Dana Smith tied for Tuesday's top round at 1-over-par 73, helping keep her Simon Fraser Red Leafs in first place in the team standings (Photo: Shawn Toner).
Dana Smith tied for Tuesday's top round at 1-over-par 73, helping keep her Simon Fraser Red Leafs in first place in the team standings (Photo: Shawn Toner).

Red Leaf women maintain lead, WWU’s Lee climbs to top of leaderboard

4/21/2026 7:43:42 PM

By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – A crowded leaderboard at the 2026 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women’s Golf Championships is headlined by Western Washington’s Lauren Lee, as she holds a narrow two-stroke lead after Tuesday’s second round at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course.
 
The conference’s scoring average leader in 2025-26 at 73.6 strokes per round, Lee carded a 2-over-par 74 on Tuesday to bring her two-round score to 2-over-par 146. That is good for a two-shot advantage ahead of second-place Lauren Lee from Seattle Pacific, who holds a two-round score of 148 (73-75).
 
Amid excellent playing conditions with low winds and temperatures that reached the low 70s on the par-72, 5,802-yard course, WWU’s Lee started strong with four consecutive pars, minimized her mistakes and finished strong with birdies on holes nine and 18. Lee upped her birdie count to seven on the tournament, after making five on Monday on her way to an even-par 72. Lee will enter the final round attempting to become the eighth woman in program history to win GNAC Championships medalist honors and the first since Elise Sumner in 2022. Playing in the tournament for the third time, Lee’s best-ever finish was a tie for third place last spring.
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WWU HC Luke Bennett.


   

 

The Simon Fraser women meanwhile improved their chances of winning their fourth-consecutive GNAC team trophy, increasing their lead to eight strokes after holding a six-stroke advantage after round one. SFU shot a tournament-best team score of 302 on Tuesday, bringing its team total to 605 after its 303 on Monday. Western Washington sits in second place with a two-round score of 613 (309-304).
 
The Red Leafs were led on Tuesday by the play of 2024 GNAC Championships medalist Dana Smith, who shot a 1-over-par 73. Smith overcame a rocky start to her round and finished on fire, making three consecutive birdies on holes 14-through-16 and playing the back-nine at 2-under-par 35. Smith moved her name up to third place on the individual leaderboard with a two-round score of 149, as she improved by three strokes on Monday’s 4-over-par 76. Meera Minhas is in sixth place for SFU with a two-round score of 151 (73-78), and Izzy Ferguson is eighth with a total of 153 (77-76).
 
Western Washington received a welcomed boost from one of the freshmen in its lineup, as Carly Ikei cruised to a 2-over-par 74 her second time through the course. Ikei carded the first eagle of the women’s championship event, saving two strokes on the par-5, 462-yard 15th hole down the stretch. After shooting a 6-over-par 78 in the opening round, Ikei climbed to seventh on the leaderboard with a two-round score of 152 (78-74).
 
Two of the three best rounds of the day came from the Seattle Pacific Lineup, as Zoe Garcia and Natalie Eklund each posted a 1-over-par 73. That helped vault the Falcons from fifth place up to third place at the end of the day, as SPU holds a two-round team total of 617 (314-303). Garcia used a red-hot start to fuel her solid score, as she made two birdies in the first four holes on her way to a 1-under-34 on the front-nine. SPU’s Lee meanwhile kept herself in contention for the individual title, carding a 3-over-par 75 on Tuesday with a trio of birdies and six consecutive pars to finish her round. Lee tied for 10th place at the conference tournament as a freshman in 2025.
 
A birdie on the par-5, 500-yard opening hole was foreshadowing for what turned into Eklund’s best collegiate round to date. She limited her mistakes with just four bogeys, and added two more birdies on her way to the 73. Eklund gained momentum as the round progressed, playing her final eight holes of the day at 2-under-par. It was a 10-stroke improvement for the Falcon sophomore, who lifted herself into 14th place on the individual leaderboard. “Natalie hit the ball a lot better today,” said SPU head coach Tyler Copp. “She had three birdies that came from great approach shots. She credited her success to finding a good rhythm and sticking to her routine.”
 
Checking in fourth on the team leaderboard was Montana State Billings, which shot its second-straight 309 to sit one stroke behind the Falcons at 618. Ella Tannenberger improved upon her Monday score by one stroke, posting a 4-over-par 76 on Tuesday. Orraya Tipasathien matched that effort, starting her day with 10 consecutive pars and finishing with a birdie on the 18th hole to make a 76. Both Tannenberger and Tipasathien are tied for eighth place with identical two-round totals of 153 (77-76).
 
Ending the day fifth on the team leaderboard was Saint Martin’s, which shot a 325 and has a two-round total of 634 after Monday’s 309. SMU was led by Kelsie Inouye for the second straight day. The senior started her day with a birdie, and posted a 7-over-par 79. She moved to third place in the individual race with a two-round total of 149, after shooting a tournament-best 2-under-par 70 on Monday.
 
Northwest Nazarene is in sixth place with a two-round team total of 661 (334-327). Lynea Kelsey had the Nighthawks’ best round of Tuesday, posting a 4-over-par 76 and finishing the round at 1-under-par over her final eight holes. Caroline Caven is the top Nighthawk on the individual leaderboard, sitting in 14th place with a two-round total of 156 (76-80).
 
The third and final round of the GNAC Women’s Golf Championships is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. (Pacific) on Wednesday morning. Live results will be posted online in real time here.