Completed Event: Women's Golf at Leadership and Design Invitational on September 14, 2026 , , 17th of 17
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at Leadership and Design Invitational
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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Monday, October 5
Tacoma CC | Tacoma, Wash.
Grand Canyon
at
Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational
Lopes rally to 2nd-place tie in Tacoma
10/6/2026 2:43:00 PM | Women's Golf
Vakasiuola shares 5th place, among 4 GCU golfers in top 30
TACOMA, Wash. – After a 7-over-par start through the first 18 holes, Grand Canyon rallied with two of the top second- and third-round scores at the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational, climbing up to a tie for second place Tuesday at the Tacoma Country Club.
The Lopes finished with a 6-over team score, tied with Washington State for second among 17 programs. CSU Fullerton won the event at 7 under while GCU finished 11 strokes ahead of fellow Mountain West program Nevada.
The second-place showing is the second straight for the squad, which is 27-2-1 over its past two tournaments.
"I am really happy with how our team fought today," GCU head coach Brent Nicoson said. "We had trouble finishing well in the first two rounds, and today the girls dug in and finished with six birdies coming down the stretch to help us move up the leaderboard."
Lopes sophomore Alexis Vakasiuola, last season's MW Freshman of the Year, played her best tournament this season with her third top-30 showing. She tied for fifth place by shooting 1 under, including a 2-under final round with four birdies. She had 11 birdies and an eagle with a 75/70/70 scoreline.
Vakasiuola's birdie count tied for fifth out of 100 golfers, and the San Tan Valley, Arizona, native had a tournament-best 4.60 average on par-5 holes.
Playing in her second collegiate tournament, GCU freshman Gianna Singh tied for 17th place at 3 over after an even final round. Singh tied Vakasiuola's birdie count and finished strong for the Lopes, who shot 1 under Tuesday.
Singh began her final round at 3 over through four holes before locking in for an even card the rest of the way that saw three birdies and 11 pars.
GCU sophomore Clara Durr tied for 25th at 5 over, tallying seven birdies including four in her final round with birdies on Nos. 16-18. One shot behind her was classmate Rosie Maguire (tied for 29th), who shot even in the final round and was among the fifth in par-3 scoring (2.92).
"Clara stepped up down the stretch with three straight birdies, and Alexis made a huge par save on 17 and then two-putted for birdie on the par-5 18th to move us into second," Nicoson said. "Rosie and Gianna both shot even to help our cause as well. They are seeing that the process is working and they are starting to believe in themselves."
GCU junior Allie Justiz tied for 32nd (7 over), notching 10 birdies and an eagle. She along with Vakasiuola were one of six players to register an eagle, with Justiz doing so on a par 4.
Lopes senior Jess Haines tied for 52nd at 10 over as an individual entry.
GCU finished in the top five in par-3, -4 and -5 scoring while earning second in birdies at 43.
The Lopes next head west to Hawaii, where they will compete in the Rainbow Wahine Invitational at Hokuala Ocean Course in Kauai on Oct. 19-21.
"We have a very tough field awaiting us in Hawaii, so we need a great stretch of upcoming practice," Nicoson said.
The Lopes finished with a 6-over team score, tied with Washington State for second among 17 programs. CSU Fullerton won the event at 7 under while GCU finished 11 strokes ahead of fellow Mountain West program Nevada.
The second-place showing is the second straight for the squad, which is 27-2-1 over its past two tournaments.
"I am really happy with how our team fought today," GCU head coach Brent Nicoson said. "We had trouble finishing well in the first two rounds, and today the girls dug in and finished with six birdies coming down the stretch to help us move up the leaderboard."
Lopes sophomore Alexis Vakasiuola, last season's MW Freshman of the Year, played her best tournament this season with her third top-30 showing. She tied for fifth place by shooting 1 under, including a 2-under final round with four birdies. She had 11 birdies and an eagle with a 75/70/70 scoreline.
Vakasiuola's birdie count tied for fifth out of 100 golfers, and the San Tan Valley, Arizona, native had a tournament-best 4.60 average on par-5 holes.
Playing in her second collegiate tournament, GCU freshman Gianna Singh tied for 17th place at 3 over after an even final round. Singh tied Vakasiuola's birdie count and finished strong for the Lopes, who shot 1 under Tuesday.
Singh began her final round at 3 over through four holes before locking in for an even card the rest of the way that saw three birdies and 11 pars.
GCU sophomore Clara Durr tied for 25th at 5 over, tallying seven birdies including four in her final round with birdies on Nos. 16-18. One shot behind her was classmate Rosie Maguire (tied for 29th), who shot even in the final round and was among the fifth in par-3 scoring (2.92).
"Clara stepped up down the stretch with three straight birdies, and Alexis made a huge par save on 17 and then two-putted for birdie on the par-5 18th to move us into second," Nicoson said. "Rosie and Gianna both shot even to help our cause as well. They are seeing that the process is working and they are starting to believe in themselves."
GCU junior Allie Justiz tied for 32nd (7 over), notching 10 birdies and an eagle. She along with Vakasiuola were one of six players to register an eagle, with Justiz doing so on a par 4.
Lopes senior Jess Haines tied for 52nd at 10 over as an individual entry.
GCU finished in the top five in par-3, -4 and -5 scoring while earning second in birdies at 43.
The Lopes next head west to Hawaii, where they will compete in the Rainbow Wahine Invitational at Hokuala Ocean Course in Kauai on Oct. 19-21.
"We have a very tough field awaiting us in Hawaii, so we need a great stretch of upcoming practice," Nicoson said.
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Friday, February 07