PORTLAND, Ore. – Following a trio of top ten finishes at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Golf Championships, the Montana State University Billings women's golf team saw two players earn All-Conference recognition, released earlier this afternoon.
Orraya Tipasathien led the charge with a First Team All-GNAC selection, while
Ella Tannenberger was named to the Second Team and also earned the GNAC Freshman of the Year award.
HEAR FROM COACH BUIE: "I was happy to see Jan make first team and Ella make second team to be rewarded for their excellent play this season. Ella adding on with the Freshman of the Year honor was also a great boost for her and our program. Jan has established herself as one of the best players in the league and now Ella is starting to make her mark as well. We are making strides as a program and heading into the right direction. With these two leading our team as a freshman and sophomore, we can continue to get even better next year."
Along with adding a First Team All-GNAC selection to her accolades, Tipasathien recently became the first female Yellowjacket to qualify for NCAA West Regionals as an individual. The sophomore set a new single-season record with five individual victories, tying the career wins record as well—all achieved in consecutive tournaments. Ranking top six in the GNAC this season, Tipasathien is also on track to post the lowest scoring average in program history (76.96). She has played in more events (11) and more rounds (25) this season than any player in MSUB women's golf history.
Despite ranking 17
th in the conference in scoring average (79.5), Tannenberger proved her skillset at the GNAC tournament with a 9
th place finish. She secured five top 10 finishes, including two runner-up showings. Her best 36-hole total came at the SMSU Spring Invitational, where she posted a 150 (76-74), and she tied the program's lowest individual round with a 2-under 70 at the Midwestern State Invitational. Thanks in part to Tipasathien and Tannenbergers leadership, the Yellowjackets notched three team victories—the most in a single season for the program.
UP NEXT: Orraya Tipasathien will head to the NCAA West Region Championships in Amarillo, TX as the first MSUB women's golfer to be selected as an at-large individual in school history. The 54-hole tournament will be hosted by West Texas A&M at La Palma Golf Course. Live scoring for the Regional Championship can be found
here.
