Complete results in pdf

Yorba Linda, CA - With strong performances by all five players in the final round, the Portland State golf team made a run up the leaderboard to finish fifth at the Long Beach State Gold Rush tournament.

A Ram Choi and Kristin Henno each shot four-over par 76, followed by 77 from Britney Yada, 78 by Kelly Miller and 79 by Riley Leming. All five Vikings improved their position on the leaderboard with their Tuesday scores. PSU shot 307 as a team, passing BYU and Cal State Fullerton in the standings.

The Vikings posted 317-327-307=951 over the two-day, 54-hole event at Yorba Linda Country Club. Host Long Beach State took home first place with a score of 307-304-306=917. Gonzaga placed second with 312-305-310=927.

Raychelle Santos of Gonzaga came from behind to win the individual title. In fourth place at the start of the day, Santos shot 73 and finished at eight-over par 76-75-73=224 to win by a stroke. Shawnee Martinez of Long Beach State was second (78-69-78=225).

The Vikings had a remarkable round going on Tuesday and were at even par as a team through nine holes - a full 10 shots better than any other team at that point. PSU did not finish the back nine as strong, but still turned in one of the best team scores of the year at 307.

Ranked ninth among the 11 teams go into The Gold Rush event, the Vikings outplayed four teams ranked above them. PSU was 138th among 263 Division I teams in the country, but the team posted better numbers than 73rd-ranked Washington State, number-74 Cal State Fullerton, Nevada (92) and BYU (114).

Choi, a sophomore, and Henno, a freshman, each bounced back from poor second-round performances. After shooting 85s on Monday afternoon, both players had three birdies on Tuesday in posting matching 76s. Choi rose 13 spots on the leaderboard to a tie for 23rd (239), while Henno rose 16 spots to a tie for 37th (244).

Yada, the only senior on the PSU team, was the top finisher, carding 79-79-77=235. She tied for 10th after starting the day in 16th place. Yada also had three birdies for the Vikings.

Miller's 78 got her into a tie for 18th at 238. Leming posted 79 for her best score of the week and finished in a tie for 42nd (245).

The five scores in the 70s marked the first time in five events in 2012-13 that all five Vikings finished sub-80. The average scoring for the field on Tuesday was just over 80 strokes per round, down one shot from Monday's 81.32 average. There were only two sub-par rounds in the tournament, and none on Tuesday.

TAP-INS
• Portland State has been picked second in the Big Sky Conference Preseason Coaches poll. The Vikings were the only Big Sky school competing in The Gold Rush.
• Kelly Miller had five birdies and an eagle to lead the Vikings in sub-par holes. Britney Yada, A Ram Choi also had five birdies each over 54 holes. Riley Leming made four birdies and Kristin Henno had three.
• Portland State played in the most recent Long Beach State Gold Rush, in 2011, placing third in the event (312-315-315=942). Yada placed eighth individually (76-78-77=231).
• A Ram Choi is PSU's scoring leader after five events with a 75.87 average.
• This is the first of three straight weeks of competition for the Viking golf team: Folino Invitational (hosted by Cal State Fullerton, Feb. 17-19), Anteater Invitational (hosted by UC Irvine, Feb. 25-26).

The Gold Rush
hosted by Long Beach State
Feb. 11-12, 2013
Yorba Linda CC, Yorba Linda, CA
par 72, 6077 yards
11 teams/65 golfers

Team Scores (golfstat ranking)
1. Long Beach State (78), 307-304-306=917
2. Gonzaga (54), 312-305-310=927
3. UC Irvine (68), 316-314-308=938
4. San Diego State (83), 308-315-318=941
5. Portland State (138), 317-327-307=951
6. Washington State (73), 324-327-301=952
7. Santa Clara (166), 326-321-317=964
8. Cal State Fullerton (74), 324-319-323=966
9. BYU (114), 321-321-326=967
10. Nevada (92), 327-319-325=971
11. Cal State Northridge (204), 326-321-329=976

Top 10 Players
1. Raychelle Santos, Gonzaga, 76-75-73=224
2. Shawnee Martinez, Long Beach State, 78-69-78=225
3. Emma Henrikson, San Diego State, 71-73-82=226
t4. Tisha Alyn Abrea, Cal State Fullerton, 79-74-77=230
t4. Victoria Fallgren, Gonzaga, 80-74-76=230
t6. Caryn Khoo, Nevada, 79-74-78=231
t6. Chaewon Park, Long Beach State, 76-77-78-231
t6. Simone Hoey, Long Beach State, 80-79-72=231
9. Ronnie Valerio, UC Irvine, 74-76-84=234
t10. Britney Yada, Portland State, 79-79-77=235
t10. Sarah Banke, UC Irvine, 75-82-78=235
t10. Kassidy Teare, Long Beach State, 76-81-78=235
t10. Christine Wong, San Diego State, 77-83-75

Portland State Players
t10. Britney Yada, 79-79-77=235
t18. Kelly Miller, 77-83-78=238
t23. A Ram Choi, 78-85-76=239
t37. Kristin Henno, 83-85-76=244
t42. Riley Leming, 86-80-79=245