By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Two-time reigning Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s golf champion Simon Fraser sits atop the leaderboard after the opening round of the 2025 GNAC Championships on Monday at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course.
 
On a day whose weather conditions featured a taste of all four seasons, the Red Leafs put together a team score of 312 on the par-72, 5,801-yard course layout. That was good enough for a narrow, two-stroke edge over Western Washington, which scored a 314 in the opening round.
 
Senior Christine Cho of Northwest Nazarene is the individual leader with one round left to play, after posting a 3-over-par 75 her first time through the course. SFU’s Meera Minhas is second after shooting a 76 and four more players are tied for third having shot 77s in Round 1.
 
The second and final round of action is scheduled to tee off at 7:30 a.m. (Pacific) on Tuesday morning. Live results are available online here.
 
A birdie on the par-5, 478-yard opening hole foreshadowed Cho’s tournament-leading round, as she scored no worse than a bogey amid cold temperatures and sustained winds around 15 MPH. Cho navigated her way to a 2-over-par 37 on the front-nine before finishing with a 1-over-par 38 on the back-nine. Her second birdie of the day came on the par-4, 228-yard 17th hole. Northwest Nazarene has never had an individual champion since the conference tournament began in 2011.
 
All five of Simon Fraser’s players sit within the top-11 among the 30-player leaderboard, as SFU had the most well-rounded performance of the day. Minhas, the reigning GNAC Player of the Year, had no worse than a bogey on her scorecard on Monday and made par on the historic floating green on hole 14. Dana Smith, the reigning medalist and GNAC Freshman of the Year, was close behind in a tie for third place with a 77. Smith, who broke the tournament record last year with a two-round score of 142 (72-70), made three birdies on Monday to tie for the most among the field of 30 players. Smith sits two strokes back of the lead as she remains in the hunt to become the first woman in conference history to win multiple GNAC Championships title.
 
The Red Leafs Izzy Ferguson, who entered the event leading the GNAC in scoring average at 74.7 strokes per round, carded a 7-over-par 79 and sits in a tie for seventh place. Ferguson got off to a hot start with back-to-back birdies, and finished strong at 1-under-par over her last four holes. Also having solid showings for SFU were Anaya Bhandal and Sueah Park, who sit in a tie for 11th after each shooting an 80.
 
For the Vikings, Lauren F. Lee and Emma Worgum led the way each shooting a 5-over-par 77 to sit in a tie for third. Worgum, who set the tournament single-round record with a 69 last year, carded a pair of birdies including notably on the floating green hole 14. WWU freshman Mackenzie Walsh sits tied for seventh after shooting a 79, with a pair of birdies coming on her front-nine. WWU’s Lauren J. Lee is tied for 14th place after shooting an 81 and Kasey Maralack is right behind in a tie for 18th with a first-round 82.
 
Montana State Billings sits third in the team standings after posting a team score of 321 on Monday. The Yellowjackets were led by Pygmy Kompoj who is tied for third after a 77, and Orraya Tipasathien who is tied for seventh after a 79. Each made a pair of birdies their first time through the course. MSUB newcomer Ella Tannenberger also had a notable birdie on the floating green on Monday.
 
Sitting in fourth place after the opening round is Saint Martin’s, which compiled a team score of 326. Hannah White had the top score for the Saints, as she sits in a tie for seventh with a 79 featuring birdies on the first and 17th holes. Ashley Bruland and Kelsie Inouye, who finished 1-2 at the 2023 GNAC Championships, are tied for 14th place after each shooting an 81 on Monday.
 
Competing in its first-ever GNAC Championships was Seattle Pacific University, which accumulated a team score of 331 and is in fifth place. The Falcons, who are in their inaugural season of women’s golf, were led by Zoe Garcia who shot an 80 and is in a tie for 11th place. Garcia’s scorecard featured three birdies, as she matched SFU’s Ferguson and Smith for the most in the opening round of play.
 
Rounding out the team leaderboard was Northwest Nazarene, which finished one stroke behind SPU with a 332 on Monday.