McCleary becomes the first Seattle University golfer to win a Division I tournament since Dave Wahlin won the 1980 West Coast Athletic Conference Championships. Seattle U did not sponsor a women's golf team until 2008, but females had competed for Seattle U in collegiate golf tournaments, highlighted by Seattle U Athletic Hall of Famer Pat Lesser Harbottle's exploits in the 1950s.
"The rounds that Caitlin shot yesterday (Monday) were way beyond her years of experience on the golf course and show how much she has matured and improved over the past few years," head coach Don Rasmussen said. "This is not a fluke; she has a lot of game."
McCleary's 76, coupled with her Monday rounds of 70, gave her a cumulative score of even-par 216, five strokes ahead of Southern Utah's Monica Jung. She led the field with 12 birdies and a two-under-par score on the par-three holes, plus she was tied for second in par-four scoring at two-over-par and tied for ninth in par-five scoring at even-par.
"I had been stuck in the mid- to high-70s for a while, but I worked very hard this summer to improve my game," McCleary said. "I made a few swing changes a couple of weeks ago, and everything seemed to click this week."
Entering the day in third place, Seattle U slid to seventh place in the final standings after combining for a score of 318 (+30). With a three-round total of 933 (+69), the Redhawks finished ahead of BYU, Xavier, Cal State Fullerton, and Hawaii, among others. Washington State maintained its nine-stroke advantage from the previous day to win the team title.
"I had hoped we would hang in there for a top-five finish, but for a program as young as ours, this is a great result. It is a lot of fun to have a performance like this so early in the season to set the tone for the rest of the year. It is also nice to see the other schools and coaches recognizing the progress we have made, and credit for that goes to the team for all their hard work," said Rasmussen.
Lori Pearson (Seattle, Wash.) remained in a tie for 39th place after shooting 79 (+7) in the final round for a three-round total of 236 (+20). Shannon Quinn (Shoreline, Wash.) shot 81 (+9) in the third round to end the tournament in a tie for 46th place with a cumulative score of 237 (+21).
Monica Keo (Oahu, Hawaii) finished her first collegiate tournament with an 82 (+10) for a three-round total of 246 (+30), ending up in a tie for 91st place. Keo earned an eagle during the tournament and shot even-par on the par-five holes. Christine Cook (Yakima, Wash.) finished in 94th place after a third-round 83 (+11) gave her a cumulative score of 248 (+32).
The Seattle University women's golf team will next compete at the Rose City Collegiate, hosted by Portland State Sept. 26-27 at the Langdon Farms Golf Club in Aurora, Ore.