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GCU HEADED TO SAN FRANCISCO FOR NCAA REGIONAL
The Grand Canyon women's golf team is headed to the Stanford Regional in San Francisco, as announced by the Golf Channel's NCAA Selection Show.
A total of 72 teams and 24 individuals were selected to compete in the NCAA Women's Regional Championships, May 7-9 (18 teams and six individuals per regional). 24 teams and 12 individuals will advanced from regional sites to the national championship.
GCU earned the Western Athletic Conference's auto-bid to the dance, as the Lopes defeated NM State by one shot at Legacy Golf Club in Phoenix.
Of the four Regional sites, the Lopes are headed to the Stanford Regional which will be played at the legendary TPC Harding Park course in San Francisco. Most recently TPC Harding Park has played host to the 2015 WGC - Cadillac Match Play and the 2009 Presidents Cup. It is also the site of the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2025 Presidents Cup.
NMSU'S CHANACHAI EARNS AT-LARGE SELECTION TO NCAA MADISON REGIONAL
After posting a runner-up finish at the 2018 WAC Women's Golf Championship in Phoenix, NM State sophomore Pun Chanachai earned an at-large selection the NCAA Regional and will compete at the Madison Regional, at University Ridge Golf Course and hosted by University of Wisconsin.
Chanachai led the WAC with a 72.7 stroke average and was named WAC Player of the Year for the second straight season. At last season's NCAA Regional in Albuquerque, she tied for 36th with a 9-over-par 225.
The three highest-finishing individuals that are not among the top six teams at each regional will advance to the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship on May 18-23 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla.
WAC WOMEN'S GOLF POSTSEASON HONORS ANNOUNCED
The 2017-18 All-WAC teams have been named following a vote of the WAC's eight head coaches. NM State's Pun Chanachai was named WAC Player of the Year, Grand Canyon's Siripatsorn Patchana was named WAC Freshman of the Year and GCU's Lauren Giesecke was named WAC Coach of the Year.
Chanachai earned honors after leading the WAC in stroke average at 72.68. In 11 events played, she posted six top-5 finishes, including three individual championships. Her low round of 63 at the Col. Wollenberg's Ram Classic set a new WAC record for low round and 14 of her 31 rounds were at or below par.
Patchana was named WAC Freshman of the Year after winning the 2018 WAC Women's Golf Championship with a tournament-record 207. On the season, she posted a 74.64 stroke average with four top-10 finishes, three top-5 finishes and the conference medalist honors.
Giesecke earns her first WAC Coach of the Year honor after guiding the Lopes to their first WAC women's golf title in their first season of eligibility. A 2011 graduate of Indiana, she came to GCU in 2015 after serving as an assistant at South Florida.
Chanachai and Patchana also earned first-team All-WAC honors. Joining them on the first team are GCU's Deanna Salvatori, Utah Valley's Ana Margarita Raga and NM State's Dominique Galloway.
The All-WAC second team honorees are Utah Valley's Carly Dehlin, Grand Canyon's Courtney Vogel, NM State's Kennedie Montoya, Seattle U's Kimberlee Tottori and Kansas City's Cynthia Diaz.
GRAND CANYON WIN 2018 WAC WOMEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Canyon overcame a five-stroke deficit following the second day to win the 2018 WAC Women's Golf Championship by just a single stroke over defending champion NM State. GCU freshman Siripatsorn Patchana used a 3-under-par 68 in the final round to clinch both individual medalist honors and the team title for the Lopes, who now head to NCAA Regionals in their first year of eligibility. NM State was second as a team behind a second-place finish from Pun Chanachai and a third place finish from Kennedie Montoya. Seattle U's Vendella From led the Redhawks to a third place finish as a time, tying with Montoya for third-place individual honors as well.
RECORD-SETTING ROUND
NM State sophomore Pun Chanachai set a new WAC record for lowest score on Sept. 18 at the Col. Wollenberg's Ram Classic in Fort Collins, Colo., carding a 9-under-par 63 in the tournament's second round. She had previously tied the WAC record of 66 at the Hobble Creek Fall Classic. The rest of the Aggies also nearly made history at the Ram Classic as NMSU's 278 in the third round was just one stroke off the 277 carded by Idaho at the Ptarmigan Ram Classic on Sep. 14, 2009.
NEW LEADERS IN LAS CRUCES, EDINBURGH
NM State and UT Rio Grande Valley are both under the direction of new coaches this season. Danny Bowen, a longtime NM State assistant, took over the NMSU women's golf program following the retirement of WAC Coach of the Year Jackie Booth. UTRGV announced the hiring of Bryan Novoa, a former PGA Professional and NCAA All-American at Texas Tech, in October.
CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE
The 2018 WAC Women's Golf Championship heads to Arizona and Legacy Golf Club in Phoenix. Voted the top public course in Phoenix by ESPN.com and the top place to play in Phoenix by Golfweek, the course is rich in Arizona heritage and history. Located on what was once Dwight B. Heard's 7,500-acre ranch, the original two-rain silos, built in 1902, still remain along the 18th fairway and the Sierra Vista House, once a destination for Theodore Roosevelt and Pancho Villa, marks the 1st tee.