By Mark Colachico, Interim Assistant Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University womens golf team tees it up for the first time this season on Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 20 & 21, at the Pacific Invitational hosted by Pacific University of Oregon. Tee times are set for 11 a.m. (PST) on Saturday and 10 a.m. (PST) on Sunday.

Second-year Head Coach Patrick Daugherty moved into the role of head coach last season and he hopes to lead the Bearcats to new heights within NCAA Division III and the Northwest Conference.

Taneesh Sra (Jr., Fremont, CA/Mission San Jose HS) returns for her third season as a Bearcat after earning Second Team All-Northwest Conference honors last year following an 11th place finish at the season-ending NWC Tournament at OGA Golf Course in Woodburn.

As a sophomore, Sra averaged 83.6 strokes per round and took home medalist honors at the Willamette Cup with a score of 10-over 82 to best the 11-player field.

Joining Sra at the top of the roster are LettaJoe Gallup (Sr., Alameda, CA/Holy Names HS) and Elise Levy (Jr., Reno, NV/Bishop Manogue HS). Gallup returns for her fourth and final season as a Bearcat after averaging 86.7 strokes per round, while Levy prepares for her third season with the Bearcats coming off a year in which she averaged 88.0 strokes per round.

This weekend's tournament will be contested at Quail Valley Golf Club, which is a 6,042 yard, par 72 venue located west of Portland in Banks, Oregon.

The Bearcats enter the two-round event following a third place finish last season after carding a combined team total of 91-over 667 (329-338), as Levy finished 10th individually with a 36-hole score of 18-over 162 (80-82) to lead the way for Willamette.

After this weekend, Willamette will take a few weeks off before return to action on Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 11 & 12, at the George Fox Culturame Classic played at The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in Aloha, Oregon.