By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Four returning student-athletes lead the Willamette University men's golf team into the 2021 season. The returning golfers are juniors Austin Davis (Culver City, CA/Culver City HS) and Andrew Kibbee (Kenmore, WA/Bothell HS), along with sophomores Alex Weirth (Port Orchard, WA/Crosspoint Academy) and Carlos Cortes Dequidt (San Diego, CA/Torrey Pines HS).

The Bearcats will open the season this weekend on Saturday, March 13 and Sunday, March 14 at the Pacific Invitational. The tournament will be played at Quail Valley Golf Course in Banks, Oregon, with one round scheduled to be completed each day during the 36-hole event.

Davis earned a 72.23 unadjusted stroke average in 2019-20 and placed in the top 11 of all six tournaments before the rest of the season was canceled due to COVID-19. Kibbee attained a 72.91 unadjusted stroke average. In the fall of 2019, Kibbee won the Northwest Conference Fall Classic with a 36-hole score of 140 after shooting 3-under par in the second round. Weirth recorded a team-leading 72.15 unadjusted stroke average last year. Cortes Dequidt competed in all six tournaments as a first-year member of the team in 2019-20.

Despite last year's shortened season, Davis and Weirth were named to the PING All-West Region Team. Davis was named First Team All-NWC two seasons ago in 2018-19, when he also earned NWC Freshman of the Year honors. At the 2019 NCAA Division III National Championships, Davis placed 24th and Kibbee was 88th, as the Bearcats finished 13th in the team standings.

As a team, Willamette won the NWC Championship in 2019 and advanced to the NCAA Championships. In 2019-20, Willamette placed third at the NWC Fall Classic, but the NWC Spring Classic and the NWC Tournament were not held due to COVID-19. The Bearcats averaged 297.08 as a team stroke average, nearly three strokes per round lower than 300.

Newcomers this season are Aunders Erickson (Grad., Portland, OR/Westview HS/Ohio Wesleyan Univ.), Reese Hamilton (Fy., Lopez Island, WA/Lopez Middle HS), Riley Lankford (So./Fy., Pilot Rock, OR/Pilot Rock HS), Jack McMullin (Fy., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS), and Andrew Raymond (Jr./Fy., Napa, CA/Napa HS).