Story & Photography By: Evan O'Kelly, GNAC Associate Commissioner for Communications

BOULDER CITY, Nev. – A memorable 2025-26 season came to a close for the Western Washington men’s golf team on Wednesday afternoon at Boulder Creek Golf Course, as the Vikings wrapped up the third and final round of stroke play at the 2026 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships.
 
The Vikings shot a team total of 291 on Monday, wrapping up the three-day tournament with a total of 9-over-par 873 (292-290-291). WWU finished in a tie for 16th place among the field of 20 teams competing at the national championship.
 
“It’s sad to see such a great season come to an end, but today was one of those days where we didn’t quite have it,” said WWU head coach Luke Bennett. “It happens more often than not in golf, and unfortunately today wasn’t our day. This team of guys has accomplished so much this year. It was an honor to be along for the ride with them.”
 
On the final day of his collegiate career, senior captain Peter Dionne-Yahr led the Vikings with an even-par 72. After starting off with an even-par 36 across the front-nine, Dionne-Yahr finished his career with a bang making three birdies across his final six holes and closing with a par on the 469-yard 18th. Posting a three-round total of 6-over-par 222 (73-77-72), Dionne-Yahr wrapped up his first NCAA Championship event in a tie for 76th place among the field of 108 competitors.
 
 
“It has meant everything to me,” said Dionne-Yahr, who began his career at WWU in the fall of 2022. “Walking down the last fairway on 18 – it was a little emotional because coach and I were reminiscing on all the good times. It was so much fun, and I couldn’t have done it without these guys. This team is amazing. They’re all so young and they’re going to have almost the exact same team next year. They are just going to be even better, and I am just so glad to have been part of this team. It was a lot of fun.”
 
Dionne-Yahr’s parents Bruce Yahr and Kelly Dionne-Yahr were on hand to witness the conclusion of one of the best careers in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history. Including their son’s three rounds this week, his career scoring average of 72.92 strokes per round across his 97-career rounds played ranked him sixth all-time in the history of the conference. Dionne-Yahr was a three-time first-team all-conference performer and in 21-career postseason rounds across seven tournaments, he owned a scoring average of 72.24; evidence that the team captain was always at his best when the Vikings needed it most.
 
“From the moment Peter walked through the doors at Western he has been a standout as a player, teammate and captain,” said WWU head coach Luke Bennett on his squad’s lone senior. “He has had a great career and was always someone I could trust and rely on. He has definitely left his mark on WWU golf.”
 
Matching Dionne-Yahr also with a team-low round of even-par 72 on Wednesday was sophomore Rex Wilson. It was his second-consecutive even-par effort, and he finished the tournament at 7-over-par 223 (79-72-72) to place 80th. Wilson’s final time through the par-72, 7,595-yard course was his most efficient, as he had a tournament-low three bogeys to go along with three birdies and a dozen pars. The GNAC Newcomer of the Year finished his standout campaign with a bang, making birdie on the par-4, 419-yard 10th hole and the par-5, 579-yard 13th hole on his way to a 1-under-par 35 across the back-nine. Overall in the three-day event Wilson posted 10 birdies across his 54 holes played.
 
 
The Vikings’ top finisher on the final individual leaderboard was junior Christopher Zamani, who carded a 1-over-par 73 on Wednesday his final time through the course. That brought his 54-hole total to 1-over-par 217 (70-74-73) as he finished in a tie for 51st place in the tournament. Zamani shook off a double bogey on the second hole and a bogey on the fourth hole with stellar play the rest of the round. Across the final 14 holes of the day, he played at 2-under-par with 12 pars and two birdies. He relied heavily on a consistent and confident putter, getting up-and-down to save par on multiple occasions to finish out his strong season in the WWU starting lineup. In his 39-career rounds played at WWU, Zamani holds a career average of 72.95 which ranks him eighth all-time in GNAC history.
 
 
Finishing right behind Zamani in a tie for 54th place on the leaderboard with a three-round total of 218 (73-69-76) was GNAC Player of the Year Conrad Brown. The junior wrapped up one of the best seasons in conference history with a 4-over-par 76 his final time through the course, as he carded three birdies in Wednesday’s final round. Brown had the Vikings’ top individual round of the event with a 3-under-par 69 on Tuesday, and he finished with 10 birdies and an eagle throughout his second-career NCAA Championship event.
 
 
With the final tournament of the season in the books, Brown capped the 2025-26 campaign with a stroke average of 70.78 which stands as the second-best season in the history of the conference. Across his 81-career rounds played, Brown ranks eighth in GNAC history with a stroke average of 72.99. “It has been so much fun to go through this year with amazing teammates and coaches,” said Brown, who last week was announced as one of five finalists for the Jack Nicklaus award that goes to NCAA Division II’s top individual player. “Every second has been so much fun and so well worth it.”
 
Contributing another scoring round at the championships for the Vikings was junior Nick Ennis, who completed his second season on the team shooting a 2-over-par 74 on Wednesday. Ennis got off to a strong start with three of his four birdies coming across the opening five holes of play. Ennis also finished his season on the right foot, making his final birdie on the par-5, 635-yard 16th hole and playing at 1-under-par across his final four holes of the year. Ennis posted a three-round total of 225 (76-75-74), finishing in a tie for 85th place on the final leaderboard.
 
 
Western Washington competed at its 25th all-time national championship event and its 11th NCAA Championship since it moved from the NAIA in 1999. The Vikings have qualified for 27-consecutive NCAA regional championship events and are 12-time champions of the GNAC.
 
Octavio Laurent of USC Beaufort, who was competing as an individual, shot a 17-under-par 199 (70-66-63) to win the national championship individual title by four strokes ahead of runner-up Lance Christensen Jr. of Colorado Christian. The top eight teams in the standings will now advance to match play to determine the team national champion over the next two days.
 
NCAA Championship Format
At the finals, all 20 teams and eight individuals will complete 54 holes of stroke play. Following 54 holes of stroke play,
an individual champion will be declared along with finishers 2-10 based on cumulative total score and any applicable
tiebreakers. The top eight teams after 54 holes of play will be placed into a bracket and seeded based on 54-hole scores.
The pairings for the quarterfinals will be Seed 1 Florida Southern versus Seed 8 Colorado Christian, Seed 2 Missouri-St. Louis versus Seed 7 Cal State San Bernardino, Seed 3 Wingate versus Seed 6 Columbus State and Seed 4 Lee
versus Seed 5 Georgia Southwestern, competing in head-to-head medal play (stroke play over 18 holes and low score wins).
 
NCAA Division II Championship Records (GNAC Teams Since 2008)
54-Hole Total – 206, Jordan Lee, WWU, 70-67-69 (May 22-24, 2023)
72-Hole Total – 279, Sean Packer, WWU, 69-69-71-70 (May 14-17, 2008)
Single Round – 65, Jake Webb, WWU (May 22, 2013)
54-Hole Total, Team – 859, Simon Fraser, 289-285-285 (May 18-20, 2015)
72-Hole Total, Team – 1,129, Western Washington, 290-281-284-274 (May 14-17, 2008)
Single Round, Team – 274, Western Washington (May 17, 2008)