season due to border closures, but they return to host the first event of the season: the UBC Invitational/ Gail Moore Intercollegiate at Sudden Valley Golf Course in Bellingham, Wash.
The two-day event gets underway Monday morning and is one of three conference tournaments that will be played this season. Each day consists of an 18-hole round and features No. 8-ranked UBC, No. 19-ranked Oregon Tech, Bushnell University, Lewis-Clark State College, Corban University, College of Idaho, and Walla Walla University.
UBC looks to get back to where it left off in 2019, when it won its fifth NAIA National Championship. The T-Birds are a young squad, with seven first year golfers. Shania Remandaban and Ester Lee are the lone T-Birds from the 2018-19 championship team.
Oregon Tech swept the 2020-21 CCC Women's Golf Championships and looks to spoil the Thunderbirds’ return to the CCC. The Owls are under a new head coach after Jeff Corkill retired. Dave Myers took over the reins in July and has solid talent returning, led by NAIA All-American Payton Canon. The senior took sixth overall at the NAIA Championship to help the Owls take 13
th as a team.
LC State – which is receiving votes in the NAIA poll – will be young this year after losing five seniors, including the conference's Player of the Year Lauren Hamm, who was the lone Warrior qualifier to the NAIA national tournament a year ago. The Warriors took second at the CCC tournament and were picked to finish third.
Corban's 2020-21 All-Conference duo of Kristin Senatra (80.9 scoring average in 2020-21) and Delainey Rez (79.91 scoring average in 2020-21) figure to headline the Warriors' efforts this season. The Warriors were picked to take fourth in the CCC Preseason Poll.
Bushnell was picked to take fifth in the conference and
College of Idaho returns all four players who were a part of the squad for the entire 2020-21 season – looking to improve on its sixth-place selection in the conference’s preseason poll.
Walla Walla University was picked to take seventh this year and returns Marisa Hagerty, who last year shot the best two-round championship score in Wolves history.
In a tournament, five players compose the team but only the top four scores are used for the team score in each round. Live stats will not be available for the tournament.