Postseason set to begin for Colorado-based college golf teams as they gear up for conference tournaments; 4 local programs prepare to defend titles
By Gary Baines – 4/13/2023
Now we get down to the nitty-gritty in college golf.
The regular season for Colorado-based college teams — which lasts from September to April, with roughly three months off during winter — is either over or very close to it.
For most programs, what’s left is the postseason, which can consist of one to three tournaments, depending on how good the team is: a conference meet, possibly NCAA regionals, and — for the best of the best — the NCAA national championships.
But first things first. The 24 biggest college golf programs based in Colorado — nine in Div. I and 15 in Div. II — are set to tee it up in conference meets somewhere between April 17 and May 1. First up are the University of Colorado women (Pac-12) and University of Northern Colorado women (Big Sky) on April 17-19.
For those who have made the grade via their season-long record or their performance at the conference tournament, the NCAA regionals are set for May 8-10 (women’s Div. I and Div. II), May 11-13 (men’s Div. II) and May 15-17 (men’s Div. I).
In the conference tournaments, four Colorado teams will be defending their titles — the University of Denver men and women (both in the Summit League), the CSU-Pueblo men (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) and the Colorado Christian women (RMAC).
And, it should be noted, whenever the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs men’s and women’s teams end their seasons, it will also mark the end of the line for the programs in general — at least for the time being — as the school earlier this year announced the impending demise of the golf teams.
Based on national rankings, a few local teams could make noise during the postseason. That includes the Colorado State men (24th or 29 in Div. I, depending on the poll), the DU women (41st/45th in Div. I), CSU-Pueblo men (19th in Div. II), Colorado Christian men (20th in Div. II) and Colorado Christian women (34th in Div. II). And, of course, others could get hot at the end of the season to extend their runs.
Two-time CGA Women’s Player of the Year Leigha Devine, who plays for Rutgers.
Worth noting: A men’s team from the Centennial State hasn’t qualified for the NCAA DI nationals since 2011, when CSU advanced to the finals. And only one Colorado women’s team has made the DI nationals since 2012, that being CU in 2018.
Without further ado, here’s the schedule and outlook for Colorado-based golf programs in the upcoming conference tournaments:
April 17-19 — Women’s Pac-12, Phoenix
Local Team Competing, With National Rankings: Colorado (77th Golfstat, 80th Golfweek).
Local Individuals Ranked in Top 250 in Nation: none.
Notable: CU finished ninth out of 11 teams in last year’s women’s Pac-12 meet. Kelsey Webster, a resident of Boulder who plays for Oregon State, placed fifth individually in 2022. Stanford’s Rose Zhang, the top-ranked women’s amateur in the world, finished second last year in the Pac-12 tourney.
April 17-19 — Women’s Big Sky, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Local Team Competing, With National Rankings: Northern Colorado (177th Golfweek, 183rd Golfstat).
Local Individuals Ranked in Top 250 in Nation: None.
Notable: UNC placed sixth in the Big Sky meet last year.
April 18-20 — Women’s Mountain West, Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Local Team Competing, With National Rankings: Colorado State (67th Golfweek, 69th Golfstat).
Local Individuals Ranked in Top 250 in Nation: Coloradan Lauren Lehigh, New Mexico (197th Golfstat, 215th Golfweek); Sofia Torres, CSU (204th Golfweek, 226 Golfstat).
Team Wins by Local Programs This Season: CSU 1.
Individual Wins by Locals This Season: Sofia Torres, CSU 1.
Notable: CSU, much improved this season, placed eighth in the MWC last year. Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, who plays for New Mexico, finished second in 2021 (in a playoff) and third in 2022 individually in the last two MWC tournaments.
April 23-25 — Women’s Summit League, Lincoln, Neb.
Local Team Competing, With National Rankings: Denver (41st Golfstat, 45th Golfweek).
Local Individuals Ranked in Top 250 in Nation: Anna Zanusso, DU (57th Golfstat, 98th Golfweek); Alyson Bean, DU (139th Golfweek, 143rd Golfstat); Anna Krekling, DU (185th Golfstat, 249th Golfweek).
Individual Wins by Locals This Season: Alyson Bean, DU 1.
Notable: The University of Denver will defend its title. Last year, the Pioneers claimed victory by 21 strokes, with Anna Zanusso placing first individually, Anna Krekling second, and Alyson Bean and Clara Gestsdottir tying for fourth. Zanusso finished ninth overall in the 2021 NCAA national championships… DU has captured 17 league championships in the last 18 times the tournaments have been contested. The Pios have now won seven times in the Summit League, once in the WAC and nine times in the Sunbelt. … The tournament moves to Lincoln after being held in Newton, Kan., in recent years.
April 23-25 — Men’s Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Boulder City, Nev.
Local Teams Competing, With National Rankings: CSU-Pueblo 19th, Colorado Christian 20th, Colorado Mesa 43rd, Colorado-Colorado Springs 61st, Colorado School of Mines 72nd, Fort Lewis 118th, Regis 150th.
Local Individuals Ranked in Top 150 in Nation in Div. II: 21. Jamie Roberts, CSU-Pueblo; 24. Xavier Bighaus, Colorado Christian; 47. Adam Duncan, Colorado Christian; 48. Matt Millar, CSU-Pueblo; 62. Yael Chahin, Colorado Mesa; 78. Lukas Taggart, Colorado School of Mines; 132. Peter Grossenbacher, Colorado Mesa; 144. Barrett Jones, UCCS.
Team Wins by Local Programs: CSU Pueblo 2, Colorado Mesa 2, Colorado Christian 2, Colorado-Colorado Springs 2.
Notable: CSU-Pueblo will defend its RMAC title. … UCCS will eliminate its program at season end.
April 23-25 — Women’s Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Boulder City, Nev.
Local Teams Competing, With National Rankings: Colorado Christian 34th, Colorado Mesa 46th, CSU-Pueblo 49th, Colorado-Colorado Springs 97th, Regis 106th, Fort Lewis 119th, Metro State, Adams State.
Local Individuals Ranked in Top 150 in Nation in Div. II: 69. Minna Archer, CSU-Pueblo; 91. Cassidy Phelan, Colorado Mesa; 104. Kylie Severin, CSU-Pueblo; 122. Emily Donaldson, Colorado Christian; 138. Elly Walters, Colorado Mesa;
Team Wins by Local Programs: Colorado Christian 3, CSU-Pueblo 1.
Notable: Colorado Christian won the RMAC women’s title by 21 strokes last year. CC’s Faith Kilgore earned the individual title but transferred to the University of Texas for her final season of college golf. … UCCS will eliminate its program at season end.
April 24-26 — Men’s Big Sky, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Local Team Competing, With National Rankings: Northern Colorado (195th Golfweek, 197th Golfstat).
Local Individuals Ranked in Top 250 in Nation: none.
Notable: UNC finished second by one stroke last year — behind Weber State — at the Bis Sky tournament. Blake Danni (fourth) and Jack Castiglia (eighth) posted top-10s for the Bears at the conference meet last year.
CU’s Justin Biwer (right) with Wyoming’s Patrick Azevedo at a tournament earlier this season.
April 28-30 — Men’s Pac-12, Palo Alto, Calif.
Local Team Competing, With National Rankings: Colorado (57th Golfstat, 65th Golfweek).
Local Individuals Ranked in Top 250 in Nation: Dylan McDermott, CU (53rd Golfstat, 122nd Golfweek); Justin Biwer, CU (175th Golfstat, 180th Golfweek).
Individual Wins by Locals This Season: Dylan McDermott 1.
Notable: CU’s Justin Biwer finished fifth individually last year at the Pac-12 meet as the Buffs placed 10th as a team. … The Pac-12 tournament, unlike many other conference meets in college golf, lasts 72 holes rather than 54.
April 28-30 — Men’s Mountain West, Tucson, Ariz.
Local Teams Competing, With National Rankings: Colorado State (24th Golfstat, 29th Golfweek); Air Force Academy (267th Golfstat, 277th Golfweek).
Local Individuals Ranked in Top 250 in Nation: Davis Bryant, CSU (55th Golfstat, 94th Golfweek); Connor Jones, CSU (108th Golfweek, 123rd Golfstat); Christoph Bleier, CSU (145th Golfweek, 181st Golfstat); Rasmus Hjelm, CSU (220th Golfstat).
Team Wins by Local Programs This Season: CSU 3.
Individual Wins by Locals This Season: Connor Jones, CSU 2.
Notable: CSU’s Connor Jones, a resident of Westminster, will defend his individual MWC title, which began a remarkable stretch for him over the following several months. Jones went on to sweep the CGA’s major championships and be named the CGA Player of the Year. Jones became CSU’s first individual MWC champion since 2010, when Ryan Peterson won. Current PGA Tour player Martin Laird also claimed a Mountain West title, in 2002. … CSU ended up second in the MWC team standings last year, four strokes behind champion San Diego State. The Rams will be seeking their first MWC team victory since 2010. … Air Force has a very notable tournament remaining in the regular season as the Falcons resume their inter-service showdown series after a considerable hiatus as Air Force, Army and Navy square off in the Commander-in-Chief’s Cup in Gainesville, Va., Monday and Tuesday.
April 30-May 1 — Men’s Summit League, Lincoln, Neb.
Local Team Competing, With National Rankings: Denver (164th Golfweek, 166th Golfstat).
Local Individuals Ranked in Top 250 in Nation: None.
Individual Wins by Locals This Season: Carson Griggs, DU 1.
Notable: DU, winner of the last three Summit League championships, will defend its title. … The Pioneers’ Carson Griggs ended up runner-up individually last year. … The tournament will move to Lincoln after years in Newton, Kan.
Elsewhere
Other Coloradans Ranked Among the Top 250 Players Nationally in Div. I: Ashley Kozłowski, Purdue (210th Golfstat, 220th Golfweek); Leigha Devine, Rutgers (250th Golfweek); In Div. III: Jessica Mason, Pomona Pitzer (8th Golfstat).
About the Author: Gary Baines owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com