ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The University of Hawaii at Hilo men’s golf team shot nine-over at a 297 total on the final day for a No. 19 finish in the NCAA Division II West/South Central Regional at the Foxtail Golf Club in Rohnert Park, California.
Andrew Otani led the way on Day 3 with an even-par finish for an overall No. 36 placement (plus-five).
Dustin Franko, whose Round-2 score of 66 matched two other golfers for lowest round of the week, shot a 74 on the final day to lead the Vulcans with a No. 24 overall finish (plus-three).
The Vulcans opened the three-day event with a 313 team score (plus-25) starting at No. 20 out of 20 before moving up one spot during the second round.
Sonoma State and Western Washington each leaped up five and four spots, respectively, for a tie at first place.
After two holes of sudden-death play, the playoff was called off due to darkness and the Seawolves were crowned regional champions based on tiebreaker rules.
SSU’s Griffin Pace took home the individual title after a minus-12 finish with three 68-score rounds.
Chico State, Oklahoma Christian and Simon Fraser round out the top five schools who will advance to the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship, May 22–26, in Warren, Ohio. Texas A&M International’s Mauricio Figueroa and CSU Pueblo’s Liam Duncan will join along as individuals.
Hawai’i Hilo’s season ended, but not without having claimed the Pacific West Conference Team Championship, individual PacWest Co-Champions (Otani and Junsu Im), PacWest Coach of the Year (Earl Tamiya), PacWest Golfer of the Year (Otani) and PacWest Freshman of the Year (Im).