COEUR d'ALENE, Idaho – The No. 4 nationally-ranked Western Washington University men's golf team entered the postseason on a roll, and showed no signs of slowing down after a solid first day at the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships on the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course. 

 

The Vikings shot consecutive rounds of even-par 284 on the par 71 layout, and carry a nine-stroke lead into Tuesday's final round of the 54-hole conference tournament. WWU is looking for its ninth GNAC Championship in the 12-year history of the event. Concordia (+9, 577) is nine strokes back of the Vikings and Simon Fraser (+11, 579) is in 3^rd place in the six-team field.

 

"The guys hung in there all day, coming back from a tough start," said head coach Luke Bennett. "They all regrouped and trusted their abilities. The just never give up."

 

Idaho native Brody Bonfilio (Boise, ID/Bishop Kelly) put together back-to-back solid rounds to finish the first two rounds at 4-under-par 138, firing a 4-under-par 67 in the morning and coming home with an even-par 71. The sophomore was a late sub to the Vikings lineup after senior Michael Butler came down with an illness. The 2018 GNAC Freshman of the Year carded nine birdies in the first 36 holes to tie for the tournament lead.

 

"Brody was rock-solid in the morning round and showed great mental toughness this afternoon," added Bennett. "I am very proud of how he played today and how he remained ready for this moment."

 

Bonfilio will open the final round with a three-stroke lead over Saint Martin's Tyler Fitchett and Concordia's Jake Wiley. He is looking to add his name to a lengthy list of Vikings that have won the GNAC title, with seven WWU players winning individual medalist honors since the first event in 2008.

 

Senior Cody Roth (Bellingham, WA) is in 4^th place in the 30-game field with a 36-hole total of 1-over-par 143 (73-70). After a tough start to his day playing the first nine holes at 4-over-par, Roth played the remaining 27 holes at 3-under-par.

 

"It was great to see Cody fight back after a tough start to his day," said Bennett.

 

Freshman Jordan Lee (Tacoma, WA/Bellarmine Prep) and junior Ethan Casto (Snohomish, WA) are tied for 10^th place at 3-over-par 145. Casto is the defending individual champion of the championships. Senior Nick Sparling (Dublin, OH/Dublin Coffman) is tied for 16^th place (+6, 71-77=148).

 

WWU built its lead with strong back nine performances in each of the first two rounds on Monday, with the five team member shooting a combined 7-under-par on holes 10-18 in the morning round and 4-under-par in the afternoon. 

 

The final round of the tournament begins at 7:30 am, with the Vikings teeing off the 10^th tee starting at 8:25 am. The 2019 GNAC Men's Golf Championships can be followed via the live leaderboard online at WWUVikings.com/MG_Live.

 

The Vikings got off to a sluggish start, making the turn at 5-over-par in the first round, trailing Simon Fraser at the time by 10 strokes. But WWU kicked it into high gear over the final nine holes of the first round, with the team playing the back nine at 7-under-par (-5 for counting scores). The strong finish to the first round moved the Vikings up to first place after the first 18 holes with a team score of even-par 284, a one-stroke advantage over SFU and Saint Martin's.

 

Here is a look at the complete WWU and complete GNAC Championships leaderboard following Monday's first and second round action:

 

                                                           

The WWU men's golf team has an incredible streak of advancing to the NCAA Championships in each of the 20 seasons the program has competed at the NCAA Division II level dating back to the 1998-99 season, including a 3^rd-place finish at the 2013 national championship. The program has produced 17 All-Americans and has won 8 of 11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships since the tournament debuted in 2008. The Vikings have also featured the GNAC Championships individual medalist in 7 of 11 tournaments, including 2018 champion Ethan Casto.