Colorado-based college golf programs collectively had one of their best fall seasons ever, posting 15 team titles; defending DII national champion Colorado Christian men led the way with 5 wins in 5 events
By Gary Baines – 11/11/2024
It was one fantastic fall for Colorado-based college golf teams — collectively speaking.
Almost certainly one of the best ever, as a matter a fact.
After all, it’s not often that the first two months of the college golf season produce 15 team victories and even more individual wins for the NCAA men’s and women’s programs — both Division I and II — from the Centennial State.
Those are remarkable numbers as college golf tournaments aren’t easy to win. Fields for a given event often include 10-20 teams — or more — and 75-100-plus individuals.
Yet in the fall portion of the college season, which runs from roughly early September to early November, local golf programs chalked up these team victories:
— Colorado Christian University Men (5): The Writz at Mile High, National Championship Preview, WWU Invitational, Dennis Ross Intercollegiate and HPU Sharks Shootout.
In fact, the defending NCAA Division II national champs won all five of their fall tournaments. Even more amazing, the Cougars have now earned team titles in nine of their last 11 tournaments, dating back to April 1 of last season. And that run includes their victory in the national championship, which made them the first Colorado-based college program to claim a national team championship in golf.
The CSU men won their first three tournaments of the season, including their own Ram Masters Invitational.
— Colorado State University Men (3): Ram Masters Invitational, Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational.
— CSU Pueblo Women (2): Swan Memorial, CSU Pueblo Fall Invitational.
— University of Colorado Men (1): William H. Tucker Intercollegiate.
— CSU Women (1): Rainbow Wahine Invitational.
— Colorado Mesa University Men (1): T1 at Bishop Invitational.
— CSU Pueblo Men (1): The Sam Proel.
— Colorado Christian Women (1): RJGA Shootout at Estrella.
As for individual victories for golfers from Colorado-based schools, including players who tied for first, then lost in playoffs — as per college ranking rules:
— Adam Duncan, Colorado Christian men (2): The Writz at Mile High, HPU Shark Shootout.
— Sungyeop Cho, CCU men (2): National Preview, T1 at Dennis Rose Invitational.
— Cole Beyer, Colorado Mesa men (2): Bishop Invitational, Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational.
— Matthew Wilkinson, CSU men (1): Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational.
— Justin Biwer, CU men (1): T1 at Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational.
— Jay Pabin, CSU men (1): The Preserve Golf Club Collegiate.
— Lacey Uchida, CSU women (1): Rainbow Wahine Invitational.
— Sangha Park, CCU men (1): T1 at Dennis Rose Invitational.
— Xavier Bighaus, CCU men (1): WWU Invitational. (Nov. 13 Update: On Wednesday, Bighaus also won the Southwest Airlines Showcase, an amateur all-star invitational that featured a 21-player field on the men’s side.)
— Raya Schulz, CCU women (1): RJGA Shootout at Estrella .
— Freya Constable, CSU Pueblo women (1): CSU Pueblo Fall Invitational.
— Traejan Andrews, Fort Lewis men (1): GJGA South Central Shootout.
— Tyler Tyson, Fort Lewis men (1): T1 at The Hrnciar.
— Dimery Plewę, Fort Lewis women (1): Nick Turner Invitational.
In the National Collegiate Golf Rankings, two Colorado-based men’s teams are ranked in the top 50 in NCAA Division I: CU (34th) and CSU (41st). CU had one of its best falls overall in program history, with a victory, three second places and a third to go along with a 1-3 record in the Big 12 Match Play. Other outstanding falls in school history include 1980 (two wins, one second, one third and a 21st place) and 2016 (two wins, a second, a third, a fourth and a fifth).
The highest-ranked local DI women’s program is CU (54th).
In Division II, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Colorado Christian men continue to be ranked No. 1 in the country, while Colorado Mesa is 16th, CSU Pueblo 33rd and Colorado School of Mines 37th. For women, CSU Pueblo (39th) is the top Colorado-based squad.
Three Colorado Christian players are ranked among the top six nationally in men’s DII: Cho (first), Duncan (second) and Park (sixth), while Colorado Mesa’s Beyer checks in at No. 13. In DI, CSU’s Pabin sits 42nd, while CU’s Biwer is 79th.
Coloradan Lily Nelson (Henderson State in Arkansas) is ranked 46th in women’s DII, while CSU Pueblo’s Constable is 79th.
In women’s DIII, Coloradan Jessica Mason (Trinity in Texas) is ranked 25th nationally, while fellow Coloradan Bead Boonta (Pacific in Oregon) is 43rd.
Jessica Mason’s brother, Jacob (also at Trinity), stands 26th in the country among DIII men.
The spring portion of the college golf season will begin sometime in the late-January-to-early March range for most Colorado-based programs.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com