LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. — Sacramento State completed a wire-to-wire victory and earned a berth in an upcoming NCAA regional with a victory at the Big Sky Men's Golf Championship on Thursday at Wigwam Golf Resort.

The Hornets opened the day with a four-stroke lead and were able to extend it to eight strokes in the early portion of the round. However, both Weber State and Idaho chipped away at the score and eventually drew even with a handful of holes to play. Sacramento State responded by pushing its lead back to five strokes and finished with a three-stroke victory. The team finished the tournament with a total of 281-285-296-862 to end at 2-under par. The total is tied for the fourth-best in school conference championship history while the score relative to par is tied for the third best. Sacramento State earned its fifth Big Sky Men's Golf Championship title in 15 tournaments played.

The team will now advance to an NCAA regional for the fourth time in school history and the first since 2021. Sacramento State will find out its fate during the selection show on Wednesday, May 1, on Golf Channel at 11 a.m. The regionals will be held on May 13-15 at six locations across the country.

Gabriel Smith and Jeffrey Perry each shot an even-par round of 72 on Thursday to tie for the team lead. Smith was 2-under on the front nine with three birdies and a bogey. He had just one par on the back side of the course, beginning with a double bogey on No. 10 and a bogey on No. 11 which rose his score to 1-over on the day. He birdied the par-4 12th, followed with a bogey on No. 13 and then birdied Nos. 13, 14 and 15 to get to 2-under. After a par on No. 17, Smith ended his round with a double bogey on the par-4 18th. His three-day total of 69-71-72-212 tied him for second place overall and left him three strokes behind Idaho's Joe Sykes who was the medalist. Smith's total and score to par is tied for the seventh best in school history at a conference championship.

Perry tied for fifth place for his best finish as a Hornet after shooting 75-68-72-215. He had three birdies and two bogeys on the front nine to stand at 1-under at the turn. A birdie on No. 10 moved him to 2-under where he remained until bogeys on the final two holes.

Luke Dugger joined the pair in the top 10 after rounds of 70-73-75-218 placed him eighth. Dugger birdied two of the first four holes to get to 2-under in the third round. His only bogey on the front nine came on the par-3 sixth but he added birdies on Nos. 8 and 9 to get to 3-under. Dugger found himself 1-over through 13 holes after bogeys on Nos. 10 and 13 and a double bogey on the par-3 11th. He birdied the par-5 14th to return to even but ended with a bogey on No. 17 and a double bogey on No. 18.

Zach Mate completed the team total with a round of 77. Mate had two birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey in the round. Jake Aberle added round of 80 with two birdies, three bogeys, two double bogeys and a triple bogey. Aberle finished tied for 11th overall while Mate was 17th.

BIG SKY MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Litchfield Park, Ariz. | Wigwam GC (Gold Course)
Par 72 | 7,051 Yards

Team Standings
1. Sacramento State 281-285-296-862
2. Weber State 288-282-295-865
3. Idaho 285-289-292-866
4. Northern Colorado 294-290-292-876

Individual Top Five
1. Joe Sykes, UI, 69-70-70-209
T2. Gabriel Smith, SAC, 69-71-72-212
T2. Isaac Buerger, WSU, 71-70-71-212
4. Gage Messignham, UNC, 72-70-71-213
T5. Jeffrey Perry, SAC, 75-68-72-215
T5. Samuel Johnson, UI, 70-74-71-215
T5. Hayden Banz, WSU, 70-71-74-215

Sacramento State Scores
T2. Gabriel Smith 69-71-72-212
T5. Jeffrey Perry 75-68-72-215
8. Luke Dugger 70-73-75-218
T11. Jake Aberle 67-73-80-220
17. Zach Mate 77-74-77-228