³The fact that we beat all four bodes very well for the rest of the season,² said Triton head coach Mike Wydra.

The team flew to Bellingham, Wash., to compete at the 32nd annual Western Washington Invitational Men¹s Golf Tournament on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30. The Tritons had a tall order to fill, facing 12 teams ‹ five of which were ranked in the top 25 in the nation by the Division II Precept Coaches Poll.

Entering the third round, the Tritons were tied for sixth place, but shot a tournament best 12-under par 276 to end up narrowly missing first place, finishing at 861 behind the University of Victoria¹s score of 860.

Fifth-ranked CSU Stanislaus finished behind the Tritons with a score of 863, and 11th-ranked Chico State took fourth at 864. Rounding out the top five was St. Martin¹s College with a score of 865.

The Tritons¹ top finisher was senior Alan Scheer, who shot back-to-back rounds of 67 on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30. This brought him to a tie for third with CSU Stanislaus¹ Ryan Thornberry at an eight-under par 208.

³Our No. 1 man Alan Scheer played in the U.S. Amateur, so he was tournament ready,² Wydra said.

The Tritons¹ No. 2 golfer, junior Joe Dolby, scored a 65 on Sept. 30 ­ seven under par, just one shot short of the tournament record. His performance placed him seventh overall.

Also contributing to the Tritons¹ second place finish were senior Brian Duckworth and junior Eugene Itkin, both scoring 221 and placing 22nd overall. Sophomore Robbie Kramer shot a 231, which was good enough to give him a 48th place finish.

UCSD¹s golf team nearly made it to nationals last year, finishing fifth in California Collegiate Athletic Association and later tying Grand Canyon University for sixth at the West Regionals.

Wydra and the team look forward to surpassing last year¹s success.

³We expect to go to the national championship this year,² Wydra said.

Their next tournament will be the Chico State Invitational in Chico, CA, on Oct. 13 and Oct. 14.