United Athletic Conference

NM State's Tadhg Campbell has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Golfer of the Week for March 20 to March 26.

 

Campbell, a senior from Auckland, New Zealand, was the top WAC golfer at the Big Texan Invitational, firing a 12-under-par 240 to take third individually and lead the Aggies to a second-place team finish. He opened up the competition with a 6-under-par 66 and continued to play exceptional, carding a 5-under-par 67 in round two and a 1-under-par 71 in the final round. His average of 68.0 strokes per round was over six strokes better than his season average of 74.1 heading into the week. 

 

Other men's nominees: Seattle U's Gabe Spach led the Redhawks to a fourth-place finish at the Oregon Duck Invitational, shooting a 4-over-par 220 to tie for 16th individually … UT Rio Grande Valley's Alvaro Hernandez led the Vaqueros to a fourth-place finish at the Big Texan Invitational, shooting a 10-under-par 206 to tie for fourth place individually as well.

 

As the calendar turns to April, four teams will be in action at a pair of tournaments. California Baptist heads to the Pacific Northwest to take part in the Redhawk Invitational, hosted by Seattle U. A couple time zones over, UT Rio Grande Valley and Utah Valley will meet up at the Bearkat Invitational in Montgomery, Texas.

 

Grand Canyon holds the top team stroke average at 288.9 through 27 rounds. Kansas City is a close second at 289.2, followed by UT Rio Grande Valley in third at 289.2. Individually,  UT Rio Grande Valley's Alvaro Hernandez has the top stroke average at 71.6 per round. Kansas City's McCain Schellhardt is second at 71.7, followed by California Baptist's Ben Hallam (72.2), NM State's Mike McGilton (72.1) and Grand Canyon's Filip Lundell (72.2).

 

It's been a winning 2018-19 around the WAC with four teams and six individuals earning the top spot in several different tournaments. In the fall, NM State won the team title and Mike McGilton won medalist honors at their own Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate. UT Rio Grande Valley took home the team title at the Brooks Invitational, led by medalist Tae Itthiratchia. 

 

The spring has already seen four individual champions as GCU's Filip Lundel won the UC Irvine Invitational, UTRGV's Tennoshin Ogawa won the La Tour Intercollegiate and Chicago State's Austin Dobrescu won the Alabama State Spring Kickoff. The UTRGV men's team also took home the team title at the La Tour Intercollegiate, giving the Vaqueros a pair of wins this season. Most recently, Kansas City's McCain Schellhardt tied for medalist honors to lead the Roos to the team title at the GCU Invitational.

 

California Baptist is the newest member of the Western Athletic Conference as the Lancers begin the four-year transition to NCAA Division I. While CBU will not be eligible to compete for the team title until the 2023 WAC Championship, the Lancers will be able to compete as individuals at the WAC Championship. 

 

The 2018 WAC Men's Golf Championship heads to the Pacific Northwest and Oakbrook Golf Club in Lakewood, Wash. Built in 1966, Oakbrook Golf Club features hundreds of oak trees and immaculate turf conditions. In 2012, Oakbrook opened its doors to the public after 56 years of private operations. Ryan Moore, PGA Tour professional and Tacoma native, brings his knowledge of championship golf to Oakbrook Golf Club through Ryan Moore Golf ownership, to continually improve the golf course and elevate the overall guest experience.