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Sept. 21, 2012

WWU Golf Invitational - Team and Individual Champions

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Looking a snap a five-year string without a title, nationally ranked Western Washington University plays host to the 41st Annual Viking Invitational Men's Golf Tournament on Monday (7:30 a.m.) and Tuesday (7:30 a.m.) at the Bellingham Golf and Country Club.

Twelve teams are competing in the event. They are Academy of Art, British Columbia, Concordia OR, Cal Baptist, Dixie State, Grand Canyon, Hawaii-Hilo, Northwest Nazarene, Saint Martin's, Simon Fraser, Sonoma State and the Vikings.

The championship drought at its own tourney is the longest for WWU since going winless the first nine years of the event. The Vikings have tied for second in each of the last two WWU tourneys.

Some traditional West Region powerhouses will not be competing, opting to play in the Golfweek Invitational the following week at Sunriver, Ore. Among them are 2011 NCAA Division II national champion Cal Monterey Bay, 2012 national finalist Chico State and 2012 national semifinalist Cal State Stanislaus.

Cal State Stanislaus won last year's WWU event, and Chico State was the 2010 champion.

WWU, ranked No.9 in this year's Golf World/Nike Golf/NCAA II College Coaches Association of America Top 25 Preseason Poll, opened its season earlier this week, placing a solid third among 16 teams at the University of Indianapolis Brickyard Crossing Invitational.

The Vikings finished with a 54-hole total of 872, 11 strokes ahead of fourth-place Cal State Monterey Bay (306=883).

No.2-rated Barry had a winning score of 857, five shots better than No.1 Nova Southeastern.

WWU placed two players on the all-tournament team. Jake Webb (Sr., Issaquah/Skyline) tied for third at 214 and Dylan Goodwin (Sr., Mukilteo/Kamiak) tied for fifth at 215.

Also competing on the Vikings' five-man team, besides Webb and Goodwin, are Sandy Vaughan (Sr., Seattle/O'Dea), Mark Strickland (So., Mukilteo/Kamiak) and Kyle Schrader (So., Olympia/Tumwater).

Goodwin tied for second in medalist play at last year's WWU tourney.

Competing as individuals for the Vikings will be Craig Crawford (Jr., Stanwood/Highland Christian), Jack Kelly (R-Fr., Snoqualmie/Mount Si) and Evan Needham (Sr., Lynden/Meridian).