NORTH PLAINS, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College men's golf secured their best finish at the Northwest Conference Championship Tournament since 1988, when they finished off the NWC Championship in fourth place. 

THE BASICS 
 
Men's Golf – 4^th out of 9 Teams – 591 (293-298) - +23
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
 
The River Otters put together their best Day Two of the year at an NWC event this year to retain their fourth-place ranking in the standings. The fourth-place finish is the team's best at an NWC Championship since the 1988 season when they finished third out of six teams. 
 
With their strong showing this weekend, men's golf moved from seventh to sixth in the final NWC Season Standings. Lewis & Clark (1,801 strokes) beat Whitworth University (1,802) by one stroke across the three NWC events this academic year. They finished just 12 strokes behind fourth-place Pacific Lutheran University (1,789) and six behind fifth-place George Fox University (1,795). 
 
Men's Golf shot a 591 (+23) across the two-day tournament to edge Pacific Lutheran University (+24), George Fox University (+30), Whitworth (+33), Pacific (+34) and the University of Puget Sound (+38). 
 
Junior Luke Blankinship led the River Otters, after posting the lowest score on the team on Monday. The junior shot an even-par 71 to finish the tournament with a score of 143 (+1). He tied his career-best finish at an NWC event by finishing in a tie for fifth overall. Blankinship started his round with back-to-back bogeys and added a third on his fifth hole. He would completely turn it around from there. The junior would notch eight-straight pars, before posting birdies on the Par 5 eighth and Par 4 ninth holes. He would tack on another birdie on the Par 3 11^th hole to finish his final 13 holes -3. 
 
Sophomore Joonho Moon joined Blankinship in the top-10 of the individual standings. After shooting a 72 (+1) on Sunday, Moon carded a 73 (+2) to place second on the team and in a tie for 10^th overall. He posted a two-day total of 145 (+3). The sophomore recorded two birdies, four bogeys and 12 pars in his final round of the year. Moon started the day with five-straight pars and closed the day with a birdie and two pars. He shot an even-par 35 on the back nine. 
 
Sophomore Charlie Hageman placed third on the team and tied for 24^th in the field. Hageman carded a 76 (+5) on Monday. The sophomore went one-under on the back nine with two birdies, one bogey and six pars. He posted a tournament score of 151 (+9). 
 
Sophomore Mason Hill came in fourth on the team and tied for 35^th in field across the two days. Hill registered a tournament score of 164 (+12). On Monday, he notched a 78 (+7). Hill recorded two birdies and seven pars over his 18 holes. 
 
Sophomore Tanner Moody matched Hill with a tied for 35^th-place showing. The sophomore carded an 80 (+9) to finish with a two-day total of 164 (+12). Moody posted five pars on both the front and back nines to finish with 10 for the day. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS 

• Willamette University won the team title and earned first place in the NWC Season Standings with a big final day. The Bearcats shot a 282 (-2) to win the tournament by 14 strokes over runner-up Linfield University (+6). 
• Lewis & Clark's put together their best tournament score at an NWC event of the season this weekend. They shot 606 (+38) at the NWC Fall Classic and 604 (+36) at the NWC Spring Classic. 
• Linfield's Douglas Bailey (-5) defeated Willamette's Brock Olson (-5) in a playoff to win the medalist honors. 
• Blankinship finished tied for seventh in the field on Par 4s (4.11, +2) and Par 5s (4.63, -3).
• Lewis & Clark finished fifth among the nine teams on Par 3s (3.32, +16), Par 4s (4.26, +23) and Par 5s (4.95, -2). 
• Moon led Lewis & Clark and finished tied for fourth in the field on Par 3s (3.00, Even). 
• The River Otters finished second among the teams with 104 pars and recorded the second-fewest double bogeys (seven). 
• Moon (25) and Blankinship (22) placed tied for third and tied for eighth in the field in pars. 
• Blankinship led the team and came in a tie for ninth on total birdies (seven). 
• Moon finished in the top-10 at an NWC event for the first time in his career. His previous career-best finish at an NWC event was tied for 17^th at the NWC Spring Classic earlier this month.
• Blankinship matched his best career-finish at an NWC event. The junior placed tied for fifth at the 2025 NWC Spring Classic.

WHAT'S NEXT 
 
Men's golf anticipates bringing back nine of their 11 players, including their entire lineup from this weekend, for the 2026-27 season.