Entering the Northwest Conference (NWC) Championships at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Oregon, Whitman’s golf teams carried late momentum from solid late-season performances. To close out the 2025-26 season, the women’s team finished last out of eight teams and the men’s team finished third out of nine.
With tournament wins and many individual honors, the Blues ended the year as one of the Conference’s most competitive programs.
Women’s Golf
The women’s team came into the NWC Championship having defeated rival Whitworth University in the annual “Battle of the Whits” dual match at Columbia Point Golf Course on April 12.
Junior Samantha Torres led the Blues by recording her first collegiate sub-par round, carding an impressive score of 71. She was backed by a deep Whitman lineup that placed all four golfers in the 70s.
“It was definitely a lot of pressure,” Torres said. “Not from our coach, because he never forced pressure on us, but from each other.”
Senior Beatrice Archer shot a 76 after posting a 1-under 34 on the back nine. Senior Lauren Ushijima carded a personal-best 78, using an even-par back nine of 35, while sophomore Camila Yoo shot 78 with rounds of 40 and 38.
Whitman’s four-player total of 303 marked the team’s best score of the spring and second-lowest round of the season, nine strokes ahead of Whitworth.
They then carried that momentum to the Conference Championships. After the opening round at Pumpkin Ridge, Whitman sat fourth in the team standings and remained within striking distance of the leaders. Yoo paced the Blues, firing a 5-over to finish Day 1 tied for first individually.
She followed it up on Day 2 with one of the best performances of the season for the Blues. Yoo finished in a tie atop the leaderboard after 36 holes, then won a playoff with an even-par score to capture the Northwest Conference individual championship.
“I finished off the first day tied at first, which I did not expect,” Yoo said. “I went to the second round feeling very nervous the whole time, trying to calm myself down every shot.”
Yoo said the pressure of the round helped prepare her for the playoff.
“I hit five perfect shots and was able to finish with a win,” Yoo said. “I also really wanted to make Skip Molitor proud as this was his last tournament as our coach.”
Yoo earned first-team all-Conference honors for the Blues in a fittingly successful sendoff for Molitor, who has spent over 30 years coaching at Whitman.
Her title was the highlight for the Blues, who finished eighth as a team over two days of competition.
“The teams that pose the biggest challenge are always George Fox and Whitworth,” Archer said.
Indeed, both schools finished in the top two spots.
Men’s Golf
The men’s team also built momentum entering the Conference tournament, highlighted by a team title at the Wildcat Invitational hosted by Linfield University at Michelbook Country Club and a second-place finish in the NWC Spring Classic.
The Blues finished 3-under par for the tournament, using a 5-under opening round to separate themselves from the field before closing with a 2-over final round that was good for third place overall. Linfield finished second at 3- over, while Willamette University placed third at 8-over.
Sophomore Grady Brown delivered the top individual moment of the event, birdieing the final two holes to force a playoff for medalist honors before winning on the first sudden-death hole.
Junior Mason Remington also finished near the top of the leaderboard, tying for third at even par after rounds of 70 and 74.
Brown led the Blues early, shooting 3-under in the opening round to sit tied for second individually. Whitman’s depth kept the team in the race through the final round, powered by an experienced core that included senior Ben Sweet, senior Eshan Singh, first-year Caelan Wobbrock and Remington.
Following the championships, Remington was named second-team all-Conference, while Sweet earned third-team honors. The men’s team did not respond for comment.
With a Conference individual title from Yoo and multiple all-Conference selections and podium finishes from both teams, Whitman closed the 2025-26 season with several moments to remember and make up for a weaker collective showing relative to recent years.
“I believe that we have one of the best team dynamics in the Conference,” Yoo said. “We are all so different but somehow we perfectly match each other’s energies and have different roles.”
