The Portland State women's golf team will open its spring season and the run up to the Big Sky Conference Championship when it competes in the University of Arizona Wildcat Invitational, Feb. 5-7. The tournament takes place at the Golf Club at Vistoso in Oro Valley, AZ.

The Vikings, who competed four times in the fall, have five spring events prior to the Big Sky Championship in Chandler, AZ on Apr. 22-24. PSU is the two-time defending Big Sky Champion. The Vikings have won the title six times in the last nine years (2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011).

The Vikings also feature the defending Big Sky Individual Champion in junior Britney Yada. Yada has a 77.25 scoring average this season through 12 rounds. Leading the team this season has been senior Tiffany Schoning, a 2011 All-Big Sky Conference performer, with a 76.25 scoring average. Schoning was a two-time Big Sky Golfer of the Week during the fall.

Those two veterans lead an otherwise young team. Expected to battle for the three-through-five positions this spring are sophomores Samantha Webb (81.08) and Loren Forney (82.41), freshmen Kelly Miller (83.00) and Emily Podlesny (83.88), and sophomore Katie Ortman (89.11).

Head Coach Kathleen Takaishi will start Yada, Schoning, Miller, Forney and Podlesny at the Wildcat Invitational.

"This is the best field we will see all year. All we can do is play our own game and stick to our game plan. We have had a few weeks of quality practice. They definitely look ready to compete," said Takaishi.

THE WILDCAT INVITATIONAL
The Arizona Wildcat Invitational may be the Vikings most challenging tournament of the season, as 15 of the best teams in the west will be competing. The tournament takes place at the Golf Club at Vistoso, a par-72, 6,250-yard course. The 54-hole event will consists of 18 holes each day, Sunday through Tuesday.

Top-ranked UCLA will be there, as will number-eight Arizona State. Eight teams are in the top 50 and 13 in the top 100. Only Big Sky schools Portland State (124) and Northern Arizona (128) are outside the top 100. A total of 254 schools compete in golf at the Division I level.

TEAMS COMPETING (including GolfStat ranking): Arizona (22), Arizona State (8), Colorado (23), Denver (40), Northern Arizona (128), New Mexico (44), New Mexico State (97), North Texas (56), Oregon State (54), Portland State (124), San Diego State (31), Stanford (41), UCLA (1), UNLV (63), Washington State (89)

Live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com.

THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE RACE
The Big Sky Conference race looks wide open this spring as the four teams received first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll. The Vikings, two-time defending champions, were picked third in the poll, behind Sacramento State and Northern Arizona.

Despite the Vikings pedigree, they have lost three starters from last year's championship team. Here is a look at the poll: 

1. Sacramento State (4), 58 points
2. Northern Arizona (2), 55 points
3. Portland State (2), 52 points
4. Montana (1), 48 points
5. Northern Colorado, 32 points
6. Weber State, 29 points
7. Montana State, 27 points
8. Eastern Washington, 15 points
9. Idaho State, 8 points

The Big Sky Championship Tournament is a 54-hole event at Ocotillo Golf Resort in Chandler, AZ, April 22-24.

TAP-INS: PSU had a 32-27-1 record overall in head-to-head scoring during the fall. The Vikings were 14-5 in head-to-head scoring against Big Sky schools… Portland State's best finish and scoring of the fall came at the Circling Raven Collegiate Invitational, Sept. 12-13. PSU shot 307-310-305=922 to tie for second. Tiffany Schoning (222) and Britney Yada (223) finished third and fourth in the event… Yada shot a two-under par 70 in her final round of the fall, giving her 10 career sub-par rounds, a PSU record… Yada holds the career scoring average record (76.13), followed by Tiffany Schoning (76.81)… Schoning's 76.25 season average currently ranks third in PSU history. Yada holds the mark of 75.51, set last season… the Vikings have a 315.1 team scoring average this year, its highest since 2007-08… the Vikings have signed two high school student-athletes to national letters of intent for 2012-13: Kristin Henno (Solvang, CA) and Riley Leming (Murrietta, CA).

2011-12 PORTLAND STATE GOLF SEASON RESULTS

Sept. 12-13    CIRCLING RAVEN COLLEGIATE INVIT.    t2nd of 22 teams (922)
        hosted by Gonzaga at Circling Raven Golf Course

Sept. 19-20    WSU COUGAR CUP    12th of 13 teams (957)
        hosted by Washington State at Palouse Ridge Golf Club

Sept. 26-27    ROSE CITY COLLEGIATE    8th of 14 teams (941)
        hosted by Portland State at Langdon Farms Golf Club

Oct. 8-9    COWGIRL DESERT INTERCOLLEGIATE    9th of 15 teams (961)
        hosted by the University of Wyoming at Classic Club

Feb. 5-7    WILDCAT INVITATIONAL    Oro Valley, AZ
    hosted by University of Arizona at Golf Club at Vistoso

Feb. 18-19    PEG BARNHARD INVITATIONAL    Stanford, CA
    hosted by Stanford at Stanford Golf Club

Mar. 12-13    FRESNO STATE LEXUS CLASSIC    Fresno, CA
    hosted by Fresno State at Copper River Country Club

Mar. 26-27    ANTEATER INVITATIONAL     Santa Margarita, CA
    hosted by UC Irvine at Dove Canyon Country Club

Apr. 9-10    WYOMING COWGIRL CLASSIC    Chandler, AZ
    hosted by University of Wyoming at Ocotillo Golf Resort

Apr. 22-24    BIG SKY CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP    Chandler, AZ
    hosted by the Big Sky Conference at Ocotillo Golf Resort

May 10-12    NCAA WEST REGIONAL    Erie, CO
    hosted by the University of Colorado at Colorado National Golf Club

May 23-26    NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP    Franklin, TN
    hosted by Vanderbilt at Legends Golf Club