By Ron Smith
March 29, 2022
 
(EL CAJON, Calif.) Westmont Men's and Women's Golf competed in the San Diego Christian Spring Invitational at Singing Hills Golf Resort on Monday and Tuesday along with teams from nine other schools. The women finished in fifth place with a team score of 644, 47 strokes off the tournament champion, Embry-Riddle (Ariz.).
 
"The women shot their second and third lowest team scores of the season, led by Charlie Bloom and Kat Bevill," said Westmont head coach Josh Ault. "This was an overall consistent performance that we feel proud of as a group."
 
Bevill finished with a two-day total of 155 after shooting rounds of 79 and 76. By improving three strokes on the second day, she moved up from a tie for 17th place to a five-way tie for 11th.
 
Bloom shot a team-best 78 on the first day but faded a bit on day two, turning in an 84 to finish tied for 22nd with a score of 162. One stroke back was Melinda Amick whose score of 163 was the result of rounds of 83 and 80.
 
Just one more stroke back was Serena Jonay Garcia who shot rounds of 83 and 81 for a two-day score of 164. Drew Thompson was just a bit behind Garcia, recording rounds of 83 and 85 for a total of 168.
 
The men's team was able to enter four golfers for the first time this spring, allowing them to record a team score. The Warriors, who finished in eighth, were in 10th place following the first day, but improved their day-one score of 329 by 27 strokes to finish with a scored of 631.
 
Three of the Warriors' golfers saw significant improvement on their second day. Andy Knight was in 11th place after day one when he shot a two-over par 74. In the second round, Knight shot a four-under par 68, which tied for the lowest round of the tournament and was the lowest score on the second day. It was also the lowest round in Westmont history. Knight finished in a three-way tie for second place - three strokes behind tournament champion Hector Barnetche of Ottawa (Ariz.) – and was two-under par for the tournament.
 
Mason Mancasola also made a big move on day two. After recording an 80 on day one, he went two-under par for a 70 on day two, the lowest round of his Westmont career. That enabled him to move from a tie for 37th place into a four-way tie for 22nd.
 
Bryce Bowman, who was playing in his first collegiate tournament, also made a significant improvement from day one to day two. After posting a 98 on day one, Bowman knocked 11 strokes better on day two.
 
On the other hand, Brock Yurkovich provided consistency, posting a 77 on both days. By doing so, he improved his standing from a tie for 32nd to a time for 24th.
 
"Brock Yurkovich has turned in back-to-back tourneys shooting 77," noted Ault. "We are very proud of his growth and contribution."