LA QUINTA, Calif. - Josh McCartain finished four-under to tie for eighth place leading the Idaho Vandal men to a fifth-place finish at the Big West Championship Wednesday at the La Quinta Country Club in southern California.
 
The Vandals were two-under for the weekend after playing one-over for the final round. Idaho finished six strokes out of third place.
 
McCartain was solid all week, hitting a two-under 70 in round one before carding a three-under 69 in round two. He was one-over 73 on Tuesday to close out his weekend.
 
Dalton Dean opened the tournament at two-over 74 but followed with back-to-back one-under 71s to finish the week even par and tie for 18th-place.
 
Joe Sykes and Matt McGann were two-over for the tournament to finish tied for 21st. Sam Johnson was five-over on the week to finish tied for 40th.
 
Idaho was playing its first season back in the Big West for the first time since 2005. The tournament was won by 22nd-ranked Long Beach State, but Idaho finished nine strokes and four spots ahead of former Big Sky foe Sacramento State.
 
"I'm proud of our Vandals," head coach David Nuhn said. "Playing in a new conference championship this year with an unfamiliar course and opponents. I thought we held it together this week. It was exciting to see Josh with a top-eight finish, and Dalton come back in rounds two and three to get to even-par for the weekend. I'd like to thank (2024 graduate) TJ Patterson for making the trip to Southern California to help the team this week."
 
The tournament caps the season for the Vandals and rounds out the career for Matt McGann, a Spokane, Washington, native who came to Idaho before the 2020-21 season. He left his mark, becoming a team captain and earning a bachelor's and master's degree in the process.
 
"I'll miss seeing Matt McGann play golf and the way he elevated everyone around him," Nuhn said. "I think we are better because of his leadership this year, and I'm excited for what next year holds for our returners and incoming freshman golfers."