By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

ALOHA, Ore. -- The Willamette University men's golf team moved from fourth place after one round into second place in the final standings, as the Northwest Conference Fall Classic concluded on Sunday, March 28 at The Reserve Vineyard and Golf Club. Andrew Kibbee (Jr., Kenmore, WA/Bothell HS) of Willamette, who was tied for fourth after 18 holes, advanced into second place on Sunday, while Alex Weirth (So., Port Orchard, WA/Crosspoint Academy) of WU improved from a tie for 10th and placed third overall.

Pacific Lutheran University, which led with a score of 293 after Saturday's first round, ended the tournament in first place after shooting 316 on Sunday for a final score of 609. Willamette was second at 612 (305-307). The Bearcats made up nine strokes on the 12-stroke deficit they face when the second round started. WU's 307 on Sunday was the low team score of the day under challenging weather conditions with wind and rain.

George Fox University slipped from a tie for second into third place at 615 (299-316). Whitworth University, which began Sunday tied with GFU for second, concluded the 36 holes in fourth place at 618 (299-319). Linfield University was fifth at 627 (309-318). The University of Puget Sound placed sixth with a score of 640 (316-324). Whitman College took seventh at 653 (318-335), Pacific University placed eighth at 658 (322-336), and Lewis & Clark College was ninth at 736 (369-367).

"The guys played outstanding today. No one will really be able to understand just how good that round was," Willamette Head Men's Golf Coach Patrick Daugherty said. "We had the best team score today and it wasn't even close. to play in those conditions and keep it that consistent was great to see. The guys finished strong with three birdies on 18. PLU built a bid lead after day one, and we knew it would be tough to catch them, but I also knew the team that was the most consistent would have the best shot on climbing the leaderboard. The guys did just that."

Mason Koch from George Fox won the individual title at 146. He shot a 3-under par 69 in the first round and carded a 76 in the second round. Kibbee placed second at 147 (71-76) and Weirth claimed third place at 150 (75-75).

"While Andrew had a very solid weekend, I know he had his sights on defending his Fall Classic championship (from Oct. of 2019)," Daugherty said. "At the end of the day, I know he's happy the team moved up, but I think this just adds to his fuel.  Alex really put together a solid weekend. After missing the top five in the first tournament, he looks like he's getting back on track."

Four golfers -- Reynn Hoshide of Puget Sound, Reilly Hegarty from Whitworth, Caden Arnold from Pacific Lutheran, Dante Heitschmidt of George Fox -- tied for fourth place at 151. Hoshide shot 73-78, Hegarty carded 70-81, Arnold shot 72-79, and Heitschmidt registered 71-80.

Willamette's team included Kibbee, Weirth, Riley Lankford (So./Fy., Pilot Rock, OR/Pilot Rock HS), Austin Davis (Jr., Culver City, CA/Culver City HS), and Jack McMullin (Fy., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS). Lankford shot 157 with rounds of 79 and 78. Davis carded a 36-hole score of 158 with an 80 and a 78. McMullin shot 166 (81-85).

The NWC Fall Classic was postponed by COVID-19 last semester. The NWC Spring Classic will be played on Saturday, April 3 and Sunday, April 4 at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington.

Each season, the NWC determines the men's golf champion with the results from three conference events. The NWC Fall Classic and the NWC Spring Classic are each worth one-fourth of the championship. The NWC Tournament counts toward one-half of the championship. This year, the NWC Tournament is set for April 17-18 at Kalispel Golf and Country Club in Spokane, Washington.

"It's going to be a tight race this year, and we're going to be right in it" Daugherty commented. "We learned a lot this weekend and look to continue to get better. I'm really happy with where we are at ... in such a short amount of time."