Completed Event: Women's Golf at Leadership and Golf Invitational on September 15, 2025 , , T-6th of 16
W Golf
at Leadership and Golf Invitational
T-6th of 16
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Monday, October 21
Kapolei Golf Club | Kapolei, Hawaii
Grand Canyon
at
Rainbow Wahine Invitational
Photo by: Marco Garcia
Vakasiuola claims 3rd; Lopes tie for 3rd in Hawaii
10/23/2024 6:28:00 PM | Women's Golf
GCU senior cards 7-under tourney with 9 birdies, 2 bogeys in 54 holes
KAPOLEI, Hawaii – A day after carding a 7-under round and moving into fourth place at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, Grand Canyon bumped its finish up a spot with a 4-under final round Wednesday to tie for third place out of 15 teams at Kapolei Golf Club.
GCU shot 9 under for the tournament, playing the final 36 holes at 11 under. The 4-under final round was the third best among the field Wednesday.
"I am really happy with how the girls fought after our first round," Lopes head coach Brent Nicoson said. "We weren't making any birdies and were having trouble putting in that first round, but they challenged themselves and bounced back with the second-lowest 36-hole score over the last two rounds. That's all I can ask for as a coach. We fought our way back to third place and ended the tournament strong."
Colorado State won the tournament at 23 under, followed by Kansas State in second at 20 under. GCU tied with UC Irvine for the third place, nine strokes ahead of fourth-place Santa Clara.
Senior Alyzzah Vakasiuola led the Lopes with a third-place effort, the best finish of any Lope this season as she carded a 7 under score with nine birdies, 43 pars and only two bogeys over 54 holes. Vakasiuola shot 1 under Wednesday, opening her round with a birdie on her first hole and followed that with 11 straight pars. With a rare bogey on the par-3 16th hole, she bounced back with a birdie on 17 and parred the rest of the way.
Vakasiuola finished five shots back of overall winner Lacey Uchida of Colorado State and three strokes back of runner-up Carla Bernat of Kansas State. Vakasiuola led the 90-player field with 44 pars and had the second-best average score on par-4 holes (3.83).
"Alyzzah had a great tournament, and it's not a coincidence with how great of preparation she had heading into this tournament," Nicoson said. "Anci played well and really everyone showed great signs this week. What I love the most is that they are starting to buy in and are learning what they can be as a team. I do think we are right on the verge of winning tournaments."
Two shots back of her was classmate Anci Day, who tied for seventh at 5 under. Dy shot 1 under Wednesday with a team-best four birdies in the final round. Dy tallied nine birdies and an eagle for the entire tournament, with her and Vakasiuola making GCU one of three teams to put two players in the top 10 (also Colorado State and Kansas State).
Jumping 11 spots into a top-25 finish was Lopes sophomore Jess Haines. Haines finished 1 over for the tournament but led GCU with a 2-under final round that included three birdies, one bogey and 14 pars. Graduate Calynne Rosholt tied for 28th at 2 over, moving up seven spots with a 1-under final 18. GCU sophomore Brenna Preap also moved up the leaderboard by 10 placements and tied for 48th at 8 over.
GCU led all teams in par-4 scoring (4.01) and placed third in par-3 scoring (3.03).The Lopes ended the tournament with the most pars at 192 and were one of five teams to have an eagle.
The Lopes take an extended break and next compete at the Alice and John Wallace Women's Golf Classic in Palm Desert, California, on Feb. 15.
GCU shot 9 under for the tournament, playing the final 36 holes at 11 under. The 4-under final round was the third best among the field Wednesday.
"I am really happy with how the girls fought after our first round," Lopes head coach Brent Nicoson said. "We weren't making any birdies and were having trouble putting in that first round, but they challenged themselves and bounced back with the second-lowest 36-hole score over the last two rounds. That's all I can ask for as a coach. We fought our way back to third place and ended the tournament strong."
Colorado State won the tournament at 23 under, followed by Kansas State in second at 20 under. GCU tied with UC Irvine for the third place, nine strokes ahead of fourth-place Santa Clara.
Senior Alyzzah Vakasiuola led the Lopes with a third-place effort, the best finish of any Lope this season as she carded a 7 under score with nine birdies, 43 pars and only two bogeys over 54 holes. Vakasiuola shot 1 under Wednesday, opening her round with a birdie on her first hole and followed that with 11 straight pars. With a rare bogey on the par-3 16th hole, she bounced back with a birdie on 17 and parred the rest of the way.
Vakasiuola finished five shots back of overall winner Lacey Uchida of Colorado State and three strokes back of runner-up Carla Bernat of Kansas State. Vakasiuola led the 90-player field with 44 pars and had the second-best average score on par-4 holes (3.83).
"Alyzzah had a great tournament, and it's not a coincidence with how great of preparation she had heading into this tournament," Nicoson said. "Anci played well and really everyone showed great signs this week. What I love the most is that they are starting to buy in and are learning what they can be as a team. I do think we are right on the verge of winning tournaments."
Two shots back of her was classmate Anci Day, who tied for seventh at 5 under. Dy shot 1 under Wednesday with a team-best four birdies in the final round. Dy tallied nine birdies and an eagle for the entire tournament, with her and Vakasiuola making GCU one of three teams to put two players in the top 10 (also Colorado State and Kansas State).
Jumping 11 spots into a top-25 finish was Lopes sophomore Jess Haines. Haines finished 1 over for the tournament but led GCU with a 2-under final round that included three birdies, one bogey and 14 pars. Graduate Calynne Rosholt tied for 28th at 2 over, moving up seven spots with a 1-under final 18. GCU sophomore Brenna Preap also moved up the leaderboard by 10 placements and tied for 48th at 8 over.
GCU led all teams in par-4 scoring (4.01) and placed third in par-3 scoring (3.03).The Lopes ended the tournament with the most pars at 192 and were one of five teams to have an eagle.
The Lopes take an extended break and next compete at the Alice and John Wallace Women's Golf Classic in Palm Desert, California, on Feb. 15.
Players Mentioned
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Head Coach Brent Nicoson Meets the Team | August 29, 2024
Friday, February 07