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).

That is, preschool, kindergarten or elementary school.

All good things must come to an end, and so it was Tuesday with the Pioneers’ remarkable run of consecutive league titles. Despite a valiant rally in the final round of the Summit League tournament in Nebraska City, DU fell four strokes shy of the title, finishing second out of eight teams.

That means Denver’s streak of conference team championships ended at 14. The last time the DU women finished anywhere but first in a league tournament was in 2003. Since then, the Pioneers have won nine Sun Belt championships, one in the WAC and four in the Summit League.

North Dakota State, which led by 13 strokes after two rounds, saw that advantage slip to two on the back nine, but steadied the ship to end DU’s run. NDSU finished with a 24-over-par 888 total, four ahead of the Pioneers.

The league victory brings with it an automatic NCAA Regional berth, but DU is still expected to make the field after notching two team victories in the fall.

While Denver came up short in the team race, there was a silver lining on Tuesday as DU junior Sophie Newlove (pictured in DU photo) won the individual title out of a field of 40. She went 71-75-71 for a 1-over-par 217 total, then got up and down from 30 feet for par to win a three-way playoff. Also at 217 were Natalie Roth of North Dakota State and Teresa Toscano of South Dakota State, who both bogeyed in the playoff.

In all, three DU players finished in the top six individually. Joining Newlove were Mary Weinstein (fourth place, 223) and Lauren Whyte (sixth place, 224).

— In the Men’s RMAC Championship, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs senior Colin Prater from Colorado Springs won his second consecutive individual league title on Tuesday in Chandler, Ariz.

Prater, winner of the CGA Amateur Championship in 2016, posted rounds of 63-69-67 for a 14-under-par 199 total and prevailed by four strokes for the second straight year, this time over George Markham of Colorado School of Mines.

Colorado School of Mines claimed the team title by 1 shot over Regis, the leader or co-leader after each of the first two rounds.

— In the Women’s RMAC tournament, Julia Baroth of Denver, a freshman for the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, cruised to a five-stroke individual victory in Chandler, Ariz.

Baroth carded scores of 72-71-74 for a 1-over-par 217 total.

UCCS also easily won the team title as its 29-over-par 893 total was good for a 24-shot victory.

— In the Women’s Pac-12 meet in Seattle, the University of Colorado finished sixth out of 11 teams. The Buffs’ 17-over-par 881 total ended up 21 strokes behind champion UCLA. Next up for CU will be an NCAA Regional tournament.

Senior Brittany Fan led CU individually on Tuesday, finishing in seventh place at 1-under-par 215 (70-71-74), seven strokes out of the lead.

— In the Men’s Pac-12 tournament, CU is in position to post its best finish in the league meet since entering the Pac-12 in 2011.

Through Tuesday’s third round of the 72-hole event, the Buffs sit in third place out of a dozen teams. Should CU remain there — or move up — it will have its best Pac-12 tournament showing. The Buffs placed fourth in the Pac-12 meet in 2014.

Colorado stands at 19-under-par 1046, leaving the Buffs eight strokes behind tourament-leading Southern California and three back of second-place Arizona State. Individually, Coloradan Ross Macdonald and German Yannik Paul are leading the way for CU as they share fourth place at 8-under-par 205. Justin Suh of USC leads at 197.

Men’s Pac-12 Championship
April 23-25, 2018 in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.
3. (out of 12 teams) Colorado 348-351-347–1046
4. Yannik Paul 68-69-68–205
4. Ross Macdonald 69-69-67–205
12. John Souza 70-70-68–208
48. Daniel O’Loughlin 68-77-72–217
52. Spencer Painton 74-72-72–218
55. Trevor Olkowski 73-71-75–219
Also
48. Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah 76-67-74–217 

Women’s Summit League Championship
April 22-24, 2018 (final) in Nebraska City
2. (out of 8 teams) Denver 301-292-299–892
1. Sophie Newlove 71-75-71–217
4. Mary Weinstein 79-71-73–223
6. Lauren Whyte 75-72-77–224
15. Jessica Dreesbeimdieke 77-74-80–231
21. Camille Enright 78-80-78–236

Women’s Pac-12 Championship
April 22-24, 2018 (final) in Seattle
6. (out of 11 teams) Colorado 291-291-299–881
7. Brittany Fan 70-71-74–215
11. Robyn Choi 71-72-74–217
11. Kirsty Hodgkins 75-73-69–217
47. Alisha Lau 75-75-82–232
54. Gillian Vance 82-80-83–245

Men’s RMAC Championship
April 22-24, 2018 (final) in Chandler, Ariz.

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Colorado School of Mines 276-285-278–839
2. Regis 272-288-280–840
3. Colorado State-Pueblo 276-284-286–846
4. Colorado-Colorado Springs 281-286-282–849
5. Colorado Christian 292-287-281–860
6. Fort Lewis 294-287-285–866
7. Colorado Mesa 293-296-280–869
8. South Dakota School of Mines 320-323-335–978
TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS
1. Colin Prater, UCCS 63-69-67–199
2. George Markham, CO School of Mines 67-68-68–203
T3. Tyler Zhang, Regis 68-70-70–208
T3. Jack Duguid, UCCS 68-71-69–208
T5. Neil Tillman, CSU-Pueblo 67-77-65–209
T5. Tim Amundson, CO School of Mines 71-70-68–209

Women’s RMAC Championship
April 22-24, 2018 (final) in Chandler, Ariz.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Colorado-Colorado Springs 293-302-297–892
T2. Colorado State-Pueblo 305-307-305–917
T2. Colorado Mesa 307-311-299–917
4. Regis 315-311-319–945
5. Metro State 323-311-314–948
6. Fort Lewis 327-326-330–983
7. Colorado Christian 339-338-342–1019
8. Black Hills State 351-366-345–1062
9. South Dakota School of Mines 364-341-365–1070
10. Adams State 353-378-366–1097
11. Chadron State 394-366-358–1118
TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS
1. Julia Baroth, Colorado-Colorado Springs 72-71-74–217
2. Alex Darwin, Colorado-Colorado Springs 73-73-76–222
T3. Kelsey Thompson, Regis 74-73-77–224
T3. Karen Valcarce, Westminter Coll. (Utah) 71-80-73–224
T5. Courtney Ewing, CSU-Pueblo 73-74-78–225
T5. McKenna Vanko, Colorado-Colorado Springs 75-78-72–225
 

For instance, when combining Golfweek’s men’s and women’s NCAA Division I top 25, seven California-based programs are ranked, while there are six from Texas, and four each from North Carolina and Oklahoma.

But it’s one of the states that’s tied for fifth place, with three representatives in the top 25 — men’s and women’s rankings combined — that might raise a few eyebrows.

That would be none other than Colorado.

Yes, that’s right: Going into the spring portion of the schedule, which starts as soon as next week for some teams, three Colorado-based NCAA Division I programs are ranked in Golfweek’s men’s and women’s top 25. Only the aforementioned four states have more combined representatives in those polls.

For the record, the University of Colorado women are ranked 14th by Golfweek, while the University of Denver women are 23rd (20th by Golfstat), and the Colorado State University men are 18th. And, in the NCAA Division II ranks, the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs men are 10th nationally according to Golfstat.

Not bad for a state that has its fair share of snow during the college golf season.

Not coincidentally, the three ranked DI teams are the three Colorado programs that posted outright team victories in the fall, with the DU women notching two wins and the CU women and CSU men one each.

But the crucial part of the season comes with the “spring” schedule, which in some cases begins in late January and continues through May. That includes conference championships and NCAA regionals and finals. First up for local teams is the DU men’s appearance at the Arizona Intercollegiate in Tucson Monday and Tuesday (Jan. 29-30).

Individually, a plethora of local players and golfers from Colorado-based teams are ranked among the top college players in the country going into the spring schedule.

In Golfstat’s top 100 on the women’s side are:

9. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, Wake Forest
28. Robyn Choi, CU
39. Kirsty Hodgkins, CU
55. Hannah Wood of Highlands Ranch, Oklahoma
58. Lauren Whyte, DU
69. Sophie Newlove, DU
70. Brittany Fan, CU

Kupcho, who remains third in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, and Hodgkins, along with CSU’s Katrina Prendergast, scored individual victories in the fall.

In Golfstat’s men’s top 100 is CSU sophomore AJ Ott, who checks in at 92nd. In the Division II ranks, 2016 CGA Amateur champion Colin Prater of UCCS is 16th, while Chase Carlson of Colorado Christian is 30th.

Kyler Dunkle of Larkspur, who plays for Utah, posted an individual win in the fall and is ranked 228th.

Here’s a brief look at each of the Colorado-based NCAA Division I programs entering the spring season:

CU Men
Spring Opener — Feb. 1-3, Amer Ari Intercollegiate, Waikoloa, Hawaii.
Conference Championship — Pac-12 Men, April 23-25, Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.
Highest Current National Ranking — 54th (Golfweek).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Tie for first (lost in playoff), third.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Spencer Painton (second), Yannik Paul (third), Daniel O’Loughlin (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 185. Daniel O’Loughlin (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Daniel O’Loughlin 71.00.

CU Women
Spring Opener — Feb. 11-13, Lady Puerto Rico Classic.
Conference Championship — Pac-12 Women, April 22-24, Seattle.
Highest Current National Ranking — 14th (Golfweek).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Won Gonzaga Coeur D’Alene Resort College Invitational, second, third, fourth.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Kirsty Hodgkins (win, second), Robyn Choi (second, third, fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 28. Robyn Choi (Golfstat), 32. Kirsty Hodgkins (Golfweek), 70. Brittany Fan (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Robyn Choi and Kirsty Hodgkins 71.92.

CSU Men
Spring Opener — Feb. 25-26, National Invitational Tournament, Tucson, Ariz.
Conference Championship — Mountain West Men, April 20-22, Bremerton, Wash.
Highest Current National Ranking — 18th (Golfweek).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Won Ram Masters Invitational, second, third, fifth.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Max Oelfke (second), AJ Ott (fourth), Jake Staiano (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 92. AJ Ott (Golfstat); 151. Max Oelfke (Golfstat); 155. Jake Staiano (Golfstat); 175. Parathakorn Suyasri (Golfstat); 180. Colton Yates (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — AJ Ott 70.75.

CSU Women
Spring Opener — Feb. 12-13, Gold Rush, Long Beach, Calif.
Conference Championship — Mountain West Women, April 16-18, Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Highest Current National Ranking — 99th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Third twice.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Katrina Predergast (win, second), Ellen Secor (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 161. Katrina Prendergast (Golfweek).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Katrina Prendergast 72.33.

DU Men
Spring Opener — Jan. 29-30, Arizona Intercollegiate, Tucson, Ariz.
Conference Championship — Summit League Men, April 29-May 1, Newton, Kan.
Highest Current National Ranking — 95th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — None.
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 121. Chris Korte (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Chris Korte 71.33.

DU Women
Spring Multi-Team Opener — Feb. 18-20, Allstate Sugar Bowl Invitational, New Orleans.
Conference Championship — Summit League Women, April 22-24, Nebraska City.
Highest Current National Ranking — 20th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Won Golfweek Conference Challenge, won Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate, fourth.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Sophie Newlove (fourth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 58. Lauren Whyte (Golfstat), 69. Sophie Newlove (Golfstat), 111. Mary Weinstein (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Sophie Newlove 72.08.

UNC Men
Spring Opener — Feb. 15-17, John Burns Intercollegiate, Lihiu, Hawaii.
Conference Championship — Big Sky Men, April 13-15, Davis, Calif.
Highest Current National Ranking — 129th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Joshua Matz (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.
Top Fall Scoring Average — Joshua Matz 71.50.

UNC Women
Spring Opener — Feb. 12-13, Battle at Boulder Creek, Boulder City, Nev.
Conference Championship — Big Sky Women, April 20-22, Boulder City, Nev.
Highest Current National Ranking — 155th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — None.
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.
Top Fall Scoring Average — Morgan Sahm 73.08.

Air Force Academy Men
Spring Multi-Team Opener — Feb. 25-26, Loyola Intercollegiate, Goodyear, Ariz.
Conference Championship — Mountain West Men, April 20-22, Bremerton, Wash.
Highest Current National Ranking — 187th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Bryant Falconello (fourth), Joseph Crisostomo (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.
Top Fall Scoring Average — Tate Tatom 72.83.

— Next year’s Girls Junior America’s Cup — which features 18 teams and many of the best junior players from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico — will be contested in Colorado, at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen.

— Colorado boys teams have been on quite a roll competitive in the Junior America’s Cup, having posted four top-six finishes — out of 18 teams — in the last six years. That includes placing third in 2015, matching the best showing ever by a Colorado boys team, and sixth last year.

With that as a backdrop, the boys and girls teams that will represent the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado have been finalized this month. The boys JAC will be held July 25-27 at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash., while the Girls Junior America’s Cup is set for Aug. 1-3 at Reflection Bay Golf Club in Henderson, Nev., just outside Las Vegas.

Starting this year, players 18 and under who have not yet started college are eligible to participate.

The Colorado boys set to compete this year are Davis Bryant of Aurora, Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch, Jackson Solem of Longmont and Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins.

For the girls, the Colorado team will be Charlotte Hillary of Englewood, Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, Jaclyn Murray of Grand Junction and Hailey Schalk of Erie.

Out of the eight players, three — Bryant, Solem and Murray — will be competing in their third Junior America’s Cup. Bryant and Solem were teammates each of the past two years, while Murray played in 2014 and ’16. Meanwhile, Schalk is set for her second straight GJAC appearance.

Bryant has been on a roll so far this year. The 17-year-old has won the first two JGAC majors of 2017, the Colorado Junior PGA and this week’s Colorado Junior Amateur. He also qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur for the second time. And on Thursday he was the first alternate in U.S. Amateur qualifying in Fort Collins after double bogeying the final hole. Bryant has verbally committed to play his college golf at Colorado State beginning in 2018.

Solem likewise earned a spot in the U.S. Junior Amateur, as well as in next week’s CoBank Colorado Open. The University of Denver signee and former 4A state high school champion also advanced to the Sectionals of U.S. Open qualifying, and he won the Big I Junior Classic for the third time. This week, he ended up second alternate at U.S. Amateur qualifying in Fort Collins.

Stewart was the runner-up to Bryant at the Colorado Junior PGA last month and qualified for both the IMG Academy Junior World Championship and the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships. He finished 52nd in the Junior Worlds.

McCoy placed third in the Colorado Junior PGA and seventh in the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica. He qualified for the IMG Junior World Championship and finished the first alternate in U.S. Junior Amateur qualifying.

Schalk, 15, has won three significant junior titles in Colorado in the last two months. She captured the first 3A state high school individual title, becoming the first freshman since 2002 to be a girls state high school champ. She followed that up by becoming the first Coloradan to win at the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica, then added the title at the Colorado Junior PGA. The 2016 Colorado Junior Match Play winner also qualified for the IMG Junior Worlds.

Hillary, the 2016 JGAC Tour Championship winner, placed second to Schalk in both the 3A state high school tournament and the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. The 15-year-old qualified in Nebraska last month for the U.S. Girls’ Junior, earning medalist honors. She was also third in the Colorado Junior PGA and qualified for the IMG Junior Worlds, where she finished 43rd. In January, she won the FCWT Classic at Half Moon Bay in California.

Lehigh won the 4A state high school title and the Big I Junior Classic over the last two months. She took fifth at the Colorado Junior PGA and qualified for both the IMG Junior Worlds and the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships.

Murray was the first Coloradan since 2015 to qualify in the state for the U.S. Girls’ Junior, which will mark her second time competing in that national championship. The 18-year-old, who’s headed to the University of Colorado, finished second in the Colorado Junior PGA and eighth in the CWGA Stroke Play.

At both the boys and Girls Junior America’s Cup, the top three individual scores for each team count toward its team total each day.

This year will mark the 33rd appearance by a Colorado team in the boys JAC, which dates back to 1973. The Girls JAC began in 1978, with Colorado competing since the late ’70s. The 1993 Colorado team captured the team title in the GJAC, with Coloradan Jennifer Kern earning the individual championship that year. 

Meanwhile, University of Colorado senior Alexis Keating (pictured) shot a 6-under-par 66 and moved within a stroke of the individual lead at the formidable Pac-12 Conference tournament, and Jessica Carty continued to hold the top spot at the Summit League Championship as her University of Denver team all but assured itself its 13th consecutive conference title. Another local setting the pace in league championships is Coloradan Jaylee Tait of Montana State (Big Sky).

— The Metro State women defeated Colorado-Colorado Springs 4-0-1 in Tuesday’s title match of the RMAC Championship in Avondale, Ariz. Winning individual matches for MSU on Tuesday were Allie Johnston, Valerie Cruz, Dani Look and Lindsey Gullikson. On Monday, Taylor Walters of Colorado Mesa earned the individual title after rounds of 72-71.

— In the men’s RMAC title match in Goodyear, Ariz., CU-Colorado Springs defeated the Colorado School of Mines 3-1-1. Winning their matches for UCCS on Tuesday were Colin Prater, Zach Berhost and Chris Reina. CU-Colorado Springs won the regular-season RMAC title before also prevailing in the medal-match format at the RMAC tournament. Tuesday’s victory gives UCCS an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II West/South Central Region Championships. Meanwhile, claiming the individual RMAC title on Tuesday was Western New Mexico’s Calum Hill (69-67–136).

— At the women’s Pac-12 meet in Pleasanton, Calif., Keating made a big move with a seven-birdie 66, which left her a shot behind Southern California’s Gabriella Then going into Wednesday’s final round. Keating placed fifth at the 2015 Pac-12 meeting, shooting a final-round 66 at Boulder Country Club. On Tuesday, CU carded a sub-par team score for the second straight day — in this case a 4-under-par 284, which gives the Buffs a 6-under 570 total, leaving them in fifth place.

— At the women’s Summit League tournament in Nebraska City, Denver opened up a 40-stroke lead in its quest for consecutive conference title No. 13. DU shot a 5-under-par 283 as a team on Tuesday. The Pioneers’ five players are all within the top six individually, with Carty (69-72–141) leading the way by four strokes.

— At the women’s Big Sky tournament in Boulder City, Nev., Tait kept the top individual spot as an even-par 72 left her with a 3-under 141 total and a one-stroke advantage going into the final round.

— And at the women’s MWC championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., freshman Katrina Prendergast of Colorado State sits in second place, one stroke back of UNLV’s Alexandra Kaui. Prendergast fired a 1-over-par 73, leaving her at even-par 144.

Here are the results for local teams and players at various conference championships:

Men’s RMAC Championship
April 17-19, 2016 (final) in Goodyear, Ariz.
TEAM
Title Match
CU-Colorado Springs def. Colorado School of Mines 3-1-1
Chris Reina, UCCS def. Taylor MacKay 71-75
Mike McNulty, Mines def. Kyle Southard 72-76
Zach Berhost, UCCS def. Conrad Smith 73-80
Zach Tripp, UCCS tied with George Markham 75-75
Colin Prater, UCCS def. Nick Berry 69-82

Semifinals
CU-Colorado Springs def. Colorado Mesa 3-2
Colorado School of Mines def. Colorado Christian 3-2

Quarterfinals
CU-Colorado Springs def. Regis 3-2
Colorado Mesa def. Western New Mexico 3-2
Colorado Christian def. Fort Lewis 3-2
Colorado School of Mines def. CSU-Pueblo 2-1-2

Top 5 Individual Finishers
1. Calum Hill, Western New Mexico 69-67–136
2. (tie) Colin Prater, UCCS 72-69–141
Jacob Allenback, CSU-Pueblo 76-65–141
4. Luke Condon, Colorado Chritian 73-69–142
5. Chris Reina, UCCS 75-71–146

Women’s RMAC Championship

April 17-19, 2016 (final) in Avondale, Ariz.
TEAM
Title Match
Metro State def. Colorado-Colorado Springs 4-0-1
Allie Johnston, MSU def. Forre Zook 71-75
Valerie Cruz, MSU def. Amanda Crites 73-77
Dani Look, MSU def. Raquell Castillo 80-86
Cha Cha Willhoite, MSU tied with Timbrelee McNair 75-75
Lindsey Gullikson, MSU def. Alex Darwin 78-79

Third-Place Match
CSU-Pueblo def. Western New Mexico 4-0-1

Top 5 Individual Finishers
1. Taylor Walters, Colorado Mesa, 72-71–143
2. Alex Darwin, Colo-Colo Springs, 73-72–145
3. (tie) Courtney Ewing, CSU-Pueblo 74-73–147
Lindsey Gullikson, Metro State 72-75–147
5. Shelby Turner, Western New Mexico 76-72–148

Women’s Summit League Championship
April 18-20, 2016 in Nebraska City, Neb.
1. (out of 9 teams) Denver 295-283–578
1. Jessica Carty 69-72–141; 2. Sophie Newlove 76-69–145; 4. Mariell Bruun 76-71–147; 5. Kathi Baratta 74-74–148; 6. Jessica Dreesbeimdieke 78-71–149.

Women’s Mountain West Conference Championship
April 18-20, 2016 in Rancho, Mirage, Calif.
6. (out of 9 teams) Colorado State 309-305–614
2. Katrina Prendergast 71-73–144; 15. Sarah Archuleta 77-75–152; 33. Brianna Becker 80-78–158; 36. Elisabeth Rau 81-79–160; 36. Mikayla Tatman 81-79–160.

Also
40. Coloradan Kathleen Kershisnik, Wyoming 80-83–163

Women’s Pac-12 Conference Championship
April 18-20, 2016 in Pleasanton, Calif.
5. (out of 11 teams) Colorado 286-284–570
2. Alexis Keating 70-66–136; 18. Esther Lee 70-73–143; 26. Brittany Fan 72-73–145; 39. Natalie Vivaldi 73-73–147; 39. Gillian Vance 75-72–147.

Women’s Big Sky Conference Championship

April 18-20, 2016 in Boulder City, Nev.
7. (out of 12 teams) Northern Colorado 302-299–601
20. Janet Yeo 76-73–149; 26. Amanda Myers 82-69–151; 31. Nicole Okada 75-78–153; 37. Kala Keltz 75-80–155; 37. Baile Winslow 76-79–155.

Also
1. Coloradan Jaylee Tait, Montana State 69-72–141