Led by freshman Alexis Gopfert and buoyed by contributions from the entire roster, the Eagles finished in second place at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics West Regional Championships. The three-day tournament, which took place from April 17-19, gave the Biola squad the opportunity to finish their NAIA career on a high note before transitioning to Division II of the NCAA next season.
Biola’s team score of 164 shots over par trailed first-place Embry-Riddle Areonautical University (+74) by 90, but was 92 shots better than Marymount University (+256), which finished in third. Gopfert posted the highest individual score of any Eagle in the competition, moving up two spots to finish fifth overall thanks to a fantastic 73 on the final day. Fellow freshman Tori Roeske also saved her best for last, as her daily scores of 86, 88, and 83 secured an eighth-place finish.
Three more Eagles wound up in the top 20: Sophomore Mary Karnazes placed tenth with a total score of 264, Freshman Jenny Zhang recovered from a brutal first day to finish in a three-way tie for fourteenth, and senior Amanda Hobbs concluded her collegiate career by shooting 275 for a seventeenth-place finish.
Despite missing out on continuing their season in the NAIA national tournament, Biola will head into the NCAA next fall with a strong group of underclassmen headlined by Gopfert, Roeske, Zhang as well as several promising recruits.
