WOODBURN, Ore. – Made up exclusively of freshmen and sophomores, the Pacific Lutheran University men's golf team completed its season on Sunday with a fifth-place effort at the Northwest Conference Championships. The Lutes came into the event fifth in the league standings and finish the season in the same position.

"We did a nice job today maintaining our fifth-place position," said PLU Head Coach Tyler Copp. "Tougher conditions today played part in our lower round two team score compared to round one. Overall, our ball striking as a team was much improved. Unfortunately, the flat stick was cold for too much of the day. I was proud of the fact that we played significantly better compared to the Spring Classic three weeks ago. That spoke to our efforts to finish the season on a positive note."
 
Freshman Koen Solis tied for 12^th to lead the PLU contingent. Solis shot a 72 yesterday and followed it up with a 78 today to finish with a two-day total of 150, one stroke ahead of classmate Hunter Olson. Olson finished with a 76 in round one and completed today's round with a 75, including three birdies on the front nine.

"This weekend Koen had the best performance amongst the three majors this year," said Copp. "His low round of the day on Saturday put him in a good position placing tied for 12th. We expect him to use this momentum toward his sophomore campaign. Hunter's 76-75 was a summation of the really strong spring season he had, although, he wishes he would have made a few more putts. He hit the ball really well this weekend."
 
Sophomore Joshua Clogston fired a 154 after shooting a 78 yesterday and a 76 this morning. Clogston finished in 21^st overall. Classmate Josh Cross completed the scoring on Sunday with a 79. Cross also shot a 79 yesterday to finish in 29^th with a score of 158. Cole Van Duyn also competed for PLU. Van Duyn finished in 34^th overall.

"Josh Clogston's two-stroke improvement from day one to day two was a result of a higher percentage of greens in regulation," said Copp. 

The Lutes came into the event fifth in the league standings after the NWC Fall and Spring Classics. After shooting a 305 yesterday and a 308 today, the Lutes finished in fifth at the NWC Championships. Willamette University took the team title at 584, with Whitman College finishing just two strokes behind. Linfield Univesity placed third and Whitworth University took fourth. 

With today's victory, the Bearcats finished one point ahead of Whitman to win the conference title and will represent the NWC at the NCAA Championships. Whitworth finished third and LInfield placed fourth.