Thursday, April 22
Henderson, Nev.
Pepperdine University
at
WCC Championships
Megan Dennis
Photo by: Jeff Golden
Women's Golf Takes Aim at Another WCC Title
4/20/2021 1:45:00 PM | Women's Golf
MALIBU, California — The Pepperdine women's golf team heads into this weekend's West Coast Conference Championships looking for the program's 19th title. The Waves are the highest-ranked team in the field, but they're also sending a lineup of players that have never before competed at a WCC Championships event.
EVENT INFO — The WCC Championships will be held for the first time at Reflection Bay Golf Club in Henderson, Nevada. It's a three-day event with 18 holes each day between Thursday and Saturday (April 22-24). There will be live scoring on Golfstat.
FIELD — Five WCC schools sponsor women's golf. In addition to Pepperdine, the tournament includes BYU, Gonzaga, San Francisco and Santa Clara.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — The Waves' lineup consists of freshman Lion Higo (Gold Coast, Australia), freshman Caroline Hwang (Orlando, Fla.), sophomore Reese Guzman (Kahului, Hawai'i), senior Megan Dennis (Bedfordshire, United Kingdom) and freshman Kaleiya Romero (San Jose, Calif.).
The Waves' three freshmen are obviously playing in their first WCC Championships. But for Dennis and Guzman, who joined the program last year, it'll also be their first WCC Championships after the 2020 version was canceled.
RANKINGS — Pepperdine is #47 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #51 by Golfstat.
EVENT HISTORY — The Waves are the reigning WCC champs, having won the last time it was held in 2019 at Manito Country Club in Spokane, Washington. Pepperdine has won 18 of the 23 championships ever contested, including a run of 14 straight between 2002 and 2015. BYU is second with three titles. The Waves have also had the medalist 15 times, including Hira Naveed in 2019.
WCC — The Waves were picked to win the conference for the 19th time, as the league's coaches voted the Waves first in the WCC preseason poll ... Kathrine Chan, Megan Dennis and Reese Guzman made the preseason All-WCC team (freshmen were not eligible).
LOOKING AHEAD — NCAA Regional pairings will be announced on Wednesday, April 28, at 11 a.m. PT on the Golf Channel. Regional dates are May 10-12.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS — The Waves had a successful start to the spring season. First, they defeated New Mexico State and Cal State Fullerton in their three-team Moorpark Intercollegiate. Caroline Hwang was the medalist and the Waves took the top four spots on the leaderboard. Hwang received the WCC's Player of the Month award for February ... Then, Pepperdine took fourth place at the 12th annual Bruin Wave Invitational, the team's best finish at its own event since 2014. The Waves went from eighth to sixth to fourth over the three days. Reese Guzman took fifth place ... Lion Higo tied for 10th against an extremely strong field at the LSU Tiger Golf Classic ... Kaleiya Romero was third and Hwang tied for eighth at the Dick McGuire Invitational.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 25 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
EVENT INFO — The WCC Championships will be held for the first time at Reflection Bay Golf Club in Henderson, Nevada. It's a three-day event with 18 holes each day between Thursday and Saturday (April 22-24). There will be live scoring on Golfstat.
FIELD — Five WCC schools sponsor women's golf. In addition to Pepperdine, the tournament includes BYU, Gonzaga, San Francisco and Santa Clara.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — The Waves' lineup consists of freshman Lion Higo (Gold Coast, Australia), freshman Caroline Hwang (Orlando, Fla.), sophomore Reese Guzman (Kahului, Hawai'i), senior Megan Dennis (Bedfordshire, United Kingdom) and freshman Kaleiya Romero (San Jose, Calif.).
The Waves' three freshmen are obviously playing in their first WCC Championships. But for Dennis and Guzman, who joined the program last year, it'll also be their first WCC Championships after the 2020 version was canceled.
RANKINGS — Pepperdine is #47 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #51 by Golfstat.
EVENT HISTORY — The Waves are the reigning WCC champs, having won the last time it was held in 2019 at Manito Country Club in Spokane, Washington. Pepperdine has won 18 of the 23 championships ever contested, including a run of 14 straight between 2002 and 2015. BYU is second with three titles. The Waves have also had the medalist 15 times, including Hira Naveed in 2019.
WCC — The Waves were picked to win the conference for the 19th time, as the league's coaches voted the Waves first in the WCC preseason poll ... Kathrine Chan, Megan Dennis and Reese Guzman made the preseason All-WCC team (freshmen were not eligible).
LOOKING AHEAD — NCAA Regional pairings will be announced on Wednesday, April 28, at 11 a.m. PT on the Golf Channel. Regional dates are May 10-12.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS — The Waves had a successful start to the spring season. First, they defeated New Mexico State and Cal State Fullerton in their three-team Moorpark Intercollegiate. Caroline Hwang was the medalist and the Waves took the top four spots on the leaderboard. Hwang received the WCC's Player of the Month award for February ... Then, Pepperdine took fourth place at the 12th annual Bruin Wave Invitational, the team's best finish at its own event since 2014. The Waves went from eighth to sixth to fourth over the three days. Reese Guzman took fifth place ... Lion Higo tied for 10th against an extremely strong field at the LSU Tiger Golf Classic ... Kaleiya Romero was third and Hwang tied for eighth at the Dick McGuire Invitational.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 25 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
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