Portland State’s 2021 golf season will be like most pandemic-influenced things; stripped down. But the Vikings will make the most of their abbreviated two-month schedule beginning this weekend with a dual match against George Fox University.
The Vikings and Bruins will meet in a two-day, six-player match at Willamette Valley Country Club in Canby, OR. Though an NCAA III member, George Fox will provide formidable opposition. The Bruins are ranked fourth in the nation at the NCAA III level. They have won 10 straight Northwest Conference titles, and been in the top 10 in the nation in nine of the past 10 seasons.
Players will be paired in head-to-head matches between the teams.
Following PSU’s open dual match the Vikings will have three tournaments and another dual leading up to the Big Sky Championship.
GEORGE FOX-PORTLAND STATE INDIVIDUAL MATCH
Date: March 6-7
Course: Willamette Valley Country Club, Canby, OR
Par/Yardage: 72/5,974 yards
Play: 18 holes each day with tee times beginning at 1:04 p.m.
Live scoring: www.golfstat.com
SPRING 2021 PREVIEW
PSU returns a veteran squad that includes a pair of star seniors in Jasmine Cabajar and Valerie Hernandez, who have returned for a fifth year as granted by the NCAA after last season’s schedule was cut short due to COVID-19.
Those two will lead a deeper squad during the spring 2021 season. Hernandez had a 74.17 scoring average last year before play was halted. Cabajar was at 74.58 strokes per round. They are both three-time All-Big Sky honorees.
Unfortunately, junior Windy Huang (77.58) will not be able to play in the spring due to injury. However, junior McKenna Maser (formerly Vanko, 78.53) and freshman Katie Harris (78.83) both return, as does junior Iliana Telles. The Vikings have added three outstanding freshmen in Mariana Garcia Rosette, Mari Nakamura and Franca Polla. Telles and Nakamura have opted out of competition this spring, and along with Huang’s absence leaves the Vikings with six available competitors.
Like most schools, Portland State has been experiencing distance learning throughout the 2020-21 academic year. As a result, the golf program student-athletes did not return to campus until mid-February. Head Coach Kailin Downs, now in her eighth season, set up a brief, but busy two-month schedule. The Vikings will compete in Oregon, Hawai’i, Arizona and California over that span.
Hernandez (75.02 career scoring average) and Cabajar (75.07) rank among PSU’s all-time top five in scoring and rounds played. They will provide a great model for the younger players. Maser and Harris are now veterans on the Viking team and should see improvement in their games. Garcia Rosette and Polla will battle those two for starting spots come tournament time.
Portland State was picked fourth in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll, receiving one first place vote. PSU was fourth in 2019 and third the previous two seasons.
This year, the Vikings have the honor of hosting the Big Sky Championship. It takes place Apr. 19-21 at Arrowhead Golf Course in Molalla, OR and marks the first time the Big Sky Championship will be held in the state of Oregon.
SPRING 2021 SCHEDULE
Mar. 6-7, George Fox Individual Match, Willamette Valley CC, Canby, OR
Mar. 22-24, Maui Invitational, Ka’anapali Royal Golf Course, Maui, HI
Apr. 5-6, Wyoming Cowgirl Classic, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes, Maricopa, AZ
Apr. 7, Montana State Dual, Estrella Golf Club, Goodyear, AZ
Apr. 12-13, Fresno State Classic, Copper River Country Club, Fresno, CA
Apr. 19-21, Big Sky Conference Championship, Arrowhead Golf Club, Mollala, OR
Portland State is a seven-time Big Sky Conference Champion, winning titles in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011 and in 2014 under current Head Coach Kailin Downs.