Rookie Jayvie best in West

Jayvie Agojo, eager to prove her worth on a different turf and against an entirely different field, did just that Tuesday when she carded a three-over par 75 to cop the top individual honors in the West Coast Conference (WCC) Women’s Golf Championship at the Saddle Creek Golf Course in Copperopolis, California.

The 19-year-old Agojo, the former RP Ladies Open champion whose lean frame belies her power off the tee, finished the 54-hole tournament with a five-over par 221 to register a two-stroke victory over teammate and three-time WCC titlist Carolina Llano, who had a 223 after a 73.

Agojo, a freshman at the Pepperdine University, thus became the fifth straight Pepperdine player and eighth in the last nine years to claim individual medalist honors on her first try. She also powered the eighth-ranked Waves to their fifth straight WCC title.

Agojo, who struggled with a 76 in the first round but fired a 70 in the next day to seize control, was eventually named Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

"I am pleased with the result and happy for Jayvie," said head coach Laurie Gibbs. "It is an impressive accomplishment for a freshman to capture individual medalist honors at the conference championships and should provide her with a lot of confidence as she heads into her first NCAA Regionals next month."

"We played well throughout the tournament and look forward to carrying that momentum into the NCAA Regionals," added Gibbs.

Truly, Pepperdine dominated the event with all five of its players finishing in the Top 10 as the Waves recorded a three-round total of 899 and posted a whopping 25-shot victory over San Francisco. The Dons finished with a score of 924.

Santa Clara (952) was third, followed by Gonzaga (973) and Portland (984) in that order.

Sophomores Leanne Bowditch and Marina Choi tied for fifth place with 13-over par scores of 229 while junior Eileen Vargas carded an 18-over par score of 234.

All five Waves players were named into All-WCC team while Gibbs was also named the conference’s Coach of the Year for the second year in a row and seventh time in the last nine years.

Pepperdine is off until the NCAA Regionals that are scheduled to get underway on May 11. The Waves will be making their ninth straight regional championship appearance and 10th overall. — Dante Navarro