KELOWNA – Ethan Banks is a back-to-back champion after claiming the men's individual championship at the Battle of the Bear, hosted by the UBC Okanagan Heat at the Okanagan Golf Club in Kelowna.

Once again Banks found himself tied for the lead and required extra holes to get the win. This time the playoff was decided on the fourth hole with Banks tapping in his par putt to defeat Mackenzie Bickell of the UBC Thunderbirds. 

Banks, who won the individual title at the Canada West Championships, credits his win to the same game plan as last week and believes the added confidence and "breaking the ice" helped him win this tournament.  

"The Canada West Championships is obviously a mammoth of a tournament which I'm incredibly proud to have won but sharing the lead for the first time in my career and being able to bounce back after a few rough holes are super special to me. Winning back-to-back in two big tournaments with so many great competitors is a very special feeling." 

In addition to Banks, the Dinos men had another good showing and finished second in the team scoring portion with a combined total of 580. The second-place finish was driven by strong showings from Ben Wong, Ronnie Postnikoff, and Tommy Sluka. A first-year Dino, Sluka was able to secure a tie for third with an impressive second day 69, which was a welcome follow up performance to his impressive tie for seventh at the conference championships. 

Wong and Postnikoff continue to play steady golf over the two days with Postnikoff just edging out his teammate with a two-day total of 151 and Wong finishing one stroke behind him with a combined total of 152.

The team's performance was fueled by the confidence they got from the results of last week said Banks. He continued to discuss how much potential the team has after many strong showings this season

Matthew Tse also discussed the team's recent performances, as he looked back on the season. 

"I'm very happy with the direction the team is taking. When I first joined the team, we weren't competitive at all with the teams in the west. Seeing the guys finish on the podium both individually and as a team this year has been so rewarding."

On the women's side, tough weather conditions on the first day created an uphill battle for the Dinos from the start. The team finished sixth with a combined score of 488 and were unable to get back into the mix due to impressive play by the other teams like UBC who entered two women's teams – one winning bronze and the other winning gold. 

Once again, Victoria Tse led the charge for the Dinos posting her best tournament scores of the season with a 75-76 for a combined 151 over the two days. Behind her were Emily Wong and Georgia Mackenzie who were able to put together solid first day scores of 81 and 82 respectively in the tough conditions. On the second day, Raveena Masuta came roaring back with an impressive 86 to try and help her team climb the leaderboard. 

Tse, who was pleased with her scores on the weekend remarked at how great the course conditions were over the two days and reminisced of when the course played host to the 2019 Canada West Championships. 

"The girls played really well the first day despite the cold weather. The first day saw rain, wind, and temperatures below 5 degrees. I don't think anyone could feel their hands by the end of it. With the sun shining more on the second day, everyone had it in them to rally back well." 

With the fall golf season complete, the players are looking forward to the break between the fall and spring seasons. The Dinos will take this time off to work on their game before kicking off the winter semester with a tournament in Ottawa in February.