United Athletic Conference

Sam Houston's Bret Gray has been named TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's Golfer of the Week for March 16 through March 22.

 

Gray, a freshman from San Antonio, tied for first at the weather shortened All American in Texas. Playing as an individual, he shot 1-under-par 71 in the first round and 2-under-par 70 in the second round to finish the two-round event with a 3-under-par 141. He tied Florida State's Frederik Kjettrup, ranked 17th nationally, for medalist honors. 

 

Other nominees: Dixie State's Josh Pehrson recorded his third collegiate top-20 finish with a 2-over-par 218 at the UCSD Invitational to tie for 16th amongst 89 golfers ... UT Rio Grande Valley's Taj Sutherland tied for seventh at The Big Texan, shooting a 219 in the 54-hole event.

 

It's a light week around the WAC with just three teams in action. Stephen F. Austin heads east to Matthews, La. for the La Tour Intercollegiate, beginning on Monday. On Tuesday, Chicago State heads to Greensboro, N.C. for the Aggie Invitational and Lamar goes to Gulf Springs, Ala. for the Craft Farms Intercollegiate.

 

Sam Houston's Chad Sewell leads the WAC in stroke average at 70.8 per round. NM State's Aidan Thomas is second at 72.1 strokes per round and CBU's Eeli Kujanpaa is third at 72.1. As a team, SHSU is the leader at 288.9 strokes per round. Utah Valley is second at 290.8 and Grand Canyon is third at 292.0.

 

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.