United Athletic Conference

Seattle U's Nathan Cogswell has been named TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's Golfer of the Week for October 7 through October 12.

 

Cogswell, a senior from Kent, Washington, tied for fourth at the Oregon State Invitational, shooting a 2-under-par 211 against the 84-player field. Consistency was the name of the game for the Redhawk veteran, shooting 1-under-par 70 in both the first and second rounds before firing an even-par 71 in the final round to move up two spots and into the top-5. As a team, Seattle U was the top-finishing WAC program, taking sixth with a 19-over-par 871.

 

Other nominees: California Baptist's Eeli Kujanpää led the Lancers with a 4-over-par 217 at the Oregon State Invitational, tying for 18th place overall … Grand Canyon's Sam Murphy led the Lopes with a 17th-place finish at the Oregon State Invitational, shooting a 2-over-par 215.

 

Six schools will be in action next week with everyone teeing off on Monday. Abilene Christian and Lamar will meet up in Little Rock, Ark. for the Little Rock Invitational, hosted by, you guessed it, Little Rock. Chicago State heads to Killen, Ala. for the TVA Community Credit Union Invitational while Stephen F. Austin and UT Rio Grande Valley head to Las Cruces, N.M. for the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate, where they will be joined by host NM State.

 

Sam Houston's Chad Sewell leads the WAC in stroke average at 69.5 per round. Teammate Gene Chaikangwal is second at 70.7 while NM State's Aidan Thomas sits third at 71.4. As a team, SHSU is the leader at 285.3 strokes per round. California Baptist is second at 291.8 while Abilene Christian is third at 291.9.

 

The WAC will be in a unique situation this season with two teams having earned automatic qualifications to NCAA Regionals in May. NM State will be the defending WAC champions, having won the 2021 Championship by just one stroke at Boulder Creek GC. Sam Houston also earned an automatic selection after winning the Southland Conference Championship by 10 strokes over Lamar. The Bearkats then placed fourth at the NCAA Stillwater Regional to earn a spot at the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, where SHSU tied for ninth in the team standings. 

 

On Jan. 14, the WAC announced the addition of five new schools in the upcoming years. Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin and Southern Utah were all offered and accepted membership invitations. With the addition, the WAC now has six schools in Texas, more than any other conference in the country, and will have three schools in Utah, also a national best. The four Texas schools joined the league on July 1, 2021 and Southern Utah will follow 365 days later, officially joining the WAC on July 1, 2022. More recently, Tarleton announced this fall its intention to revive men's golf, beginning in fall of 2022.

 

For the second straight season, the 2022 WAC Men's Golf Championship will be played at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nev. Made up of three nine-hole courses, the course is considered by many to be one of the top municipal golf courses in the country. Scenic vistas, cool creeks, colorful wildflowers, and smooth beach bunkers add to the lure of this unique golf course.