BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The defending GNAC champion Western Washington University women's golf team opens the 2021-22 season Monday and Tuesday at the Saint Martin's Invitational.
 
The Vikings return to the site of their GNAC winning performance, teeing it up at The Home Course in DuPont for the 36-hole, two-day tournament. The SMU Invitational begins a four-tournament fall schedule for the Vikings, which includes events in Washington, California, Utah and Arizona.
 
WWU's starting lineup features a pair of players from the conference championships, adding back in 2020 Second Team All-GNAC performers Megan Billeter and Claire Moon, who did not play last season. Sarah Shea and Dani Bailey were First Team All-GNAC selections last year. 2020-21 GNAC Player of the Year Elise Sumner is expected to rejoin the team for the spring season.
 
WWU Director of Golf Luke Bennett begins his fourth season leading the women's program, in addition to entering his ninth season as the Viking men's head coach. The 2020-21 Vikings not only won their sixth GNAC title, but were one of nine teams to compete in the NCAA II West Regional Championships.
 
"I am really looking forward to seeing this group compete to start the season and grow with each tournament," said Bennett. "It's a good mix of players that gained a lot of experience with a successful 2021 spring season, and we've added some new players that will continue to elevate our program."
  The Vikings starting lineup for the Saint Martin's Invitational features two freshmen, one sophomore and two juniors, with co-captains Sarah Shea and Megan Billeter leading WWU into the season-opening tournament:
 

1. Sarah Shea (Jr., Sequim, WA) – 2021 First Team All-GNAC
2. Megan Billeter (Jr., Spokane, WA) – 2020 Second Team All-GNAC
3. Claire Moon (Fr., Olympia, WA) – 2020 Second Team All-GNAC
4. Dani Bailey (So., Queenstown, New Zealand) – 2021 GNAC Freshman of the Year
5. Lina Hattenbach (Fr., Lidingo, Sweden) – Making collegiate debut

  WWU is part of a seven-team, 36-player field that will compete in a 36-hole stroke play tournament. The first 18 holes will be played Monday with tee times beginning at 8 am. WWU is scheduled to start teeing off at 8:34 am on the 5,815-yard, par 72 course. In addition to tournament host Saint Martin's, WWU will match up against Northwest Nazarene, Montana State Billings, Simon Fraser, Western New Mexico and Bellevue College.
  Following the Saint Martin's Invitational, WWU will continue its fall schedule at the Shootout at Estrella in Goodyear, Arizona, with the two-day tournament scheduled for September 27-28 at The Golf Club at Estrella. Here is a look at the complete 2021-22 schedule for the WWU Women's Golf program, which includes four fall and four spring tournaments leading up to the GNAC Championships. All tournament recaps, season statistics and program history can be found on WWUVikings.com/WGolf.
 

Dates	Tournament	Location / Course
Sept. 13-14	Saint Martin's Invitational	DuPont, WA / The Home Course
Sept. 27-28	Shootout at Estrella	Goodyear, AZ / Golf Club at Estrella
Oct. 4-5	Sonoma State Invitational	Santa Rosa, CA / Santa Rosa Country Club
Oct. 8-9	Wasatch Invitational	South Jordan, UT / Glenmoor Golf Course
Feb. 28-Mar. 1	Pioneer Shootout	Alameda, CA / Corica Park South Course
March 7-8	CSUSM Fujikura Invitational	Vista, CA / Shadowridge Golf Club
April 1-2	Palm Valley Classic	Goodyear, AZ / Palm Valley Golf Club
April 11-12	WWU Spring Invitational	Bellingham, WA / Bellingham Golf & Country Club
April 18-19	GNAC Championships	Coeur d'Alene, ID / Coeur d'Alene Golf Resort
May 2-4	NCAA West Regional	Stockton, CA / Brookside Golf & Country Club
May 11-14	NCAA National Championships	Columbia, SC / The Wildewood Club

  The WWU women's golf team begins its 29th season as an intercollegiate sport in 2021-22. WWU has a rich history on the links, winning the first five GNAC Championships beginning in 2011 and returned to the podium in 2021. WWU has made 11 appearances in the NCAA II West Regional Championships. WWU has also made six trips to the NCAA II National Championships. A Viking has been named the GNAC Player of the Year in eight of the 10 years it has been awarded, including 2020-21 Player of the Year Elise Sumner. WWU has also produced the only two players in GNAC history to earn four First Team All-GNAC awards (Jenn Paul and Kristen Hansen) and has produced nine All-Americans.