Both University of Denver teams will be in action before the month ends, and by this time in Feburary all nine NCAA Division I programs based in Colorado will have started their spring schedules. The DU women, recently picked to finish No. 1 in the Summit League by its coaches, will be the first local team to tee it up in competition as the Pioneers will face Arizona State and Georgia in a three-school match on Sunday (Jan. 27) in Gold Canyon, Ariz.

This spring will be notable in several respects from a Colorado perspective, including:

— Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster will be defending her NCAA Division I women’s individual title in May as a Wake Forest senior before she begins her LPGA Tour career. This week, Kupcho regained the No. 1 spot in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, a position she held for 15 weeks in 2018.

— Former University of Colorado golfer Robyn Choi, who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open in the Centennial State the past two years, likewise earned her LPGA Tour card in November through her performance in the Q-Series. But, unlike Kupcho, Choi elected to forego her remaining college eligibility to join the LPGA circuit as soon as possible. That will leave CU without its top player going into the spring.

“That’s a tough one to lose, but it’s exciting she gets to start her LPGA career,” CU coach Anne Kelly said recently on CUBuffs.com regarding Choi.

Junior Kirsty Hodgkins, like Choi an Australian, will likely take over the No. 1 position for the Buffs.

— Dawn Shockley, who grew up in Estes Park and played her college golf at DU, seems to be making an impression as the women’s coach at Oregon State. At midseason, the Beavers are ranked No. 25 in the nation, according to Golfstat.

While there are plenty of college veterans that figure to shine for Colorado-based DI teams, several freshmen demonstrated great promise in their first semester as college golfers, in the fall. That includes Colorado State University players Oscar Teiffel and Davis Bryant, who had the Rams’ top two scoring averages in the autumn. Another promising freshman is former Coloradan Elizabeth Wang, who posted a 71.25 scoring average in her first semester at Harvard.

Looking ahead to the spring, here’s a brief preview of the Colorado-based DI programs, broken into several categories:

SPRING SEASON OPENERS

— DU Women: Jan. 27 dual match vs. Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz.
— DU Men: Jan. 28-29 at Arizona Intercollegiate in Tucson, Ariz.
— CU Women: Feb. 3-5 at Northrop Grumman Invitational in Palos Verdes, Calif.
— CU Men: Feb. 7-9 at Amer Ari Intercollegiate in Waikoloa, Hawaii.
— UNC Men: Feb. 11-12 at Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational in St. George, Utah.
— CSU Women: Feb. 18-19 at The Rebel Beach in Las Vegas, Nev.
— CSU Men: Feb. 20 dual match vs. Denver in Palm Desert, Calif.
— UNC Women: Feb. 23-24 at GCU Invitational in Phoenix.
— Air Force Academy Men: Feb. 23-25 at Loyola Invitational in Goodyear, Ariz.

NATIONAL TEAM RANKINGS

Men
47. Colorado State (Golfstat; 51st Golfweek)
73. Colorado (Golfstat; 81st Golfweek)
118. Northern Colorado (Golfstat; 122nd Golfweek)
137. Denver (Golfstat; 149th Golfweek)
203. Air Force Academy (Golfstat; 204th Golfweek)

Women
36. Colorado (Golfweek; 42nd Golfstat)
69. Colorado State (Golfstat; 74th Golfweek)
79. Denver (Golfweek; 81st Golfstat)
149. Northern Colorado (Golfstat; 150th Golfweek)

NATIONAL INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (in top 250)

Men
91. Former Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah (Golfweek; 202nd Golfstat)
111. Daniel O’Loughlin, CU (Golfstat; 139th Golfweek)
118. Oscar Teiffel, CSU (Golfweek; 145th Golfstat)
120. Coby Welch, UNC (Golfstat; 160th Golfweek)
150. Davis Bryant, CSU (Golfstat; 189th Golfweek)
241. Trevor Olkowski, CU (Golfstat)

Women
11. Robyn Choi, CU (Golfstat; 20th Golfweek; will not compete in spring as she’s become an LPGA Tour member)
57. Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho, Wake Forest (Golfweek 72nd Golfstat)
72. Kirsty Hodgkins, CU (Golfweek; 73rd Golfstat)
87. Mary Weinstein, DU (Golfweek; 121st Golfstat)
97. Former Coloradan Elizabeth Wang, Harvard (Golfweek; 179th Golfstat)
190. Katrina Prendergast, CSU (Golfstat)

TEAM VICTORIES IN FALL
— CU Men (2): Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational; Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational.

— CSU Men (2): Ram Masters Invitational; Paintbrush Invitational.

— CSU Women (1): Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate.

INDIVIDUAL VICTORIES IN FALL
— Former Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah (2): Showdown in the Rockies; Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational.  

— Ellen Secor, CSU (1): Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate.

— Daniel O’Loughlin, CU (1): Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational.

— Oscar Teiffel, CSU (1): Paintbrush Invitational.

— Trevor Olkowski, CU (1): Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational (tied for title before losing to Dunkle in a playoff, though both are officially credited with a win.)

TOP INDIVIDUAL FALL STROKE AVERAGE FOR EACH TEAM

CSU Men: Oscar Teiffel 70.77
UNC Men: Coby Welch 70.83
CU Men: Daniel O’Loughlin 71.2
CU Women: Robyn Choi 71.44
DU Women: Mary Weinstein 72.42
CSU Women: Katrina Prendergast 72.67
DU Men: Jun Ho Won 73.22
Air Force Academy Men: Luke Trujillo 74.4
UNC Women: Beah Cruz 75.0

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

CU Women: Pac-12 in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., April 15-17.
CSU Women: Mountain West in Rancho, Mirage, Calif., April 15-17.
UNC Women: Big Sky in Boulder City, Nev., April 19-21.
DU Women: Summit League in Newton, Kan., April 21-23.
CU Men: Pac-12 in Eugene, Ore., April 22-24.
CSU and Air Force Men: Mountain West in Tucson, Ariz., April 26-28.
UNC Men: Big Sky in Boulder City, Nev., April 26-28.
DU Men: Summit League in Newton, Kan., April 28-30.

NCAA REGIONAL SCHEDULE

Women: May 6-8, sites TBD (must earn selection).
Men: May 13-15, sites TBD (must earn selection).

Wednesday marked the first day that high school golfers from Colorado — and elsewhere — who are part of the class of 2019 could formalize their choice of college golf programs by signing national letters of intent.

As is often the case, an impressive number of Coloradans will be playing college golf starting next fall. And plenty of those will be headed to NCAA Division I programs. And to take it yet another step, quite a few Coloradans will be joining DI teams that are among the best in the country.

In fact, between 2019 and 2020 graduates, nine golfers from the Centennial State have either verbally committed to — or have signed with — college programs currently ranked among the top 100 in the nation in Division I:

— Dillon Stewart (left) of Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Boys Player of the Year in 2018, signed on Wednesday with defending NCAA Division I champion Oklahoma State, the No. 1-ranked men’s team in the nation. The Cowboys have now won 11 NCAA titles in men’s golf.

— Two other high school seniors, Jack Hughes of Aspen and former Grand Junction resident Canon Olkowski, will be joining the University of Colorado men’s program, which won two tournaments in the fall and is ranked 73rd in the country, according to Golfstat. Olkowski, who now resides in Las Vegas, is the younger brother of current Buff Trevor Olkowski.

— Dawson Holmes of Aspen will be playing his college golf at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, a program ranked 44th in the nation among DI teams.

— Caroline Jordaan (left) of Lakewood and Colorado Academy, long one of the top girls players in the state, is becoming a University of Denver golfer. The Pioneers are currently slotted No. 79 in the country by Golfweek.

— Lauren Lehigh of Loveland High School, the JGAC’s Girls Player of the Year this past season, is headed to the University of New Mexico, the No. 85 women’s program in the country as of the end of the fall season.

As for high school juniors who recently made verbal commitments to play college golf, they add to the trend:

— Hailey Schalk of Erie and Holy Family High School, the 2017 JGAC Girls POY who won the 3A state high school titles as both a freshman and a sophomore, plans to play at CU, which is ranked No. 36 in the nation by Golfweek. Schalk has been receiving college scholarship offers since early in her eighth-grade year. Her dad, Matt Schalk, is the PGA general manager and director of golf at Colorado National Golf Club, the home course for the CU men’s and women’s golf teams.

— Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village and Kent Denver, winner of two of the first three JGAC Tournament of Champions, has committed to Northwestern, the No. 15 women’s team in the nation, according to Golfstat.

— And Marie Jordaan of Lakewood, Caroline Jordaan’s younger sister, is headed to Santa Clara in California, which sits No. 95 in the country, according to Golfstat.

All told in just the Class of 2019, at least 10 Colorado residents and/or JGAC members have signed or will sign letters of intent for DI programs:

Besides the aformentioned six, there’s:

— Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora, who’s headed to the University of Northern Colorado.

— Morgan Ryan of Centennial and Jessica Zapf of Windsor will be teammates at the University of Wyoming.

— And TJ Shehee of Mead will play for the UNC men.

It isn’t often that a Coloradan signs a letter of intent to play golf for the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, but Stewart did just that on Wednesday afternoon.

“It means a lot with all the hard work I’ve put in through the years,” Stewart said recently. “Waking up early and going to play all day until the moon comes up (and) I’m still up there and have my flashlight on the range when I was little. I couldn’t get enough. It just shows that if you have a dream and you want to achieve it, you can put the work in and anything is possible.”

Signing a prestigious letter of intent on Wednesday caps a big year for Stewart, who will graduate from Fossil Ridge in December, though he won’t enroll in OSU until the fall semester. In 2018, he won the individual title in the boys Junior America’s Cup, which featured some of the top junior golfers from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico, and led Colorado to its first team title ever in that event. Earlier, Stewart became the first Colorado boy to win the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior — one of two AJGA titles he claimed in 2018. In the fall, he captured the 5A state high school individual championship and led Fossil Ridge to its first team title in boys golf. Stewart also shared medalist honors in qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur.

And now, Stewart is going to Stillwater, Okla., to play his college golf.

“It is a dream of mine,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to go there. When I was little I was a Rickie (Fowler) fan; that’s what sparked the whole idea. Being with that group of (top-level players) day in and day out as your family, you’re just going to get that much better. That’s what I’m really looking forward to. You’re practicing with some of the top players in the country and the world every day.”

Here are the Colorado residents and JGAC members who have signed letters of intent or have verbally committed to a college program:

CLASS OF 2019
Boys
— Brandon Bervig of Colorado Springs (Liberty HS) — University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
— Jonas Graham of Parker (Chaparral HS) — Colorado Mesa
— Peter Grossenbacher of Eaton (Eaton HS) — Colorado Mesa
— Dawson Holmes of Aspen (Aspen HS) — College of Charleston (S.C.)
— Jack Hughes of Aspen (Aspen HS) — University of Colorado
— Tyler Mulligan of Parker (Chaparral HS) — Oregon Tech
— Former Grand Junction resident Canon Olkowski, now of Las Vegas — University of Colorado
— Riley Rottschafer of Centennial (Arapahoe HS) — Fort Lewis
— TJ Shehee of Mead (Mead HS) — University of Northern Colorado
— Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins (Fossil Ridge HS) — Oklahoma State
— Jack Tickle (Arapahoe HS) — University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
— Jake Welch of Highlands Ranch (Valor Christian HS) — Colorado School of Mines
— Colter Zwieg of Aspen (Aspen HS) — Methodist University (N.C.)

Girls
— Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora (Grandview HS) — University of Northern Colorado
— Sydney Eye of Golden (Ralston Valley HS) — Metropolitan State University of Denver
— Caroline Jordaan of Lakewood (Colorado Academy) — University of Denver
— Brooke Kramer of Aurora (Cherokee Trail HS) — Chadron State (Neb.)
— Lauren Lehigh of Loveland (Loveland HS) — University of New Mexico
— Morgan Ryan of Centennial (Grandview HS) — University of Wyoming
— Kinsey Smith of Windsor (Windsor HS) — Chadron State (Neb.)
— Jessica Zapf of Windsor (Windsor HS) — University of Wyoming

Out-of-State Signees for Colorado-Based Schools
Boys
— Spencer Adam of San Diego — Air Force Academy
— Brady Arnett of Woodbury, Minn. — University of Denver
— Blake Danni of Cheyenne, Wyo. — Northern Colorado
— Logan Hensley of Casper, Wyo. — Northern Colorado
— Aidan Mann of Elmhurst, Ill. — Colorado Mesa
— Andrew Ni of Edinburgh, Scotland (junior from New Mexico Junior College) — CSU-Pueblo
— Jamie Roberts of Perth, Scotland — CSU-Pueblo
— Zachary Slayton of Austin, Texas — Colorado Christian

Girls
— Andrea Bergsdottir of Gothenburg, Sweden — Colorado State University
— Tomine Bjerkelo of Sandnes, Norway — Colorado State University
— Thea Bjekelo of Sandnes, Norway — Colorado State University
— Erika Danielsson of Finland — University of Denver
— Abbi Fleiner of Reno, Nev. — University of Northern Colorado
— Sophie Johnson of Telford, Shropshire, England — University of Colorado
— Anna Krekling of Oslo, Norway — University of Denver
— Mattie Millwee of Fresno, Calif. — CSU-Pueblo
— Gabby Minier of Goleta, Calif. — Colorado State University
— Rileigh Vojta of St Francis, Minn. — CSU-Pueblo
— Anna Zanusso of Venice, Italy — University of Denver

CLASS OF 2020 VERBAL COMMITMENTS
— Hailey Schalk of Erie (Holy Family HS) — University of Colorado
— Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village (Kent Denver HS) — Northwestern
— Marie Jordaan of Lakewood (Colorado Academy) — Santa Clara

(Note: This story will be updated as more signees/commitments are publicized. Please let us know additional signees by emailing golfjournal@coloradogolf.org) 

The fall portion of the college golf season wrapped up last week for the Division I programs based in Colorado.

There were plenty of highlights for teams and players with major connections to the Centennial State and, probably not coincidentally, many of those superlatives took place in tournaments held in Colorado.

As we enter intermission for a 2018-19 season that won’t resume in earnest until February in most cases — or late January at least — we’ll revisit some of the top local moments from the fall Division I schedule:

— The University of Colorado men’s squad claimed two team titles in September — at the season-opening Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at the Air Force Academy, and at their own Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational in Erie.

— Not to be outdone, the Colorado State University men also won twice team-wise in the fall. The Rams claimed their fifth straight title as they hosted the Ram Masters Invitational in Fort Collins, then prevailed in winter-like conditions at the Paintbrush Invitational in Parker.

— On the women’s side, CSU accomplished a momentous feat by earning a team victory at a major invitational for the first time in over eight years. It came at the University of Denver’s Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate in Highlands Ranch, the Rams’ third tournament under new head coach Laura Cilek.

— At that same event, CSU junior Ellen Secor claimed the first individual victory of her college career. Secor subsequently was named the Mountain West Conference’s Women’s Golfer of the Month for October. And notably, one of the two players who tied for second in Highlands Ranch, a stroke behind Secor, was CSU’s Katrina Prendergast, Secor’s teammate when the two won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball national championship in May. (The two are pictured, with Secor at left.)

— Kyler Dunkle, who grew up in Colorado and won the CGA Amateur in August, had a stellar fall individually as a senior at Utah. Dunkle won the individual title at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational for the second straight year. And this time, it was his second college win in eight days. Dunkle finished the fall with three top-four finishes.

— Also at CU’s Simpson Invitational, Buffs sophomore Trevor Olkowski technically tied for the individual title — and it will go down as a victory — though Dunkle beat him in a playoff by making a 6-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole. (Below, Olkowski is pictured with Dunkle, in the red shirt.)

— Junior Daniel O’Loughlin, a CU teammate of Olkowski, recorded an outright individual victory at the season opener at the Air Force Academy. O’Loughlin notched four top-10 finishes in five fall tournaments.

— One of the more remarkable performances of the fall was by CSU freshman Oscar Teiffel, from Sweden. In a final round of the Paintbrush Invitational in which temperatures hovered in the mid-30s and it was snowing more than a little, Teiffel carded a stellar 5-under-par 67 at Colorado Golf Club. The three-stroke victory was the first for Teiffel in his young college career.

Add up all of the above, and local schools recorded five team victories in the fall, and local players posted six individual wins — or, in Olkowski’s case, a tie for first.

— Junior Robyn Choi, the top player for the CU women, didn’t manage an individual victory in the fall, but certainly made a few runs at it. In all, she had three top-six finishes in three fall tournaments. And, perhaps most impressively, she earned her LPGA card for 2019 by finishing 45th in the final stage of Q-school, the Q-Series.

— Coby Welch, a junior at the University of Northern Colorado who went to the U.S. Amateur in August, had a strong fall, notching three top-five individual finishes — all coming in Colorado. He was third at both the Gene Miranda and Ram Masters, and fifth at the Paintbrush Invite.

— Freshmen had the top two stroke averages for CSU in the fall: Teiffel (70.77) and Aurora resident Davis Bryant (72.13).

— Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch, a junior at the University of Denver, shot a program-record 8-under-par 64 to close out the Golfweek Conference Challenge at the Fazio Course at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott. The stellar final round gave Weinstein her best individual finish — third place — since transferring from Regis to DU in the summer of 2017.

— Luke Trujillo, a freshman from Colorado Springs, leads the Air Force Academy golf team in stroke average after the fall season with a 74.4 norm.

— Beah Cruz, a sophomore from Vacaville, Calif., recorded two top-10 individual finishes for the University of Northern Colorado women in the fall — a sixth and a ninth.

— Meanwhile, in a matter not directly related to performance, this season a DU women’s player is carrying a golf bag at each tournament that honors Danny Dietz, a Navy Seal and former Littleton resident who was killed in combat in 2005 during the war in Afghanistan. Coach Lindsay Kuhle went to Heritage High School with Dietz, knows his family, and came up with the idea to pay tribute to Dietz through the Folds of Honor Foundation program. Dietz’s story was part of the book and movie “Lone Survivor”.

Below are the rankings for the Colorado-based NCAA Division I teams as of the end of the fall season (updated Nov. 14):

Men
Colorado State ( 47th Golfstat, 51st Golfweek)
Colorado (73rd Golfstat, 81st Golfweek)
Northern Colorado (118th Golfstat, 122nd Golfweek)
Denver (137th Golfstat, 149th Golfweek)
Air Force Academy (203rd Golfstat, 204th Golfweek)

Women
Colorado (36th Golfweek, 42nd Golfstat)
Colorado State (69th Golfstat, 74th Golfweek)
Denver (79th Golfweek, 81st Golfstat)
Northern Colorado (149th Golfstat, 150th Golfweek)

And here are the rankings of local players in the top 250 in the nation:

Men
91. Longtime Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah (Golfweek)
110. Daniel O’Loughlin, CU (Golfstat)
118. Oscar Teiffel, CSU (Golfweek)
120. Coby Welch, UNC (Golfstat)
189. Davis Bryant, CSU (Golfweek)
238. Trevor Olkowski, CU (Golfstat)

Women
11. Robyn Choi, CU (Golfstat)
57. Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho, Wake Forest (Golfweek)
72. Kirsty Hodgkins, CU (Golfweek)
87. Mary Weinstein, DU (Golfweek)
97. Former Coloradan Elizabeth Wang, Harvard (Golfweek)
192. Katrina Prendergast, CSU (Golfstat)
 

After placing sixth in CU’s season opener last month, the junior from Australia finished third out of 78 players on Tuesday in the Windy City Collegiate Championship in Wilmette, Ill.

Choi (left) shot rounds of 72-69-72 for a 3-under-par 213 total, which left her seven strokes behind Windy City champion Gabriela Ruffels of Southern California.

It was the seventh top-five individual finish of Choi’s CU career.

The Buffs as a team placed ninth out of 14 teams in Illinois.

Also recording top-six finishes on Tuesday in local NCAA Division I golf were University of Northern Colorado teammates Nicole Polivchak and Beah Cruz.

Polivchak placed fifth and Cruz sixth in the Rose City Collegiate in Aurora, Ore. Polivchak checked in at 6-over-par 222 and Cruz at 223 as Courtney Vogel of Grand Canyon won with a 5-under 211 total.

As a team, UNC finished third in the 11-school field, four strokes behind winner Portland State.

Windy City Collegiate Championship
Oct. 1-2, 2018 (final) in Wilmette, Ill.
9. (out of 14 teams) Colorado 301-302-293–896
3. Robyn Choi 72-69-72–213
24. Gillian Vance 72-78-72–222
34. Kirsty Hodgkins 78-75-71–224
67. Haley Nist 81-80-78–230
70. Malak Bouraeda 79-80-83–242
Competing Only as Individual
54. Elle Otten 76-76-79–231

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

Rose City Collegiate
Oct. 1-2, 2018 (final) in Aurora, Ore.

3. (out of 11 teams) Northern Colorado 297-300-301–898
5. Nicole Polivchak 73-72-77–222
6. Beah Cruz 75-76-72–223
17. Jenna Chun 77-77-74–228
21. Morgan Sahm 72-78-79–229
25. Marisa Hisaki 77-75-78–230

Also
44. Coloradan Delaney Elliott, Montana State 80-77-82–239

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

The Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational has proven to be a college tournament where teams and individuals from the Centennial State have thrived over the years.

From 2010 through ’17, a Colorado-based school won or tied for the team title six times, while a Colorado resident claimed the individual championship on five occasions.

The ninth edition of the event, which wrapped up Tuesday at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, took that to another level.

Let’s count the way:

— The host University of Colorado won the team title — for the seventh time, but the fourth time outright. The Buffs have tied for the top spot three times, including last year, which is technically considered a shared title though Utah won a team playoff. But on Tuesday, it was CU who edged the Utes by two strokes.

— And for the second straight year, the top two individual finishers were golfers who grew up in Colorado. University of Utah senior Kyler Dunkle, who lived in Colorado until his parents moved to San Francisco just after Kyler won the CGA Amateur last month, captured the Simpson title for the second straight year, becoming the first two-time individual champion at the event.

“This is a golf course that sets up really well for me,” said the 22-year-old senior. “I’ve played here a lot over the years, including in high school when they let some high school players come compete out here (against one another on the Simpson tournament setup). I love this place and I’ve had success here. So it’s an incredible feeling.”

Dunkle and CU sophomore Trevor Olkowski, who grew up in Grand Junction, were tied for the top spot at the end of regulation. And technically, each will be able to claim the individual victory, though Dunkle sank a 6-foot birdie to win the playoff over Olkowski, who lipped out a 7-foot birdie attempt. (The two are pictured above, with Dunkle in red.)

It’s the first time Olkowski has a first-place showing on his college golf resume.

— And while all that is impressive enough from a Colorado angle, Tuesday marked CU’s second team title in three tournaments to start the season as the Buffs also won the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at the Air Force Academy. It’s the first time in Roy Edwards’ 13 seasons as CU’s head coach that the Buffs have recorded two outright team victories in the same month, though in 2011 CU tied for first at Air Force, losing in a playoff, and won the Simpson Invite outright. (Edwards is pictured at left with his team.)

— As for Dunkle, he’s not only won this event for two straight seasons, but he’s claimed individual titles two weeks in a row. On Sept. 18, he prevailed at the Showdown in the Rockies tournament in Driggs, Idaho. Dunkle, who transferred to Utah from Colorado State, now owns three individual college victories for his career.

In the team race, CU came into the final round with a three-stroke lead and shot a 6-under-par 282 on Tuesday, leaving the Buffs at 14-under 850 for the three rounds. That was two strokes better than fellow Pac-12 team Utah,
which had beaten CU by 38 strokes in Idaho last week.

“We’re really pleased,” Edwards said. “We played poorly, especially the second round, last Monday (in Idaho), but the guys responded really well (this week). It’s a pretty young team, so to see them do that was what we were hoping. The credit goes to those (CU players).

“It’s not easy playing at home a lot of times. Utah has a really good team, so to beat them and beat a lot of the other teams by quite a bit was really satisfying and hopefully a good springboard to finish off the fall.”

The team victory was CU’s 15th in major Division I tournaments in Edwards’ 13 seasons at the program’s helm. Mark Simpson, his predecessor for whom this week’s tournament is named, won 16 team titles in his 29 years as CU’s coach. (The victorious Buffs are pictured at left.)

Victories “don’t happen very often, so you enjoy them as a team,” Edwards said.

“It was a good month for us,” said Olkowski, whose family recently moved from Grand Junction to Las Vegas. “We have momentum going into the rest of the fall season and hopefully we’ll keep it up through the spring, even though that’s a long time from now.”

The only other Colorado-based team that fielded a team for the Simpson Invite, Northern Colorado, placed ninth out of the 16 teams at Colorado National. UNC had the third-lowest score of the final round, a 9-under-par 279, leaving the Bears at 889 overall.

Individually, several local players besides Dunkle and Olkowski — who finished at 9-under-par 207 — placed in the top 10 on Tuesday. That includes CU’s Daniel O’Loughlin (third at 211), Ross Macdonald (sixth at 214) and Andre Leveque (10th at 216); UNC’s Joshua Matz (sixth at 214); and Colorado State’s Oscar Teiffel (10th at 216).

But it came down to Dunkle and Olkowski for the individual title. They both shot 4-under-par 68s on Tuesday. Dunkle almost aced the 180-yard 16th with a 9-iron as his ball hit the pin and finished 5 feet away for a birdie. And he backed that up with another birdie by hitting it 30 feet past the flag with a 3-wood on the 345-yard, par-4 17th hole, then two-putting. Dunkle, who made six birdies on Tuesday, called the 3-wood he hit on 17 his best shot of the tournament.

As for Olkowski, he also made a half-dozen birdies on Tuesday, with the last come on 17, where he pitched to 3 feet.

Then in the playoff on the 18th hole, Dunkle added one more birdie, while Olkowski slightly misread his putt and his ball lipped out on the right side of the cup.

And with that, Dunkle (at left with Edwards) had his second college victory in a week.

“You can’t foresee those kinds of things because every time you show up at one of these tournaments, you’ve got to play some really good golf to beat all the good players out here,” he said.

Dunkle has been on quite a roll since his junior season at Utah ended. He won the CGA Amateur, finished second in the Utah State Amateur, qualified for the U.S. Amateur and earned low-amateur honors in the CoBank Colorado Open by placing ninth. And since starting up his senior season of college golf, he’s racked up two victories in three tournaments.

“I would definitely say my game is in a groove,” he said. “My swing feels great. Last spring I didn’t feel that comfortable with my game because I was battling some (back) injuries and trying to get over that. During the summer, I started worrying less about what my body felt like and more about enjoying the game. When I did that, I stopped paying attention to bad rounds and focused on the good rounds and the good shots. I built that memory bank of things going positively. It’s put me in a position where I am — where if I step on a golf course and stick to my game plan and stay confident, most of the time I’m going to play pretty good. Then it’s a matter of if it’s good enough that week.”

As for Olkowski, despite the playoff loss, he notched his best individual finish ever in a college tournament.

“I’m still happy,” he said. “I lost the trophy, but I still get a tie for first. Being a competitive guy, I hate losing like that. But I’m happy with the way I played all week. I fought hard and it was a good week.”

Said Edwards of Olkowski: “To me, he didn’t make any mistakes that cost him. When he does that, he hits it good enough that he’s going to be in the hunt. He’s just become a really, really solid player. And he’s a smart kid. We’re happy for him.”

Elsewhere in Local College Golf — The University of Denver women remained in fourth place in its title defense at the Golfweek Conference Challenge at the Fazio Course at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott.

With one round remaining, DU sits at 12 over par, 27 strokes behind leader UCLA.

Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch continues to lead the Pioneers as she sits in sixth place individually at 2-under-par 142, which leaves her four shots out of the lead. …

Meanwhile, at the Coeur d’Alene Collegiate in Idaho, Colorado State University sophomore Haley Greb finished a college career best fifth individually. Greg posted a 1-over-par 214 total (75-69-70) to end up three strokes behind champion Abegail Arevalo of San Jose State. As a team, CSU placed seventh in the 18-school field.

Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational
Sept. 24-25, 2018 (final) at Par-72 Colorado National GC in Erie
1. (out of 16 teams) Colorado 279-289-282–850
T1. Trevor Olkowski 68-71-68–207
3. Daniel O’Loughlin 68-71-72–211
6. Ross Macdonald 72-73-69–214
18. John Paterson 71-74-73–218
75. Cole Krantz 73-80-77–230
Competing Only As Individuals
10. Andre Leveque 70-78-69–216
14. Kristoffer Max 74-73-70–217
31. Victor Bjorlow 70-77-74–221
35. Wilson Belk 73-75-74–222

9. Northern Colorado 296-314-279–889
6. Joshua Matz 70-75-69–214
18. Coby Welch 74-77-67–218
64. Jack Castiglia 79-79-70–228
83. Marcus Tait 75-85-73–233
87. Li Chen 77-83-75–235

Also
T1. (won playoff with a birdie) Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah 66-73-68–207
Competing Only As Individuals
10. Oscar Teiffel, CSU 74-73-69–216
31. Cullen Plousha, CSU 74-75-72–221
75. Coloradan Tyler Severin, Wyoming 73-80-77–230
83. Colter Baca, Air Force 78-81-74–233
86. Luke Trujillo, Air Force 82-76-76–234

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

Women’s Golfweek Conference Challenge
At Par-72 Fazio Course at Red Sky GC in Wolcott
4. (out of 18 teams) Denver 293-295–588
6. Mary Weinstein 68-74–142
19. Sophie Newlove 70-76–146
32. Alyson Bean 78-72–150
40. Camille Enright 79-73–152
82. Alison Armstrong 77-85–162
Competing Only As Individual
28. Trussy Li 77-72–149

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

Coeur D’Alene Collegiate
Sept. 24-25, 2018 (final) at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
7. (out of 18 teams) Colorado State 294-288-300–882
5. Haley Greb 75-69-70–214
25. Katrina Prendergast 72-72-75–219
58. Sydney Smith 73-77-77–227
63. Jessica Sloot 74-75-79–228
68. Ellen Secor 79-72-78–229

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

Let’s count the ways:

— The CSU men (pictured in a school photo) won their Ram Masters Invitational team title for the fifth consecutive year at Fort Collins Country Club. On Tuesday, it was by a 14-stroke margin, the third time in the last four seasons the Rams have prevailed by double digits.

— Four CSU players — Parathakorn Suyasri, Jake Staiano, Davis Bryant and AJ Ott — recorded top-10 individual finishes at the Rams Masters. Suyasri placed second, Staiano fifth for the second straight year, Bryant sixth in just his second college event, and Ott ninth.

— All, told, five Colorado residents finished in the top 10 at Fort Collins CC: Northern Colorado’s Coby Welch (third), the University of Denver’s Cal McCoy (fourth in his college debut), along with Staiano, Bryant and Ott. McCoy closed with a 66 on Tuesday.

— And Kyler Dunkle, a longtime Colorado resident until moving away in August, won the individual title on Tuesday at the Showdown in the Rockies tournament in Driggs, Idaho. Dunkle, a University of Utah senior who won the CGA Amateur last month, shot rounds of 66-70-67 for a 13-under-par 203 total, which gave him a two-stroke victory. (Utah also claimed the team championship.)

It marked the second individual college win for Dunkle, who captured the title at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational in Erie a year ago.

Speaking of the Univerisity of Colorado, the Buffs placed eighth as a team at the Showdown in the Rockies. One of CU’s players who didn’t compete in that event, senior Wilson Belk, teamed with brother-in-law Greg Carlin on Tuesday in Broomfield to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship for the second time.

At the Ram Masters Invitational, CSU finished with a winning 54-hole total of 4-under-par 836, which was 14 strokes better than runner-up Illinois State. DU, in its season debut, placed fourth out of 17 teams at 855, while UNC was fifth at 859.

CSU finished second by a stroke in the first two Ram Masters, but since then the Rams have won the event by four in 2014, by 10 in 2015, by seven in 2016, by 19 last year and by 14 on Tuesday.

While four Rams placed in the top 10 individually, the top spot went to Wyoming’s Dan Starzinkski, who won by seven with an 11-under-par 199 total.
 

RAM MASTERS INVITATIONAL
Sept. 17-18, 2018 (final) at Par-70 Fort Collins CC
1. (out of 17 teams) Colorado State 281-266-289–836
2. Parathakorn Suyasri 68-66-72–206
5. Jake Staiano 71-65-73–209
6. Davis Bryant 72-67-71–210
9. AJ Ott 72-68-73–211
31. Cullen Plousha 72-71-73–216
Competing Only as Individual
22. Jack Ainscough 71-72-71–214
47. Andrew Lafferty 74-71-75–220
62. Akedanai Ponghathaikul 74-74-75–223
95. Oscar Teiffel 75-70-NC

4. Denver 288-285-282–855
4. Cal McCoy 70-72-66–208
11. Jun Ho Won 74-69-69–212
31. Esteban Missura 72-73-71–216
54. Carson Griggs 74-71-76–221
62. Jackson Solem 72-75-76–223
Competing Only as Individual
31. Eric Hagen 73-72-71–216
54. Roy Kang 71-72-78–221
67. John Sand 75-77-73–225

5. Northern Colorado 288-280-291–855
3. Coby Welch 72-67-68–207
15. Joshua Matz 68-70-75–213
43. Li Chen 73-74-72–219
58. Marcus Tait 77-69-76–222
82. Jack Castiglia 75-78-77–230

Also
15. John Paterson, Colorado 74-68-71–213
62. Andre Leveque, Colorado 73-75-75–223

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

SHOWDOWN IN THE ROCKIES
Sept. 17-18, 2018 (final) in Driggs, Idaho

8. (out of 10 teams) Colorado 288-304-288–880
17. Ross Macdonald 73-78-67–218
21. Daniel O’Loughlin 70-75-74–219
32. Cole Krantz 70-78-74–220
35. Trevor Olkowski 75-75-73–223
52. Victor Bjorlow 76-76-81–233
Competing Only as Individual
58. Kristoffer Max 85-73-79–237

Also
1. Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah 66-70-67–203

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

And Ott and Staiano weren’t the only Coloradans to notch top-five individual finishes Sunday in conference championships. Hannah Wood of Centennial, a senior at the University of Oklahoma, placed fourth in the Women’s Big 12 Championship in Dallas.

CSU, which is expected to land an at-large berth into the NCAA Regionals, finished second to UNLV out of 11 teams in the MWC tournament, with the Rebels prevailing by 11 strokes. The Rams posted a 3-over-par 867 total.

CSU was the only team in the field to put three players in the top 10. Ott, Staiano and Oelfke tied at 1-under-par 215, 15 strokes behind individual champion Shintaro Ban of UNLV. Ott went 66-75-74, Staiano 71-72-72 and Oelfke 76-68-71. It was the second top-five individual finish this season for each of those three Rams.

Meanwhile, in her final Big 12 tournament, Wood shared fourth place. The Coloradan went 73-75-71 for a 3-over-par 219 total, which left her six strokes behind individual winner Celia Barquin Arozamena of Iowa State.

It was Wood’s fourth top-six individual showing of the season and tied for her season best showing.

In Short: In the Women’s ACC Championship, Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho shares fourth place individually heading into Monday’s final round in Greensboro, N.C. Kupcho, a Wake Forest junior named to the U.S. Curtis Cup team this past week, has shot rounds of 72-70 and stands at 2-under-par 142, five strokes back of leader Leona Maguire of Duke. … If the University of Denver women want to win their 15th consecutive conference title, they’ll have to rally to do it. The Pioneers trail North Dakota State by 10 strokes after Sunday’s first round of the 54-hole Summit League tournament in Nebraska City. DU’s Sophie Newlove shares the first-round lead at 1-under-par 71. … The University of Colorado women are tied for third place after round 1 of the Pac-12 tournament in Seattle. The Buffs trail leader UCLA by four strokes. … Colin Prater of Colorado-Colorado Springs, the 2016 CGA Amateur champion, opened with a bogey-free 8-under-par 63 and leads by three after the opening round of the Men’s Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament in Chandler, Ariz.

Men’s Mountain West Conference Championship
April 20-22, 2018 (final) in Bremerton, Wash.
2. Colorado State 284-293-290–867
5. AJ Ott 66-75-74–215
5. Jake Staiano 71-72-72–215
5. Max Oelfke 76-68-71–215
27. Jack Ainscough 74-78-73–225
41. Parathakorn Suyasri 73-82-74–229

10. Air Force Academy 305-303-309–917
37. Anson Kuznik 76-75-77–228
43. Andy Germann 76-77-78–231
47. Bryant Falconello 74-81-78–233
47. Tate Tatom 82-75-76–233
52. Joshua Wu 79-76-81–236

Also
17. Coloradan Glenn Workman, Wyoming 73-69-78–220
27. Coloradan Tristan Rohrbaugh, Boise State 72-74-79–225

Women’s Big Sky Championship
April 20-22, 2018 (final) in Boulder City, Nev.
9. (out of 12 teams) Northern Colorado 315-305-307–927
12. Nicole Polivchak 76-71-76–223
31. Beah Cruz 80-74-77–231
42. Morgan Sahm 80-80-78–238
44. Marisa Hisaki 83-80-76–239
53. Aili Bundy 79-83-82–244

Also
29. Coloradan Kiselya Plewe, Weber State 76-76-77–229
31. Coloradan Delaney Elliott, Montana State 78-76-77–231
36. Coloradan Jaylee Tait, Montana State 84-76-74–234

Women’s Pac-12 Championship
April 22-24, 2018 in Seattle
3. (out of 11 teams; four strokes behind leader) Colorado 291
7. Brittany Fan 70
9. Robyn Choi 71
27. Kirsty Hodgkins 75
27. Alisha Lau 75
52. Gillian Vance 82

Women’s Summit League Championship
April 22-24 in Nebraska City
2. (out of 8 teams; 10 strokes behind leader) Denver 301
T1. Sophie Newlove 71
10. Lauren Whyte 75
12. Jessica Dreesbeimdieke 77
16. Camille Enright 78
18. Mary Weinstein 79

Men’s RMAC Championship
April 22-24, 2018 in Chandler, Ariz.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Regis 272
T2. Colorado School of Mines 276
T2. Colorado State-Pueblo 276
4. Colorado-Colorado Springs 281
5. Colorado Christian 292
6. Colorado Mesa 293
7. Fort Lewis 294
8. South Dakota School of Mines 320

TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS
1. Colin Prater, UCCS 63
2. Nic Beno, CO School of Mines 66
T3. Neil Tillman, CSU-Pueblo 67
T3. George Markham, CO School of Mines 67
T3. Nicholas Tenuta, Regis 67
T3. Fraser Hughes, CSU-Pueblo 67

Women’s RMAC Championship
April 22-24, 2018 in Chandler, Ariz.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Colorado-Colorado Springs 293
2. Colorado State-Pueblo 305
3. Colorado Mesa 307
4. Regis 315
5. Metro State 323
6. Fort Lewis 327
7. Colorado Christian 339
8. Black Hills State 351
9. Adams State 353
10. South Dakota School of Mines 364
11. Chadron Statte 394

TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS
1. Karen Valcarce, Westminster College (Utah) 71
2. Julia Baroth, Colorado-Colorado Springs 72
T3. Courtney Ewing, CSU-Pueblo 73
T3. Alex Darwin, Colorado-Colorado Springs 73
T3. Ashlyn Kirschner, Colorado Mesa 73
T3. Timbrelee McNair, Colorado-Colorado Springs 73

The regular season for Colorado-based college golf teams is over, with the postseason cranking up over the next two-plus weeks as conference championships are held.

Then for the better programs and/or players, there will be NCAA regional berths and, ideally, spots in the national finals.

While no Colorado teams made it to the NCAA Finals last year, Jennifer Kupcho (Wake Forest) finished runner-up individually in the Women’s NCAA Championship, while fellow Coloradan Wyndham Clark was part of the second-place team (Oregon) in the men’s NCAA Finals after placing 51st individually.

In NCAA Division II, Coloradan Alex Trask of William Jewell ended up 17th in the women’s finals, while Mary Weinstein of Regis (who has since transferred to the University of Denver) was 22nd.

In Division III, Colorado resident Mackenzie Cohen helped Rhodes College claim the NCAA D-III national title while she finished 25th individually. Fellow Coloradan Madison McCambridge (Wisconsin-Stouth) was 58th.

Last year, this time of the college season gained considerable local attention with Boulder Country Club and the University of Colorado hosting the men’s Pac-12 Conference Championship.

Meanwhile, the University of Denver women extended their impressive streak of consecutive conference titles to 14 — with the NCAA regional berths that go with them — by claiming victory in the Summit League. The Pioneers have captured four Summit League championships, plus nine in the Sun Belt Conference and one in the WAC.

Let’s take a brief look at what awaits for the 2018 conference championships that include Colorado-based teams. (The tournaments are listed by date):

Mountain West Women, April 16-18 in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Last Year’s Conference Finish by Colorado State: Eighth out of nine teams, with Katrina Prendergast placing 15th individually to lead the Rams.

CSU in the National Team Rankings: 84th Golfstat, 86th Golfweek.

Top Ram in National Individual Rankings: Katrina Prendergast 235th Golfweek.

Top CSU Team Finishes This Season: Three thirds, fifth.

Top-5 CSU Individual Finishes in Division I Tournaments This Season: Katrina Prendergast win, second; Ellen Secor second, fifth.

Best Season Stroke Average for CSU: Katrina Prendergast 73.77.

Mountain West Men, April 20-22 in Bremerton, Wash.

Last Year’s Conference Finishes by Colorado State/Air Force: CSU second out of 11 teams, with Colton Yates and Blake Canyon tying for eighth place individually; Air Force Academy seventh out of 11 teams, with Sunwoo Choi placing sixth individually.

CSU/Air Force in the National Team Rankings: CSU 41st Golfweek, 44th Golfstat; Air Force 190th Golfweek, 197th Golftat.

Top Ram/Falcon in National Individual Rankings: CSU’s AJ Ott 178th Golfstat, 182nd Golfweek; AFA’s Tate Tatom 668th Golfweek.

Top CSU/Air Force Team Finishes This Season: CSU win, second, third, fifth; AFA sixth.

Top-5 CSU/Air Force Individual Finishes in Division I Tournaments This Season: CSU’s Max Oelfke second; CSU’s AJ Ott fourth; CSU’s Jake Staiano fifth; AFA’s Bryant Falconello fourth, AFA’s Joseph Crisostomo fifth.

Best Season Stroke Average for CSU/Air Force: CSU’s AJ Ott 71.63; AFA’s Tate Tatom 73.27.

Big Sky Women, April 20-22 in Boulder City, Nev.

Last Year’s Conference Finish by the Northern Colorado: Fifth out of 12 teams. Baile Winslow placed 11th to lead UNC.

UNC in the National Team Rankings: 137th Golfstat, 146th Golfweek.

Top Bear in National Individual Rankings: Morgan Sahm 603rd Golfweek.

Top UNC Team Finishes This Season: Two thirds, fourth, fifth.

Top-5 UNC Individual Finishes in Division I Tournaments This Season: none.

Pac-12 Women, April 22-24 in Seattle

Last Year’s Conference Finish by the University of Colorado: Second out of 11 teams. Kirsty Hodgkins led the way individually for CU, finishing fourth.

CU in the National Team Rankings: 20th Golfweek, 25th Golfstat.

Top Buff in National Individual Rankings: Robyn Choi (34th Golfweek, 38th Golfstat).

Top CU Team Finishes This Season: One win, one second, one third, two fourths, one fifth.

Top-5 CU Individual Finishes in Division I Tournaments This Season: Kirsty Hodgkins win, second; Brittany Fan win; Robyn Choi second, three thirds, fifth.

Best Season Stroke Average for CU: Robyn Choi 72.79.

Summit League Women, April 22-24 in Nebraska City

Last Year’s Conference Finish by the University of Denver: Victory out of nine teams. Jessica Carty led the way for DU by placing second individually.

DU in the National Team Rankings: 45th Golfweek, 49th Golfstat.

Top Pioneers in National Individual Rankings: Lauren Whyte 126th Golfweek, 175th Golfstat; Mary Weinstein 129th Golfweek, 153rd Golfstat.

Top DU Team Finishes This Season: Two wins, fourth.

Top-5 DU Individual Finishes in major Division I Tournaments This Season: Sophie Newlove fourth.

Best Season Stroke Average for DU: Mary Weinstein 73.84.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men, April 22-24 in Chandler, Ariz.

Last Year’s Conference Winner: Colorado-Colorado Springs, out of eight teams. Colin Prater of UCCS was the individual champion.

Colorado-Based Teams Ranked in Top 25 Nationally: Colorado-Colorado Springs 12th Golfstat.

Top Colorado-based RMAC Players in National Individual Rankings: Colin Prater, UCCS, 26th Golfstat; Chase Carlson, Colorado Christian 35th Golfstat; Jack Duguid, UCCS 86th Golfstat.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women, April 22-24 in Chandler, Ariz.

Last Year’s Conference Winner: Regis, out of 12 teams. Jacquelyn Porman of CSU-Pueblo captured the individual title.

Colorado-Based Teams Ranked in Top 25 Nationally: none. Colorado-Colorado Springs is 42nd.

Top Colorado-based RMAC Players in National Individual Rankings: Courtney Ewing, CSU-Pueblo 57th Golfstat; Alex Baldwin, UCCS 70th Golfstat.

Pac-12 Men, April 23-25 in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.

Last Year’s Conference Finish by the University of Colorado: Seventh out of 12 teams. Spencer Painton and Ethan Freeman tied for 20th individually to lead CU.

CU in the National Team Rankings: 43rd Golfweek, 43rd Golfstat.

Top Buff in National Individual Rankings: Yannik Paul (101st Golfstat, 106th Golfweek).

Top CU Team Finishes This Season: T1 (lost in playoff), three thirds.

Top-5 CU Individual Finishes in Division I Tournaments This Season: Yannik Paul win, third and fifth; Spencer Painton second; Daniel O’Loughlin second and fifth.

Best Season Stroke Average for CU: Yannik Paul 70.52.

Big Sky Men, April 27-29 in Boulder City, Nev.

Last Year’s Conference Finish by the Northern Colorado: Second out of eight teams. Coby Welch led the way individually for UNC, placing second.

UNC in the National Team Rankings: 152nd Golfstat, 158th Golfweek.

Top Bear in National Individual Rankings: Joshua Matz 351st Golfweek.

Top UNC Team Finish This Season: Fourth.

Top-5 UNC Individual Finishes in Division I Tournaments This Season: Coby Welch fourth; Joshua Matz fifth.

Summit League Men, April 29-May 1 in Newton, Kan.

Last Year’s Conference Finish by the University of Denver: Sixth out of nine teams. Petter Mikalsen finished ninth individually to pace DU.

DU in the National Team Rankings: 119th Golfstat, 126th Golfweek.

Top Pioneer in National Individual Rankings: Chris Korte 183rd Golfweek, 186th Golfstat.

Top DU Team Finish This Season: Sixth.

Top-5 DU Individual Finishes in Division I Tournaments This Season: Chris Korte fifth.

Best Season Stroke Average for DU: Chris Korte 72.57.
 

At roughly the midway point of the college season, seven golfers who grew up in Colorado were ranked among the top 200 men’s or women’s college players in the nation, according to Golfstat or Golfweek.

On the men’s side, there’s AJ Ott and Jake Staiano of Colorado State, Chris Korte of the University of Denver and Spencer Painton of the University of Colorado.

For the women, there’s Jennifer Kupcho of Wake Forest, Hannah Wood of Oklahoma and Mary Weinstein of DU.

For each one of them, there are dozens of Colorado junior golfers aspiring to be like them — one day playing college golf and succeeding at it.

Which brings us to the next group of college golfers from Colorado. In November, we posted a story that included a list of high school seniors from the Centennial State — or members of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado — who had signed National Letters of Intent to play college golf or had verbally committed to do so.

The list was lengthy at that time — during the early NLI signing period for golf — and it’s grown considerably in the interim.

By our latest count — and this will likely increase during the spring and summer — 35 local golfers from the Class of 2018 have committed to play college golf beginning in the fall. That includes 22 boys and 13 girls.

Eleven boys from Colorado — or out-of-state residents who are JGAC members — are headed for NCAA Division I programs:

Caleb Blackburn (Discovery Canyon HS) — University of Pennsylvania
Davis Bryant (Eaglecrest HS) — Colorado State
“¨Jack Castiglia (Lakewood HS) — Northern Colorado
“¨Kirby Coe-Kirkham (JGAC member from Sheridan, Wyo.) — Wyoming
“¨Oliver Jack (Kent Denver HS) — University of Colorado
Barrett Jones (Eagle Valley HS) — Northern Colorado
“¨Cal McCoy (pictured above, Regis Jesuit HS) — University of Denver
Thomas Messner (Colorado Academy) — Army (West Point, N.Y.)
“¨Tyler Severin (Roosevelt HS) — Wyoming
“¨Ian Thorpe (Peak to Peak HS) — Iona College (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
“¨Luke Trujillo (Discovery Canyon HS) — Air Force Academy “¨

And six on the girls side are DI-bound:

Jenna Chun (Highlands Ranch HS) — Northern Colorado
Kyree Conaway (Vista Peak HS) — Wagner College (Staten Island, N.Y.)
Arielle Keating (former Colorado Springs resident) — Florida Atlantic (Boca Raton)
“¨Lauren Murphy (Colorado Rocky Mountain School; plays for Glenwood Springs HS) — Oregon State
“¨Shelby Poynter (JGAC member from Scottsbluff, Neb.) — Northern Colorado
“¨Kelsey Webster (Fairview HS) — University of Colorado 

Overall, here’s the complete rundown of the Colorado/JGAC Class of 2018 commitments, with the level of the college program. The list of signees/commitments here will continue to be updated . Additions to the list can be emailed to golfjournal@coloradogolf.org:

Boys

“¨Caleb Blackburn (Discovery Canyon HS) — University of Pennsylvania (NCAA Div. I)
Davis Bryant (Eaglecrest HS) — Colorado State (NCAA Div. I)
“¨Jack Castiglia (Lakewood HS) — Northern Colorado (NCAA Div. I)
“¨Kirby Coe-Kirkham (JGAC member from Sheridan, Wyo.) — Wyoming (NCAA Div. I)
Jackson Crist (Highlands Ranch HS) — Hastings (Neb.) College (NAIA)
“¨Spencer Daake (Monarch HS) — Hastings (Neb.) College (NAIA)

Nishant Datta (Peak to Peak HS) — University of Rochester (N.Y.) (NCAA Div. III)
“¨Freddie Gluck (Boulder HS) — Rochester (N.Y.) (NCAA Div. III)
Gabe Goodman (Green Mountain HS) — Concordia (N.Y.) (NCAA Div. II)
Caleb Humble (Erie HS) ““ Irvine (Calif.) Valley College 
Oliver Jack (Kent Denver HS) — University of Colorado (NCAA Div. I)
“¨Barrett Jones (Eagle Valley HS) — Northern Colorado (NCAA Div. I)
Brayden Lambrecht (Sterling HS) — Colorado Mesa (NCAA Div. II)
“¨Cal McCoy (Regis Jesuit HS) — University of Denver (NCAA Div. I)
Kieran McMullen (Rock Canyon HS) — Concordia College (N.Y.) (NCAA Div. II)
“¨Thomas Messner (Colorado Academy) — Army (West Point, N.Y.) (NCAA Div. I)
Sam Ostravich (ThunderRidge HS) — Northeastern Junior College in Sterling
“¨Ryan Pierce (Doherty HS) — Bethany College (Kansas) (NAIA)
“¨Micah Ramirez (Resurrection Christian HS) — Doane University (Nebraska) (NAIA)
“¨Kailer Rundiks (Denver East HS) — Western New Mexico (NCAA Div. II)
“¨Andrew Rush (Palmer HS) — Wartburg College (Waverly, Iowa) (NCAA Div. III)
Tyler Severin (Roosevelt HS) — Wyoming (NCAA Div. I)
“¨Ian Thorpe (Peak to Peak HS) — Iona College (New Rochelle, N.Y.) (NCAA Div. I)
“¨Luke Trujillo (Discovery Canyon HS) — Air Force Academy (NCAA Div. I)
“¨Jackson Zinn (Ralston Valley HS) — New Mexico Military Institute (Junior College)

Girls
Josie Baker (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) — Saint Andrew College (Scotland)
Erin Baum (Frederick HS) — Iowa Lakes Community College
“¨Anna Branscome (Bear Creek HS) — Chadron State (Neb.) (NCAA Div. II)
Payton Canon (Cherry Creek HS) — Oregon Tech (NAIA)
“¨Jenna Chun (Highlands Ranch HS) — Northern Colorado (NCAA Div. I)
Kyree Conaway (Vista Peak HS) — Wagner College (Staten Island, N.Y.) (NCAA Div. I)
Kayla Elder (Fort Collins HS) — Chadron State (Nebraska) (NCAA Div. II)
“¨Gabriella Esquibel (Heritage HS) — Regis University (NCAA Div. II)
“¨Callie Jones (Glenwood Springs HS) — Winona State (Winona, Minn.) (NCAA Div. II)
“¨Arielle Keating (former Colorado Springs resident) — Florida Atlantic (Boca Raton) (NCAA Div. I)
Izzy Marchino (Valor Christian HS) — Jamestown (N.D.) (NAIA)
Brandy McClain (Rock Canyon HS) — Colorado Mesa (NCAA Div. II)
“¨Lauren Murphy (Colorado Rocky Mountain School; plays for Glenwood Springs HS) — Oregon State (NCAA Div. I)
“¨Shelby Poynter (JGAC member from Scottsbluff, Neb.) — Northern Colorado (NCAA Div. I)
Kelsey Webster (Fairview HS) — University of Colorado (NCAA Div. I)”¨”¨

Bryant was the 2017 boys JGAC Player of the Year, and Jack (CU) and Trujillo (Air Force Academy) join him in having won state high school individual titles. Bryant and McCoy (DU) were both members of Colorado’s Junior America’s Cup team last year. Castiglia and Rundiks are part of the Hale Irwin Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course.”¨

On the girls side, Webster was the 2016 girls JGAC Most Improved Player and she won the girls AJGA Preview title last year in Wisconsin. She’s headed to CU — her dad’s alma mater — in her hometown of Boulder. Keating (Florida Atlantic) moved from Colorado Springs to Stuart, Fla., shortly after winning the girls Colorado Junior Amateur championship last year. And Poynter (left, UNC) qualified for the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior.

Looking ahead to signings for Class of 2019 players, CU has garnered a commitment from Canon Olkowski of Grand Junction. Olkowski is the brother of current CU player Trevor Olkowski. Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins (Fossil Ridge High School) is headed for Oklahoma State. Jessica Zapf of Windsor has committed to the University of Wyoming. And Lauren Lehigh of Loveland is bound for the University of New Mexico.
 

The two months from early September to early November featured the following highlights from a Centennial State perspective:

— Four team victories in invitational tournaments for Colorado-based programs. That includes a remarkable feat by the University of Denver women, who won two events in just 11 days — both victories coming in Colorado. Other outright team wins in the fall were notched by the Colorado State University men (left at their Ram Masters Invitational, where they prevailed for the fourth straight year) and the University of Colorado women. For statistical and rankings purposes, the CU men technically tied for a win in their own Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, but Utah won a team playoff to claim the title at Colorado National.

— Four individual wins by Coloradans or players at Colorado-based schools. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster (Wake Forest), Kyler Dunkle of Larkspur (Utah), CU’s Kirsty Hodgkins and CSU’s Katrina Prendergast all scored individual victories. It was the fourth in her college career for Kupcho, and the first for Dunkle, Hodgkins and Prendergast.

— Three of the nine Colorado Division I teams are ranked in the top 20 in the nation after the fall schedule. The CU women are No. 14 nationally according to Golfweek, while Golfstat has DU No. 20 in the nation. On the men’s side, CSU is 18th in the country according to Golfweek after four top-five finishes in four fall events.

— Ten local players are ranked among the top 100 individuals nationally by Golfstat, including four Colorado residents. Among women, Kupcho is ninth, CU’s Robyn Choi 28th, CU’s Hodgkins 39th, Coloradan Hannah Wood (Oklahoma) 55th, DU’s Lauren Whyte 56th, CU’s Brittany Fan 71st and DU’s Sophie Newlove 72nd. For the men, there’s three CSU players in the top 100: Max Oelfke at 75th, AJ Ott at 76th and Jake Staiano at 88th. Kupcho, who’s No. 3 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, and Choi played in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, and Kupcho and Wood in last year’s.

— Several local golfers landed conference player of the month awards in the fall: Kupcho in the ACC for October, Hodgkins in the Pac-12 for September, and Newlove in the Summit for October.

Here are brief wrapups of the fall for the nine NCAA Division I teams based in Colorado:

CU Men

Top-Five Team Finishes — Tie for first (lost in playoff), third.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Spencer Painton (second), Yannik Paul (third), Daniel O’Loughlin (fifth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 54th (Golfweek).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 190. Daniel O’Loughlin (Golfstat).

Spring Opener — Feb. 1-3, Amer Ari Intercollegiate, Waikoloa, Hawaii.

CU Women

Top-Five Team Finishes — Won Gonzaga Coeur D’Alene Resort College Invitational, second, third, fourth.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Kirsty Hodgkins (win, second), Robyn Choi (second, third, fifth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 14th (Golfweek).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 28. Robyn Choi (Golfstat), 32. Kirsty Hodgkins (Golfweek), 71. Brittany Fan (Golfstat).

Spring Opener — Feb. 11-13, Lady Puerto Rico Classic.

CSU Men

Top-Five Team Finishes — Won Ram Masters Invitational, second, third, fifth.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Max Oelfke (second), AJ Ott (fourth), Jake Staiano (fifth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 18th (Golfweek).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 75. Max Oelfke (Golfstat), 76. AJ Ott (Golfstat), 88. Jake Staiano (Golfstat), 193. Colton Yates (Golfweek).

Spring Opener — Feb. 25-26, National Invitational Tournament, Tucson, Ariz.

CSU Women

Top-Five Team Finishes — Third twice.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Katrina Predergast (win, second), Ellen Secor (fifth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 99th (Golfstat).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 161. Katrina Prendergast (Golfweek).

Spring Opener — Feb. 12-13, Gold Rush, Long Beach, Calif.

DU Men

Top-Five Team Finishes — None.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — None.

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 96th (Golfstat).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 115. Chris Korte (Golfstat).

Spring Opener — Jan. 29-30, Arizona Intercollegiate, Tucson, Ariz.

DU Women

Top-Five Team Finishes — Won Golfweek Conference Challenge, won Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate, fourth.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Sophie Newlove (fourth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 20th (Golfstat).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 56. Lauren Whyte (Golfstat), 72. Sophie Newlove (Golfstat), 112. Mary Weinstein (Golfstat).

Spring Multi-Team Opener — Feb. 18-20, Allstate Sugar Bowl Invitational, New Orleans.

UNC Men

Top-Five Team Finishes — None.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Joshua Matz (fifth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 129th (Golfstat).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.

Spring Opener — Feb. 15-17, John Burns Intercollegiate, Lihiu, Hawaii.

UNC Women

Top-Five Team Finishes — None.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — None.

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 155th (Golfstat).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.

Spring Opener — Feb. 12-13, Battle at Boulder Creek, Boulder City, Nev.

Air Force Academy Men

Top-Five Team Finishes — None.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Bryant Falconello (fourth), Joseph Crisostomo (fifth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 186th (Golfstat).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.

Spring Opener — Feb. 25-26, Loyola Intercollegiate, Goodyear, Ariz.