United Athletic Conference

Utah Valley's Joseph Glenn has been named TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's Golfer of the Week for February 16 through February 22.

 

Glenn nearly won the Loyola Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 203. Each of his three rounds were in the 60s as he registered a 68-69-66 respectively during the 54-hole event. In finishing as the tournament's runner-up he was 13-under par. The second place finish for the junior was his collegiate best individual finish. As a team the Wolverines finished second in the 18-team field.

 

Other nominees: Grand Canyon's Matthew Braley finished tied for seventh at the John Burns Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 217 (74-74-66) … Eeli Kujanpää claimed a top five finish at The Joust by carding a 68-77-71 (216) during the 54 holes for California Baptist … For the second straight event, Garrison Smith was New Mexico State's top finisher as he fired a three-round total of 224 (72-76-76)

 

This week, Chicago State heads to Arizona for the Dove Mountain Invitational in Marana, Ariz. while Stephen F. Austin heads east for the Gulf Coast Collegiate in Diamondhead, Miss.

 

Sam Houston's Chad Sewell leads the WAC in stroke average at 70.2 per round. CBU's Eeli Kujanpaa is second at 71.6 strokes per round and NM State's Aidan Thomas is third at 72.1. As a team, SHSU is the leader at 287.1 strokes per round. Lamar is second at 290.5 and Utah Valley is third at 290.7.

 

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.