WHAT’S BRUIN: Weekly News & Notes

Overall Record: 2-17

Coming Up:

Fall season completed - no matches until spring 2009

The fall portion of the 2008-09 men’s golf season concluded for the Bruins with an 8th-place finish in the Northwest Conference Fall Classic Oct. 18-19 at the Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Kennewick, Wash.  George Fox was the host institution for this year’s tournament.

Linfield edged Pacific for the title with a score of 596 to 599, followed by Puget Sound at 618, Whitworth at 631, Willamette at 633, Pacific Lutheran at 645, Whitman at 646, and George Fox at 652.  Lewis & Clark did not have anyone entered.

Results of the NWC Fall Classic count as one-quarter of the season score for determining the conference champion.  Teams in the Fall Classic and the NWC Spring Classic receive one point each for each team they beat, and two points for each team they beat in April's NWC Championship event.  Heading into the spring, Linfield will have 8 points, Pacific 7, Puget Sound 6, Whitworth 5, Willamette 4, Pacific Lutheran 3, Whitman 2, George Fox 1, and Lewis & Clark 0.

Medalist honors went to Brian Barton of Whitman, who carded a two-day score of 70-72=142 and secured an automatic place on next spring’s All-Northwest Conference team.  The only player to finish under par on the par 72 course, he defeated Tyler Nelson of Linfield, who had a 72-73=145.  First-day leader Ben Wright of Pacific slipped to third with a 69-77=146.  Fourth place went to Max Bonk of Pacific with a 75-72=147, and in fifth was Andrew Fitch of Linfield with a 75-74=149.

For the host Bruins, David Burkhart had the top score with a 79-76=155, a new personal record which tied him for 10th in the individual standings.  Other counting scores for the Bruins included an 82-80=162 (27th) by Kelton Johnson, an 83-82=165 (tied for 32nd) by Mike Ulstad, and an 87-83=170 (tied for 39th) by Brett Tharp.  The Bruins shaved 10 strokes off their first-day score on Sunday, going from 331 down to 321 for their final 652 score.

BRUIN BITS ---

* Burkhart BAA Athlete of the Week after Great Fall Classic

Senior David Burkhart of Warrenton, Ore., has been named the Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week for Oct. 13-19 after a shooting a personal-record 79-76=155 in the Northwest Conference Fall Classic on Oct. 18-19 at the Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Kennewick, Wash.  He tied for 10th place in the individual standings, falling one stroke short of the Bruins’ 36-hole record of 154 set a week earlier by Mike Ulstad in the Boxer-Bruin Invitational on Oct. 11-12 at the Gearhart (Ore.) Golf Course.  It was the second straight week for a men’s golfer to win the BAA award.  Burkhart was the top scorer for the Bruins last year in their first season of intercollegiate competition with a stroke average of 84.74.

* 2008-09 Honors:

Mike Ulstad ---

- Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week - (Oct. 6-12)

David Burkhart ---

- Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week - (Oct. 13-19)

* Coach Matt Beck:

Matt Beck is in his second season as the head coach for the newest intercollegiate athletic program at George Fox - men’s golf - which took to the links for the first time in the fall of 2007.  He came to the Bruins after four years as an assistant coach with the men’s and women’s golf teams at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore.  With Beck as an assistant, the Boxers developed into a strong program that has been very competitive in the Northwest Conference, including three NWC women’s championships from 2004-06.  Click here for the complete bio on Coach Beck.