Penticton Herald

Heat golf teams settle for 2nd at provincial­s

UBCO men and women still qualify for nationals

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The UBC Okanagan Heat men’s golf team fell just short of a PACWEST championsh­ip last weekend despite a stellar performanc­e on the second day of the tournament.

The Heat fired a Day 2 total of 281 (1 over), but a poor Day 1 was too much to overcome at the Ledgeview Golf Club in Abbotsford.

After eight rounds and four separate tournament­s, the Heat’s total score was 2,336. The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades won the conference after a total team score of 2,317 for the season.

Along with the team silver medal, fifth-year head coach Cass Hritzuk was named the conference’s coach of the year, which was voted on by his peers.

Individual­ly, James Casorso finished his PACWEST career with a closing round of 68, which earned him the individual bronze medal, along with his second consecutiv­e conference all-star award.

The silver-medal performanc­e earns the men’s squad a spot in the 2017 PING CCAA National Championsh­ip in Oshawa, Ont., from Oct. 16-20. This marks the first time since 2009 that the men’s team has qualified for nationals outside of B.C.

Casorso was very optimistic about the team’s chances next week.

“Going to nationals will be fantastic for the program. After everything that has happened in the last year, I could not be more proud of this group,” Casorso said. “Although we finished second in our conference, I really believe we have a good shot at contending for a national championsh­ip.”

After a sub-par first day, the Heat men bounced back led by Casorso’s 68, along with rookie Ryley Johnson, who shot his first sub-70 round for the team.

Johnson made an astonishin­g five birdies on the difficult back nine to come home in 30 shots and finish with a 1-under 69.

Rookie Nik Federko also played stellar on the second day firing a 1-over 71.

Finding his swing the second day, Federko hit 16 greens in regulation, but the putts would just not fall for the Immaculata grad.

The fourth counting score came courtesy of third-year management student Casey Sullivan, who cared a 3-over 73 on Sunday.

Sitting in fifth place after the first day, the strong second-round showing saw UBCO jump all the way up to second place. The UFV Cascades won the tournament with a two-day score of 577.

The UBCO women went wire to wire with second-place team finishes in all four tournament­s to capture the conference silver medal after the final PACWEST event in Abbotsford.

The women’s squad finished second in the UFV Invitation­al, with the Heat twosome of McKenna Lesiuk and Emily Adams shooting 171 (88-83) and 177 (87-90), respective­ly, on the par-70 course, finishing fourth and fifth overall individual­ly.

That earned the Heat a berth in the 2017 PING CCAA Golf National Championsh­ips hosted by Durham College at Royal Ashburn Golf Club in Oshawa from Oct. 17-20.

For the four tournament­s, Lesiuk led the team with a total score of 674 to finish in fourth place. Not far behind was Adams, with a total score of 698.

The UFV Cascades also won the women’s team title with a score of 1,244.

After not qualifying for the national tournament last season, the Heat women will return to the championsh­ip event for the first time since 2016 when they finished as national silver medalists at the Chilliwack Golf and Country Club. Adams was also a member of that squad.

Hritzuk, for the first time in his career, was named the PACWEST conference coach of the year for the 2017 season.

Leading both the Heat men’s and women’s teams to provincial silver medals this year and a history of consistent­ly producing strong results on the course at UBCO — both on the team and the individual side — were among the many reasons that made Hritzuk a deserving recipient of the award.

“I am flattered and honoured,” Hritzuk said. “My success as a coach relies solely on the great players I have had the privilege to be involved with over the years. This award is more a result of their outstandin­g abilities than it is a result of my ability to coach.”

List of accomplish­ments under Hritzuk:

Team

2 national medals (1 silver, 1 bronze, all by the women’s team) 1 provincial championsh­ip (women) 9 provincial medals (1 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze for the women; 1 silver, 3 bronze for the men)

Individual

1 National Champion 3 All-Canadians 2 Academic All-Canadians 2 National Tournament All-Stars 12 National Scholar Athletes 7 Provincial All-Stars 6 Provincial Academic Excellence 1 Provincial Player of the Year

 ?? Photo contribute­d ?? The UBC Okanagan Heat men’s golf team poses with their silver medals after finishing in second place at last weekend’s PACWEST championsh­ip in Abbotsford.
Photo contribute­d The UBC Okanagan Heat men’s golf team poses with their silver medals after finishing in second place at last weekend’s PACWEST championsh­ip in Abbotsford.
 ??  ?? Hritzuk
Hritzuk

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