Completed Event: Women's Golf at Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational on September 29, 2025 , , T-8th of 15
W Golf
at Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational
T-8th of 15
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Marco Garcia
Lopes leap up leaderboard with Vakasiuola tied for 3rd
10/22/2024 5:49:00 PM | Women's Golf
GCU cards 7-under day with pair of players moving into top 10
KAPOLEI, Hawaii – The day before the last round is commonly referred to as "moving day" in golf with teams positioning for the final round.
Grand Canyon not only moved up the standings but catapulted into a top-five placement Tuesday at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, where its 7-under second round was second best among the 15-team field.
"We were close to being solid yesterday but just didn't make many putts or birdies," GCU head coach Brent Nicoson said. "Today was a different story, as we got off to a fast start and finished with a solid round. Coach (Leila) Raines and I challenged the team to try to win today's round and focus on that only. We did what good teams do and moved up little by little and didn't press."
GCU is fourth at 4 under, three shots back of third-place UC Irvine and one shot up over fifth-place Santa Clara. Kansas State and Colorado State are tied for first at 12 under.
After a 3-over first round with six birdies, the Lopes nearly tripled their birdie production with 17 in the second round and added an eagle via senior Anci Dy from the par-4, 13th fairway. Dy had the second-largest jump in the standings on the squad, moving up 14 spots into a tie for sixth place at 4 under. She carded a 4-under round, with holes 13-18 being birdie-eagle-bogey-birdie-par-birdie.
GCU senior Alyzzah Vakasiuola tied for 13th after round one and only improved her impressive tournament. The San Tan Valley native had five birdies and 13 pars Tuesday and is 6-under, tying her for third place. She is three shots back of leader Lacey Uchida of Colorado State and leads the 90-player field with the most pars (30).
Over 18 holes, Vakasiuola has 30 pars and six birdies without a bogey.
"Alyzzah and Anci carried us today, and I'm very proud of their play," Nicoson said. "I believe in this team, and now we put ourselves in a better position to try to win the tournament."
GCU graduate Calynne Rosholt and sophomore teammate Jess Haines are tied for 35th at 3 over par. Rosholt birdied her first three holes of the day and ended with an even round Tuesday, while Haines had four birdies for her round with three pars and a birdie over her final four holes to finish strong. Lopes sophomore Brenna Preap is tied for 58th at 7 over and tallied two birdies in the second round.
GCU concludes the Rainbow Wahine Invitational on Wednesday morning. Tee times are set for 6 a.m. (Phoenix time)
Grand Canyon not only moved up the standings but catapulted into a top-five placement Tuesday at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, where its 7-under second round was second best among the 15-team field.
"We were close to being solid yesterday but just didn't make many putts or birdies," GCU head coach Brent Nicoson said. "Today was a different story, as we got off to a fast start and finished with a solid round. Coach (Leila) Raines and I challenged the team to try to win today's round and focus on that only. We did what good teams do and moved up little by little and didn't press."
GCU is fourth at 4 under, three shots back of third-place UC Irvine and one shot up over fifth-place Santa Clara. Kansas State and Colorado State are tied for first at 12 under.
After a 3-over first round with six birdies, the Lopes nearly tripled their birdie production with 17 in the second round and added an eagle via senior Anci Dy from the par-4, 13th fairway. Dy had the second-largest jump in the standings on the squad, moving up 14 spots into a tie for sixth place at 4 under. She carded a 4-under round, with holes 13-18 being birdie-eagle-bogey-birdie-par-birdie.GCU senior Alyzzah Vakasiuola tied for 13th after round one and only improved her impressive tournament. The San Tan Valley native had five birdies and 13 pars Tuesday and is 6-under, tying her for third place. She is three shots back of leader Lacey Uchida of Colorado State and leads the 90-player field with the most pars (30).
Over 18 holes, Vakasiuola has 30 pars and six birdies without a bogey.
"Alyzzah and Anci carried us today, and I'm very proud of their play," Nicoson said. "I believe in this team, and now we put ourselves in a better position to try to win the tournament."
GCU graduate Calynne Rosholt and sophomore teammate Jess Haines are tied for 35th at 3 over par. Rosholt birdied her first three holes of the day and ended with an even round Tuesday, while Haines had four birdies for her round with three pars and a birdie over her final four holes to finish strong. Lopes sophomore Brenna Preap is tied for 58th at 7 over and tallied two birdies in the second round.
GCU concludes the Rainbow Wahine Invitational on Wednesday morning. Tee times are set for 6 a.m. (Phoenix time)
Players Mentioned
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Head Coach Brent Nicoson Meets the Team | August 29, 2024
Friday, February 07