COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho – Finishing up the 2018-19 season on Tuesday at the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course, the Montana State University Billings men's golf team took fifth place at the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships.
 
The Yellowjackets shot a team score of 303 on Tuesday, finishing the event with a three-round total of 904 (301-300-303). MSUB finished ahead of Northwest Nazarene University among the field of six teams on the par-71, 6,803-yard course layout. "The men played solid again," said MSUB head coach Jeff Allen. "The winds were high today which presented a different challenge, and scores all around were a little higher. The men did a great job of finishing out the round and getting the most out of it that they could. They bounced back after bad holes, and all-in-all it was a great effort from our team."
 
Sophomore Caleb Trost was the Yellowjackets' top finisher at the event, posting a three-round score of 221 (74-70-77) and tying for 14th place. He played his first nine holes at even par on Tuesday, and posted back-to-back birdies on Hole 17 and Hole 18 to finish the back-nine with a 36. Trost's 70 on Monday was the team's top individual round score of the tournament.
 
Garrett Woodin finished in a tie for 19th place, with a three-round score of 225 (76-75-74). Woodin steadily improved throughout the tournament, and his 74 was tied for the lowest on the team on Tuesday. Woodin played the back-nine at 1-over-par 37, and had two of his four birdies on the day on Hole 15 and Hole 16. He then started the front-nine with a bang, drilling a 190-yard 9-iron shot to 15 feet and sinking the putt for an eagle on the par-5, 540-yard first hole.
 
Sophomore Logan Martin matched Woodin with a 74 on Tuesday, and also showed steady improvement throughout the two-day event. Martin finished in a tie for 21st place, with a score of 228 (78-76-74). Martin's five birdies on Tuesday were the most among the team, and he finished the tournament playing the front-nine at even-par 35. "Logan played very well," Allen said. "Even with some adversity, he kept a tough mindset and continued to play hard. He never gave up, and that is the type of kid he is. He is very patient throughout his rounds, and he gives it maximum effort. I was proud to see he had a good finish to this tournament."
 
Payton Stott finished in a tie for 24th place at his first GNAC Championships, with a three-round score of 232 (73-79-80). Stott had two birdies on Tuesday, and finished with seven total in the three-round event.
 
Rounding out the field of competitors for the 'Jackets was sophomore Riley Kaercher, who took 29th place with a three-round score of 244 (86-80-78). Kaercher saved his best round for last with a 78 on Tuesday, and had a birdie each on the front and back for identical nines of 39.
 
Western Washington University placed four golfers in the top-10, and won the event convincingly with a three-round score of 851 (284-284-283). WWU's Brody Bonfilio held on to his 36-hole lead, and claimed medalist honors by a single stroke with a three-round score of 210 (67-71-72). He narrowly edged his teammate Jordan Lee, and Jake Wiley of Concordia University, who each finished with a 211.
 
"It was a great learning experience for this team, and we return everybody on this roster," said Allen. "Hopefully they work hard this summer and that bodes well for our future."
 
THE BUZZ: Martin was picked as Tuesday's St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…he was two strokes off of his season single-round best of 72.
 
2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Golf Championships
Final Results | April 23, 2019
Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course | Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Team – 1. Western Washington, 851 (284-284-283); 5. MSU Billings, 904 (301-300-303). Individual – 1. Brody Bonfilio, WWU, 210 (67-71-72); T14. Caleb Trost, MSUB, 221 (74-70-77); T19. Garrett Woodin, MSUB, 225 (76-75-74); T21. Logan Martin, MSUB, 228 (78-76-74); T24. Payton Stott, MSUB, 232 (73-79-80); 29. Riley Kaercher, MSUB, 244 (86-80-78).