Completed Event: Women's Golf at Rainbow Wahine Invitational on October 20, 2025 , , 12th of 19
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at Rainbow Wahine Invitational
12th of 19
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Vakasiuola shares lead at MW Championship
4/21/2026 2:58:00 PM | Women's Golf
Lopes close 1st round in 3rd-place tie in Rancho Mirage
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. - With nothing but blue skies, a low 70s tee-off temperature and beautiful conditions at Mission Hills Country Club, Grand Canyon women's golf finished Tuesday's opening round of the Mountain West Championship in fine position heading into moving day Wednesday as Lopes freshman Alexis Vakasiuola shares the individual lead.
LEADERBOARD
The winner of the Mountain West Championship earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament.
GCU is one shot back of the lead, sitting at 4 over par behind only San José State and Colorado State. The Lopes were paired with the Spartans in the first grouping Tuesday at 7 a.m., using that to their advantage of matching shot for shot with the eventual clubhouse leader.
The Lopes' 4-over score is tied with UNLV for the third-place spot and is two strokes ahead of fifth-place Nevada. A gap of five shots separates Nevada and sixth-place Wyoming.
"We had a fairly solid day but unfortunately we didn't finish as strong as we would have liked coming down the stretch," said head coach Brent Nicoson. "Day one is about staying within striking distance and we are in a solid position only being one shot back of the lead. Tomorrow is moving day and even though we don't hold the lead, we are in a good place to make a move in round two."Â
Vakasiuola, who has six sub-70 rounds over her last 12 rounds, added another one to her resume with a blemish-free, 4-under 68. The 68 is tied for the clubhouse lead with Colorado State's Kara Kaneshiro. Vakasiuola is the only player in the field of 50 golfers who did not card a first-round bogey.
The freshman from San Tan Valley birdied two of her first four holes and added a fifth on the par-5 ninth hole, concluding her front nine with a 3-under score. From there, she registered par on holes 10-17 before a 15-foot birdie putt sank on the par-5 18th.
"It's always nice to have a bogey free round," said Vakasiuola. "My dad always says 'try and protect your scorecard' and I think I did that pretty well today. I felt like my ball striking wasn't at its best going into today, but I told myself that I am going to hit good shots, take the good shots and take the good putts when I can and it worked out really well today."
Not far back from her is junior Lena Tremouille, who shot even par after a 2-over front nine. Tremouille rattled in an eagle on the par-5 11th hole, and followed that up with a birdie to wipe away her over-par card. She is sixth and one of just two players to record an eagle on the day.
"Lena and Alexis played solid golf today," said Nicoson. "For a freshman to have a bogey free round in her first conference championship is very rare and that's exactly what Alexis did. Â She continued her strong spring by leading us with a 4 under, 68 and a share of the individual lead. She has had a special spring and we are extremely proud of her round today."
GCU sophomore Allie Justiz is 20th at 3 over, followed by junior teammate Jess Haines in 35th (5 over) and freshman Honor Johnson in 38th (6 over).
While the Lopes are in the middle of the pack for birdie count, they are second with 62 pars for the tournament. It is also tied at the top spot with San José State in par-3 scoring average (3.1).
Round 2 begins tomorrow at 8:20 a.m., with 10 minute intervals between each golfer.Â
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LEADERBOARD
The winner of the Mountain West Championship earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament.
GCU is one shot back of the lead, sitting at 4 over par behind only San José State and Colorado State. The Lopes were paired with the Spartans in the first grouping Tuesday at 7 a.m., using that to their advantage of matching shot for shot with the eventual clubhouse leader.
The Lopes' 4-over score is tied with UNLV for the third-place spot and is two strokes ahead of fifth-place Nevada. A gap of five shots separates Nevada and sixth-place Wyoming.
"We had a fairly solid day but unfortunately we didn't finish as strong as we would have liked coming down the stretch," said head coach Brent Nicoson. "Day one is about staying within striking distance and we are in a solid position only being one shot back of the lead. Tomorrow is moving day and even though we don't hold the lead, we are in a good place to make a move in round two."Â
Vakasiuola, who has six sub-70 rounds over her last 12 rounds, added another one to her resume with a blemish-free, 4-under 68. The 68 is tied for the clubhouse lead with Colorado State's Kara Kaneshiro. Vakasiuola is the only player in the field of 50 golfers who did not card a first-round bogey.
The freshman from San Tan Valley birdied two of her first four holes and added a fifth on the par-5 ninth hole, concluding her front nine with a 3-under score. From there, she registered par on holes 10-17 before a 15-foot birdie putt sank on the par-5 18th.
"It's always nice to have a bogey free round," said Vakasiuola. "My dad always says 'try and protect your scorecard' and I think I did that pretty well today. I felt like my ball striking wasn't at its best going into today, but I told myself that I am going to hit good shots, take the good shots and take the good putts when I can and it worked out really well today."
Not far back from her is junior Lena Tremouille, who shot even par after a 2-over front nine. Tremouille rattled in an eagle on the par-5 11th hole, and followed that up with a birdie to wipe away her over-par card. She is sixth and one of just two players to record an eagle on the day.
"Lena and Alexis played solid golf today," said Nicoson. "For a freshman to have a bogey free round in her first conference championship is very rare and that's exactly what Alexis did. Â She continued her strong spring by leading us with a 4 under, 68 and a share of the individual lead. She has had a special spring and we are extremely proud of her round today."
GCU sophomore Allie Justiz is 20th at 3 over, followed by junior teammate Jess Haines in 35th (5 over) and freshman Honor Johnson in 38th (6 over).
While the Lopes are in the middle of the pack for birdie count, they are second with 62 pars for the tournament. It is also tied at the top spot with San José State in par-3 scoring average (3.1).
Round 2 begins tomorrow at 8:20 a.m., with 10 minute intervals between each golfer.Â
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Players Mentioned
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Friday, February 07