LEWISTON, Idaho - Three Cascade Collegiate Conference tournaments, three sweeps for the UBC Thunderbirds.
The T-Birds' men and women each won their side of the Warrior Invitational on Tuesday by double-digit strokes. The men's team (285-292-282, -6) used a strong final round to close the gap and eventually pull away from Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho) and win by 12 strokes, after trailing the hosts going in to the last 18. The women's team (300, 301, +25) led their side from wire-to-wire, finishing 21 strokes ahead of LC State.
Individually,
Elizabeth Labbe (75, 73, +4) earned medalist honours, finishing one stroke ahead of teammate
Grace Bell (T2 - 75, 74, +5) and six strokes ahead of
Bo Brown (T6 - 73, 81, +10), who was leading after day one. All five Thunderbirds golfers finished in the top 10.
Not only was Labbe's comeback win impressive, but she snatched the victory in stunning fashion. In her final round, the third-year was set to finish on the 10
th hole after a shotgun start. Two strokes off of the lead, she birdied the ninth hole to pull within one before setting herself up with a fine drive on the par four 10
th. From 90 yards out, Labbe pulled out her 50 degree wedge and hit a perfect approach, so perfect in fact that it struck the green just past the hole, spun backward and trickled its way in to the cup, vaulting her over teammate Bell for the stunning victory.
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On the men's side, all five Thunderbirds also finished in the top 10 and within three strokes of one another. Hudson Lafayette (T5 - 78, 70, 68, E) rebounded from the worst first round in the group to having the best round three in the tournament and finishing tops amongst the T-Birds. First-year
Forrest Van Alstine (7 - 75, 70, 72, +1) was impressive in his CCC debut, finishing alone in seventh and second within his team.
Aidan Schumer (T9 – 66, 78, 75, +3) matched the best round over the entire tournament with his six-under 66 in the first 18.
Depth and consistency proved to be the difference in the men's team recovering from a one-stroke deficit against LC State going into the final round. The Warriors had two golfers finish five strokes better than any of the T-Birds, including medalist Bryden Brown (69, 68, 72, -7). However, the 'Birds consistently posted better third and fourth scores, and quickly turned the tables on Tuesday by collectively being 13 strokes better in the final 18, with Lafayette and captain
Mackenzie Bickell (8 – 71, 78, 69, +2) each outperforming LC State's best when it counted the most.
Next up, the teams return home to host the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship with the hope of finishing off perfect CCC seasons. That event will take place at Loomis Trail Golf Club in Blaine, Washington from April 29-May 1.
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