The Portland State Vikings women’s golf team is positioned to achieve its highest finish at the Big Sky Conference Championship in five seasons after completing the second round on Apr. 21 at Wigwam Resort in Litchfield, Arizona.
This development matters as it marks a significant improvement for the Vikings, who have not finished this high in recent years and now stand just one shot behind fifth place with only one round remaining.
After shooting a total of 296 on Tuesday—matching their Monday score—the Vikings moved up from seventh to sixth place among ten teams, with a combined score of 592 after two rounds. The team’s performance came despite tougher playing conditions that saw average scores rise across the field. Portland State trails Idaho by one stroke and Sacramento State by three strokes heading into Wednesday’s final round.
Northern Arizona leads the tournament with a three-under-par total of 565, while Northern Colorado is close behind at 570. Only four players remain under par after Tuesday’s challenging conditions, with Nina Lukyanenko of Northern Arizona leading individually at 138 over two rounds.
For Portland State, Cynthia Valerie Ong and Maddie Dustin are tied for 14th overall at four-over-par (146), while Caithlyn Ong is tied for 19th (147). Senior Payten Shimizu stands at 153 over two days, and fellow senior Bayler Brundage has posted a score of 156. The Vikings have excelled in consistency; they lead all teams with a total of 122 pars through two rounds, even though they rank last in birdies made (13).
The final round will take place Wednesday morning with live scoring available online. A strong showing could secure Portland State’s best conference championship result since the 2017-18 season.
