A week after sophomore Trevor Clayton led the Warriors to third place at the Hanny Stanislaus Invitational, he led the Warriors to their third California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship.
Interestingly enough for the Warriors, this was their first win of the season after collecting four second-place finishes and three fourth-place finishes throughout the season. Not only did the Warriors win, but they dominated the field, ending the championships with a 17-stroke margin over second place and last year’s champion, Cal State Monterey Bay. The Warriors were the only team to finish the Tournament under par as they finished 5-under-par.
Clayton took home the tournament’s best individual score for the second straight week, posting 6-under-par 210. Joining Clayton were four other teammates in the top six scores, demonstrating the control the Warriors had from start to finish in the tournament. Tying for third place overall with an even-par 216 were junior Anthony Manguray and sophomore Jaskaran Sihota. Freshman Connor Day rounded out the top six scores as he ended the third round with an overall score of 2-over-par 218.
After just the first round of the championships, the Warriors had a commanding 12-stroke lead over the Otters, stretching that lead to 19 after the first two rounds. The Warriors didn’t take their foot off the gas and pressed on, never relenting on the final day of the tournament.
All five of the Warriors posted a final round score of 75 or under, led by Sihota’s one-under 71 and Clayton’s one-over 73. In the first two rounds, Clayton posted a 4-under 68 and a 3-under 69 to grab the outright lead, which they held onto.
After their impressive season campaigns, Manguray and Clayton both earned the honor of being named to the All-CCAA team, with Manguray also winning the co-Newcomer of the Year award.
The championship for the Warriors marks the first CCAA Championship for the golf team since the 2007 season and the third since the first title was collected back in 1999.
With the win, the Warriors collected the automatic qualifier and earned a spot in the NCAA West/Southwest Regional in Austin, Texas. The regionals are May 5 through 7.