COEUR d'ALENE, Idaho – The Western Washington University men's golf team gave it all they had looking for a second consecutive GNAC team title, led by another historic performance from senior Jordan Lee.
 
In a battle of two of the top collegiate golf programs in the West Region, Simon Fraser University outlasted WWU on the second hole of a team playoff to win the 2023 Great Northwest Athletic Conference team title.
 
The Vikings and Red Leafs completed the 54-hole tournament tied at 22-over-par 874, with SFU overcoming a two-stroke deficit to open the final round to force the playoff.
 
WWU received clutch putting from Lee, senior Cody Oakes and sophomore Seth King on the first playoff hole to extend the playoff where all five players form each team played No. 10 and No. 11 at the Coeur d'Alene Golf Resort.
 
The Red Leafs secured the official tournament title and automatic bid to the NCAA Championships by scoring lower than the Vikings on the second playoff hole. WWU is also a lock to advance to its 24th consecutive NCAA Division II West Regional with the field announced Friday on NCAA.com.
 
While the Vikings fell just short of an 11th team title in the 15-year history of the tournament, the team featured four players in the top 15 in the 25-player field, led by Lee winning individual medalist honors for his third consecutive tournament victory.
 
Lee recorded a nine-stroke victory over Ryan Hodgins of Simon Fraser, finishing the tournament at 6-under-par 207 with rounds of 71-69-67 on the par 71 layout in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The senior out of Bellarmine Prep becomes the first Viking to win three consecutive tournaments in a season, also winning the Hanny Stanislaus Invitational (March 27-28) and sharing medalist honors at the West Regional Spring Preview (April 10-11). Lee also becomes the 10th Viking to win the GNAC individual title, with a WWU player taking top honors in four of the last five tournaments. The historic stretch of golf that could be the best in program and conference history, includes 10 consecutive round of par or better and 20 of 24 rounds at or below par this season.
 
Oakes completed a successful championship tying for 3rd place at 4-over-par 217 (73-70-74) and sophomore Conrad Brown tied for 9th place at 11-over-par 224 (79-74-71). Sophomore Seth King tied for 12th at 13-over-par 226 (76-74-76) and Matteo Polla placed 18th at 17-over-par 230 (79-75-76).
 
The two-day championship was primarily a two-team race, with WWU and SFU finishing 29 strokes better than third-place Northwest Nazarene (+51, 903). Saint Martin's finished fourth at 53-over-par 905, one stroke ahead of fifth-place Montana State Billings (+54, 906). The team playoff between WWU and SFU was the second in the 15-year history of the event, with NNU defeating Saint Martin's in a one-hole playoff to win the 2014 tournament.
    The Vikings will not wait for the official NCAA Division II Golf Championships Selection Show that will be held this Friday (April 28) at 2 pm PT. WWU is almost assured of one of the 10 spots in the West Regional as an at-large selection after ranking in the top five in the region leading up to the GNAC Championships. A spot in the NCAA Championships would extend an incredible streak of 24 consecutive seasons advancing to the West Regional. The NCAA II West/South Central Super Regional will feature 20 teams competing for five spots that advance to the national championships, with the three-day tournament held May 11-13 at Foxtail Golf Club in Rohnert Park, California. The national championships will be held May 22-26 in Warren, Ohio.
  Here is a look at WWU's individual results and the team leaderboard from the 2023 GNAC Men's Golf Championships at the Coeur d'Alene Golf Resort:
 

2023 GNAC MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS Coeur d'Alene Golf Resort  »  Coeur d'Alene, ID Par 71  »  6,434 Yards
Pos.	Team/Player	To Par	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Total
1st	Western Washington	+22	299	284	291	874
1st	Jordan Lee	-6	71	69	67	207
t3rd	Cody Oakes	+4	73	70	74	217
t9th	Conrad Brown	+11	79	71	74	224
t12th	Seth King	+13	76	74	76	226
18th	Matteo Polla	+17	79	75	76	230
Pos.	Team	To Par	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Total
1.	Simon Fraser*	+22	300	285	289	874
	Western Washington	+22	299	284	291	874
3.	Northwest Nazarene	+51	313	295	295	903
4.	Saint Martin's	+53	307	299	299	905
5.	Montana State Billings	+54	311	304	291	906
* SFU wins automatic bid to NCAA Championships in team playoff

The Vikings have won 10 of the 15 GNAC Men's Golf Championships since the event debuted in 2008, also tying for the top spot in 2023 but falling in a two-hole team playoff. WWU won six consecutive titles from 2008-13, were back-to-back team champions in 2016-17 and added titles in 2019 and 2022. A Viking has also won 10 of 15 individual medalist honors, including four of the last five, with senior Jordan Lee earning the top individual spot this season.
 
Championships Quick Facts:
Course: Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course
Location: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Championships Format: 54 Holes (36 on Monday, 18 on Tuesday)
Par: 71   Yardage: 6,434 Yards
 
GNAC Tournament History:
54-Hole Total - 199, Aidan Thain, WWU, 67-64-68 (April 18-19, 2022)
Single Round - 64, Aidan Thain, WWU (April 18, 2022) & Brett Johnson, WWU (April 18, 2016)
54-Hole Total, Team - 837, Simon Fraser, 277-281-279 (April 20-21, 2015); 837, WWU, 276-279-282 (April 18-19, 2016)
Single Round, Team - 274, Western Washington (April 20, 2010)
 
GNAC Team Champions:
2008 - Western Washington (578)*
2009 - Western Washington (872)
2010 - Western Washington (850)
2011 - Western Washington (884)
2012 - Western Washington (856)
2013 - Western Washington (867)
2014 - Northwest Nazarene (892)
2015 - Simon Fraser (837)
2016 - Western Washington (837)
2017 - Western Washington (871)
2018 - Simon Fraser (852)
2019 - Western Washington (851)
2020 - No Tournament (COVID-19)
2021 - Saint Martin's (875)
2022 - Western Washington (854)
2023 - Western Washington / Simon Fraser (874) – SFU wins in 2-hole playoff
 
Courses: 2008: Indian Canyon; 2009-2019, 2022-23: Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course; 2021: The Home Course * 36-hole tournament
 
GNAC Individual Champions:
2008 - Hiro Nezu, Saint Martin's - 138 (65-73)
2009 - Jake Koppenberg, WWU - 213 (69-70-74) – won in playoff
2010 - Xavier Dailly, WWU - 219 (70-72-67)
2011 - Nick Valeria, WWU - 215 (74-70-71)
2012 - Craig Crawford, WWU - 212 (65-76-71)
2013 - Jake Webb, WWU - 213 (70-68-75)
2014 - Kevin Vigna, Simon Fraser - 213 (75-67-71)
2015 - Bret Thompson, Simon Fraser - 205 (68-67-70)
2016 - Brett Johnson, WWU - 203 (64-73-66)
2017 - Chris Crisologo, Simon Fraser - 208 (70-67-71)
2018 - Ethan Casto, WWU - 209 (67-75-67) – won in playoff
2019 - Brody Bonfilio, WWU - 210 (67-71-72)
2020 - No Tournament (COVID-19)
2021 - Tyler Fitchett, Saint Martin's - 214 (69-72-73)
2022 - Aidan Thain, Western Washington - 199 (67-64-68)
2023 - Jordan Lee, Western Washington - 207 (71-69-67)
  Here is a look at the 2022-23 schedule for the WWU Men's Golf program, in addition to the 2023 postseason schedule. All tournament recaps, season statistics and program history can be found on WWUVikings.com/MGolf.
 

Dates	Tournament	Location / Course	Result
Sept. 23-24	SMU/Bishop Invitational	DuPont, WA / The Home Course	2nd of 14 teams
Sept. 26-27	WWU Invitational	Bellingham, WA / Bellingham Golf & Country Club	1st of 17 teams
Oct. 25-26	HPU Sharks Shootout	Wahiawa, HI / Leilehua Golf Course	13th of 16 teams
Oct. 28-29	Dennis Rose Intercollegiate	Waikaloa, HI / Waikaloa Beach Golf Resort	T-7th of 16 teams
Feb. 13-14	Fujikura Invitational	Vista, CA / Shadowridge Golf Club	3rd of 12 teams
Feb. 27-Mar. 1	Battle in the Desert	La Quinta, CA / PGA West	8th of 16 teams
March 27-28	Hanny Stanislaus Invitational	Turlock, CA / Turlock Golf & Country Club	1st of 16 teams
April 10-11	West Regional Spring Preview	Rohnert Park, CA / Foxtail Golf Club	4th of 21 teams
April 24-25	GNAC Championships	Coeur d'Alene, ID / Coeur d'Alene Golf Resort	2nd of 5 teams
May 11-13	NCAA West Regional	Rohnert Park, CA / Foxtail Golf Club
May 22-26	NCAA National Championships	Warren, OH / Avalon Lakes Country Club

Fans can follow the WWU Men's Golf program online at WWUVikings.com/MGolf, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUGolf), Instagram (@wwugolf) and Facebook (@WWUMGolf).
  The WWU men's golf team has an incredible streak of advancing to the NCAA Championships in each of the 23 seasons the program has competed at the NCAA Division II level dating back to the 1998-99 season. WWU placed 3rd at the 2013 national championship for the highest finish in program history. The program has produced 16 NCAA All-Americans and has won 10 of 15 Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships since the tournament debuted in 2008. The Vikings have also featured the GNAC Championships individual medalist in 10 of 15 tournaments with Jordan Lee joining the elite list of conference champions in 2023 and nine GNAC Player of the Year awards.