Western Washington University men’s golf captured its highest team finish since 2013, and senior Jordan Lee placed second overall during the NCAA Division II National Championships May 22–26 at Avalon Lakes Country Club in Warren, Ohio.
Lee, an All-West Region award winner, shot a 10-under-par 206, but was edged by two strokes by Palm Beach Atlantic sophomore Andrew Riley, who shot a 12-under-par 204 to win match medalist.
Lee’s second-place finish is the second-best by a Viking at the NCAA Championship, followed by Jake Webb who tied for first place in 2013.
Oklahoma Christian won the event with a total 10-under-par score of 854. Western finished with a three-round total of 29-over-par 893. The top eight teams advanced to medal match play to determine the national champion.
Lee’s performance was followed by sophomore teammate Conrad Brown, who tied for 80th place with a three-round score of 13-over-par 229. Senior Cody Oakes and sophomore Seth King tied for 88th place at 15-over-par 231. Junior Drew Halili capped the Vikings at 99th place in the 108-player field at 21-over-par 237.
After a slow start, the Vikings improved by 17 strokes on Day Two, moving them up the leaderboard to 13th place with a team score of 1-under-par 287. At the end of the day, WWU stood only 10 shots behind the top eight teams.
Lee posted the lowest round of the day, recording a 5-under-par 67, tying him for second place, one stroke behind Texas A&M International’s leader, Mauricio Figueroa, heading into the final round.
Lee’s finish at nationals earned him a spot on the NCAA Championships All-Tournament Team, and has become just the fourth Viking in program history to earn a First Team All-American selection during the NCAA era (1998-99).
Western competed in nationals for the 10th time in program history and first since 2017.
