By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – Winning the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships and punching its ticket to the NCAA regional championships, Simon Fraser’s women’s and men’s golf programs were highlighted as the GNAC Team of the Week announced on Monday.
 
The Red Leaf women won their third straight GNAC Championships team title on Tuesday at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course, while the men’s team won its second team title in the last three seasons. SFU’s women were announced on Monday as an NCAA regional championship qualifier and will take to the course May 5-7 at Tascosa Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas. The Simon Fraser men were announced as a participant last Friday, as they’ll compete in the NCAA South Central/West Region Championships on May 8-10 in Riverside, Calif., at Victoria Club.
 
It marks the third consecutive year that SFU has sent both of its golf programs to the NCAA Championships. Head coach Krysta Schaus is in her first full season in charge of both the women’s and men’s programs.
 
Ranked No. 23 in the latest Clippd national rankings, the Simon Fraser women notched a two-round total of 607 (312-295) last week to win the conference title by four strokes over second-place Western Washington. SFU claimed the crown thanks to three players finishing within the top five at the event, including individual medalist Meera Minhas. The 2023-24 GNAC Player of the Year, Minhas claimed her first outright collegiate tournament victory with a two-round total of 147 (76-71) on the par-72, 5,801-yard course. Minhas’s second round featured six birdies, including three in-a-row on holes 13-15 to help propel her into first place for good on the individual leaderboard.
 
Reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year and 2024 GNAC Championships medalist Dana Smith contributed with a tie for third-place, as she posted a two-round score of 150 (77-73) in her second conference tournament. Smith totaled five birdies throughout the event, and climbed to No. 85 on the Clippd national individual rankings.
 
Izzy Ferguson, the league’s leader in strokes per round at 74.8, finished in fifth place at the GNAC Championships with a two-round score of 151 (79-72). Juniors Sueah Park (159, 80-79) and Anaya Bhandal (160, 80-80) helped bolster the team win for the Red Leafs, finishing in 16th and 17th place, respectively. Simon Fraser finished the regular season with a GNAC-best team scoring average of 289.3 strokes per round. “The depth on our women’s team has been incredible this year,” said Schaus. “If you look at our lineup, we have nine women on our team and are switching up our lineup almost every event. At the end of the day we had the players who could bear down, handle the pressure and make those clutch shots when we needed them.”
 
On the men’s side it was a similar story, as all five SFU players finished within the top-13 among the field of 25 players including four within the top-10. Sophomore Denby Carswell and freshman Maxwell Corcoran tied for second place on the par-71, 6,466-yard course, each with a three-round total of 213. Carswell shook off a 5-over-par 76 on a Monday that featured poor playing conditions, and finished with a 3-under-par 68 and a 2-under-par 69 to climb towards the top of the leaderboard. Corcoran had a similarly impressive rise up the leaderboard, overcoming a 77 in the opening round to finish with consecutive 68s for the top performance by a freshman at the event.
 
SFU’s Brendan O’Brien was next down the leaderboard, finishing in eighth place with a three-round score of 218 (71-75-72). Close behind O’Brien was SFU newcomer Junsu Im, who placed ninth with a three-round score of 219 (79-69-71). Im was among seven players within the field to shoot par or better in each of the final two rounds. Also competing for the Red Leafs last week was Justin Bjornson, who tied for 13th place with a three-round score of 222 (77-73-72). “I’m really proud of our men’s team,” said Schaus after the men’s performance. “They got some really important reps in during the winter months, and as a result of that now they’re here and playing some of their best golf of the year.”