LAS CRUCES – Heading into the final round, Chico State men's golf had some climbing to do if they wanted to qualify for the NCAA DII National Championships. After a vital set of rounds from the 'Cats, they came up shy of the cutoff with a total team score of 875 (+23).

Western New Mexico took home the win as the only team with a total under par through three rounds in Las Cruces. Oklahoma Christian and Colorado Christian both tied for second at 852. Cal State Monterey Bay earned the fifth berth into the national tournament as the sole representative of the West Region with an 865 (+13).

Travis Miller carded a 75 (+4) in the final round, concluding the regional tournament as the highest-finishing Wildcats in a tie for 27th on the leaderboard at (+4). 

Senior Tyler Ashman finished his final tournament with the Wildcats in solid fashion, carding a 71 and capping the regional off in a tie for 34th at (+5). Ashman was one of the birdie leaders throughout the region, with 11 among his 54 holes.

Concluding his first west regional tournament appearance, Alexander LemMon stayed level with Ashman at 71 on the day and (+5) throughout the regional. The freshman played a consistent three days in New Mexico, with 39 holes being scored as pars. 

Naoki Easterday and Dakota Ochoa both carded 73 (+2) rounds on the final day. Ochoa was the only Wildcat to claim an eagle throughout the region. 

The two seniors filled in the most birdies on the day, with five throughout the round. Both dominated the par 5s on the course as they finished the tournament with a (-5) average on the holes with the longest yardage.

After a long year of many positives, the Chico State men's golf team tips their caps to the 2023-24 season and can step away with a multitude of grand rounds amongst all Wildcats. Chico State continues to be a strong competitor amongst the CCAA, the west region, and beyond.