Conference championships, which mark the start of the most important part of the school season, begin within the next week and continue through early May for Colorado teams.

Two in-state NCAA Division I programs — the University of Denver and University of Northern Colorado women — won conference titles last year and will be looking to extend their success. In fact, the University of Denver women, now led by new head coach Lindsay Hulwick (pictured), are taking aim at a rather remarkable feat: winning 10 straight conference championships. The Pioneers won the Sun Belt Conference title the last nine seasons, and now are focused on claiming the Western Athletic Conference championship early next week in Mesa, Ariz.

“We’re in a new conference, and our goal for sure is to win and keep our streak going,” DU junior Tonje Daffinrud said recently. Denver is ranked among the top 35 Division I women’s teams in the nation.

This will be the only season in the WAC for both the DU women and men as they will move to the Summit League this summer.

Meanwhile, two Colorado Division I golf teams — the University of Colorado and Air Force Academy men — have each won two team titles so far in the 2012-13 college season.

After the conference tournaments, local teams will hope to land spots in NCAA regional events. Division I regionals are scheduled for May 9-11 (women) and May 16-18 (men). The top performers at regionals then will advance to the NCAA championship finals, set for May 21-24 (women) and May 28-June 2 (men).

Here’s the schedule of all the Division I conference tournaments featuring Colorado teams, plus the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men’s and women’s meets. The events are listed in chronological order:

Big Sky Conference Women, April 21-23 in Chandler, Ariz. — Colorado team competing: Northern Colorado. … After claiming its first Big Sky championship last year, the Bears and senior Carleigh Silvers will both be defending conference titles. … Northern Colorado recently won the Monterey Bay Invitational, with Silvers claiming the individual title. … UNC is ranked 174th in the nation by Golfstat.

Pac-12 Conference Women, April 22-24 in Valencia, Calif. — Colorado team competing: Colorado. … Last spring, CU hosted an NCAA regional tournament at Colorado National Golf Club and for the first time in program history earned a spot in the NCAA Championship finals, where the Buffs finished 18th. … Earlier in the spring of 2012, CU placed sixth in the Pac-12 Conference tournament. … After losing three top players in 2012, the Buffs haven’t posted a top-five team finish yet this season. … CU junior Jennifer Coleman won one individual title — the Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque in mid-September — during the 2012-13 campaign. She’s ranked 113th in the country individually by Golfweek. … CU is ranked 74th in the nation by Golfweek.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men, April 22-23 in Goodyear, Ariz. — Colorado teams competing: Adams State, Colorado Christian, Colorado Mesa, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State-Pueblo, Fort Lewis, Regis, Colorado-Colorado Springs. … Last year, the Colorado School of Mines men won the RMAC spring title, with Colorado Mesa placing second. It was Mines’ first conference championship since 1968. … The Orediggers went on to finish 11th in the NCAA Division II Championship Finals. … Going into this week, CSM has won four team titles this season. … Three programs in the RMAC field are ranked among the top 50 teams in the nation in NCAA Division II: Mines (21st), CSU-Pueblo (40th), and CU-Colorado Springs (44th). … CSM’s Michael Lee is ranked 74th in the nation by Golfstat, which combines all classes in its individual rankings. Colorado Mesa’s Brandon Bingaman is 80th nationally, according to Golfstat.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women, April 22-23 in Goodyear, Ariz. — Colorado teams competing: Adams State, Colorado Christian, Colorado Mesa, Colorado State-Pueblo, Regis. … Last spring, CSU-Pueblo earned the RMAC title… Later, Colorado Mesa finished 11th in its first trip to the NCAA Division II Championship Finals. … Currently, CSU-Pueblo is the highest-ranked local Division II women’s team, sitting at 36th, according to Golfstat.

Western Athletic Conference Women, April 22-24 in Mesa, Ariz. — Colorado team competing: Denver. … After winning the last nine Sun Belt Conference championships they competed in, the Pioneers will be going for their 10th straight league crown. … DU recorded a 17-stroke victory last year in the SBC championship. Denver’s Rachael Watton won the individual conference title, with teammate Tonje Daffinrud fourth and Kelly Drack seventh. … This season, Daffinrud has recorded five top-10 finishes and is ranked 38th in the nation individually by Golfweek and Golfstat. … Watton is ranked 163rd in the country individually by Golfweek, while Elyse Smidinger is 196th. … DU is 32nd in the Golfstat women’s national team rankings.

Mountain West Conference Women, April 25-27 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. — Colorado team competing: Colorado State. … CSU finished fifth in this tournament last year. … The Rams are playing in the Fresno State Lexus Classic Monday and Tuesday (April 15-16) before gearing up for the conference tourney. … CSU sits 129th in the Golfweek team rankings.

Pac-12 Conference Men, April 29-May 1 in Los Angeles — Colorado team competing: Colorado. … CU finished eighth in the Pac-12 tourney last year. … This season, the Buffs own two team victories and three seconds. … CU’s Jason Burstyn won one individual title in the fall and finished third in the Bandon Dunes Championship in March. Burstyn is ranked 128th in the nation individually by Golfstat. … CU sits 67th in the national Golfstat team rankings.

Western Athletic Conference Men, April 29-May 1 in Henderson, Nev. — Colorado team competing: Denver. … DU placed seventh in its Sun Belt title defense last year, with Chun-Ji Kim finishing fourth individually. … DU recently took second place at its own Desert Shootout. … The Pioneers are ranked 101st in the nation by Golfstat and Golfweek.

American Sky Conference Men, April 29-May 1 in San Antonio — Colorado team competing: Northern Colorado. … UNC was fifth in the conference last year as Steven Kupcho finished sixth individually. Kupcho subsequently had a 2012 summer season that earned him CGA Player of the Year honors. … UNC stands 150th in the Golfstat national rankings.

Mountain West Conference Men, May 3-5 in Tucson, Ariz. — Colorado teams competing: Colorado State and Air Force Academy. … CSU made it to the NCAA regionals last year after advancing to the championship finals in 2011. … In the 2012 MWC Championship, CSU finished fifth and Air Force seventh. … CSU’s Kirby Pettitt placed fifth individually last year in the conference tournament. … Pettitt and teammate Jordan Wetsch won individual titles in the fall of 2012. … CSU’s Parker Edens took third recently in DU’s Desert Shootout. … Air Force won its second team title of the season at the Jackrabbit Invitational in March, with Kyle Westmoreland claiming the individual crown. … Both CSU and Air Force still have one significant tournament remaining before the MWC championship, the Ping Cougar Classic April 26-27 in Provo, Utah. … CSU is ranked 69th nationally by Golfstat, while Air Force is 119th.
 

After a three-month hiatus, the college season is set to resume in February for all the Colorado-based NCAA Division I programs, with the University of Colorado men teeing it up first, next week in Hawaii.

And leading up to the beginning of the spring season, a couple of the local teams have had the good fortune of picking the brains of some of the game’s major champions.

The CU men recently spent several hours with two of the most famous players in program history, three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin and 1986 U.S. Senior Open winner Dale Douglass. Between them, they’ve won 23 PGA Tour events and 56 Champions Tour tournaments.

And David Duval of Cherry Hills Village, winner of 13 PGA Tour events including the 2001 British Open, noted recently on Twitter that he spent a day with the University of Denver team.

All in all, it’s not a bad way to gear up for the spring season.

With the spring schedule culminating in conference championships and potential NCAA regional and national tourneys, the coming months build toward the most crucial point of the season.

With that in mind, here are some notable tidbits about the local Division I college teams — and a few other selected individuals — heading into the spring.

Men’s National Division I Team Rankings:
Colorado State: 59th (Golfstat) and 60th (Golfweek).
Colorado: 66th (Golfstat and Golfweek).
Denver: 98th (Golfweek) and 101st (Golfstat).
Northern Colorado: 131st (Golfstat) and 139th (Golfweek).
Air Force Academy: 152nd (Golfweek) and 159th (Golfstat).

Women’s National Division I Team Rankings:
Denver: 27th (Golfstat), 32nd (Golfweek) and 36th (Coaches).
Colorado: 84th (Golfweek) and 85th (Golfstat).
Colorado State: 120th (Golfstat) and 122nd (Golfweek).
Northern Colorado: 178th (Golfstat) and 188th (Golfweek).

Top National Men’s Individual Rankings:
Michael Lee, Colorado School of Mines: 38th (Golfstat).
Brandon Bingaman, Colorado Mesa: 62nd (Golfstat).
Jason Burstyn, Colorado: 84th (Golfstat) and 145th (Golfweek).
Parker Edens, Colorado State: 162nd (Golfstat) and 258th (Golfweek).
ChunJi Kim, Denver: 178th (Golfstat).
Charlie Laudermilk, Fort Lewis: 185th (Golfstat).

Top National Women’s Individual Rankings:
Tonje Daffinrud, Denver (pictured): 23rd (Golfweek) and 29th (Golfstat).
Jennifer Coleman, Colorado: 82nd (Golfweek) and 86th (Golfstat).
Lindsay McGetrick, North Carolina State and Valor Christian HS: 121st (Golfstat) and 163rd (Golfweek).
Rachael Watton, Denver: 161st (Golfweek) and 216th (Golfstat).

Men’s Spring Season Openers:
Colorado: Feb. 6-8, Hawaii-Hilo Amer Ari Invitational, Hilo, Hawaii.
Denver: Feb. 11-12, Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational, St. George, Utah.
Northern Colorado: Feb. 11-12, Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational, St. George, Utah.
Colorado State: Feb. 20-22, John Burns Intercollegiate, Oahu, Hawaii.
Air Force Academy: Feb. 25-26, Snowman Getaway, Goodyear, Ariz.

Women’s Spring Season Openers:
Colorado: Feb. 11-13, Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
Northern Colorado: Feb. 11-13, The Lumberjack, Chandler, Ariz.
Denver: Feb. 18-19, Central District Invitational, Parish, Fla.
Colorado State: Feb. 24-25, Westbrook Spring Invitational, Peoria, Ariz.

Chip Shots: Two of the Colorado-based NCAA Division I programs won multi-team tournaments during the fall: Colorado men (Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational) and the Air Force Academy men (Service Academy Championship). … Individual tournament victories were posted by CU’s Jason Burstyn and Jennifer Coleman, and Colorado State’s Jordan Wetsch and Kirby Pettitt. … The University of Denver men and women will play in their one and only Western Athletic Conference Championship in the spring. The Pioneers moved last year from the Sun Belt Conference. The DU women won a record nine straight SBC titles before leaving. The Pioneers will join the Summit League in the 2013-14 school year. … In her last three tournaments of the fall schedule, DU junior Tonje Daffinrud posted three top-10 finishes and was named the WAC’s women’s player of the month for October. … Both the Colorado State men’s and women’s teams are competing this season with new head coaches. Christian Newton took over the men’s squad five months ago, while Susan Jennings is leading the CSU women on an interim basis.
 

The senior matched his best round ever in relation to par, shooting an 8-under-par 64 Tuesday at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie to notch the first college victory of his career.

Pettitt made two eagles in the final round of the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational to win by three strokes. The victory comes a week after he placed third individually in CSU’s own Ram Masters Invitational.

“This is great,” he said. “My goal for a little over a year has been to win a college tournament. That was the next step for me to take with my game, to see where I rank against some of the best college golfers.

“This field wasn’t super strong, but anytime you can shoot 14 under, you’re doing something right.”

In the team competition, both CSU and host CU put on a charge in Tuesday’s final round, but came up a little short of the title. The Buffs shot a 13-under-par 275 on Tuesday — the third-lowest round in program history — to finish at 19-under 845, two strokes behind champion Oregon State. With 279s each of the last two rounds, CSU placed third in the 14-team field, at 847.

A week after the Rams fell a shot out of a share of the team title at the Ram Masters Invitational, Pettitt was disappointed they came up a little short again.

“It’s a bad taste in my mouth, I can tell you that,” he said. “No (offense) to my teammates, but I shoot 8 under (on Tuesday) and think we’ve got to have a chance to win. Unfortunately they’re all right around par and we couldn’t get a couple more scores under par. But that makes us hungry. Team success is probably most important to me because at the end of the year the chances of going to the national tournament are a hell of a lot better with the other four guys and the two coaches.”

Said first-year CSU head coach Christian Newton: “Obviously Kirby did his part and the other four guys played good. If you’re going to knock off a great team like Oregon State, we have to play better than just good.”

Pettitt (pictured with assistant coach Bret Guetz) was one of several Colorado-based players to post top-10 finishes on Tuesday. CU’s Derek Fribbs (67 Tuesday for a 207 total) was third, while teammate David Oraee (69-210) was seventh and John Hayes (73-211) ninth.

The University of Denver’s Oskar Arvidsson (73 Tuesday) and Victor Doka (72) tied for 10th at 212 with Air Force’s Kyle Westmoreland (69) and Kansas’ Alex Gutesha, a Colorado resident (72).

Pettitt’s victory marked the second consecutive tournament at which a Ram has captured the individual title. Redshirt freshman Jordan Wetsch pulled off the feat at the Ram Masters Invite last week.

Pettitt, who made match play at the U.S. Amateur Public Links over the summer, shot his 64 on Tuesday despite three-putting the first hole for bogey. But over the final two rounds, that was his only bogey, while he recorded the two eagles and 10 birdies. On both of his eagles, he hit a hybrid from about 245 yards to 10 feet from the pin.

“It was fun to make those and keep the momentum going,” he said.

Pettitt won the tournament despite being 2 over par through his first five holes on Monday.

“You’ve got to continue giving yourself opportunities out here,” he said. “I thought I did a great job of that. I didn’t hit it into trouble and didn’t make a double bogey all week. And I think I had one three-putt.”

Meanwhile, in the CJGA Collegiate High School Invitational held in conjunction with the Simpson Invitational, Kent Denver senior Ethan Freeman carded a 7-under-par 207 total off the same tees the college golfers played. Had the two-time 3A state champion been playing in the college event, he would have tied for fifth.

As it was, Freeman, who has verbally committed to play for CU next season, finished a whopping 14 strokes ahead of his nearest high school competition. Pueblo South’s Jimmy Makloski, the 2012 CGA Junior Stroke Play champion, was runner-up out of the nine high school standouts, posting a 223 total.

“This gives me confidence that my game is college-ready, and that I can go into CU and play for them right away, and I can be a factor,” said Freeman, who will be seeking his third 3A state title next week.

Here are the scores of all the high school players who competed in the CJGA Collegiate High School Invitational: Ethan Freeman, Glenmoor CC 69-69-71–209; Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo CC 77-68-78–223; Andrew Romano, Colorado Golf Club 70-78-76–224; Jack Cummings, Omni Interlocken Resort GC 75-78-73–226; Ross Macdonald, Ridge at Castle Pines North 78-75-74–227; Joshua Seiple, Castle Pines Golf Club 82-72-73–227; Colin Prater, Broadmoor GC 74-80-74–228; Kyler Dunkle, The Club at Pradera 77-72-79–228; Chris Korte, The Links Golf Club 81-76-76–233.

Here are the scores of the Colorado-based college teams that played in the Simpson Invitational:

2. Colorado 290-280-275–845
3. Derek Fribbs 70-70-67–207; 7. David Oraee 73-68-69–210; 20. Beau Schoolcraft 72-73-69–214; 27. Philip Juel-Berg 75-71-70–216; 52. Jason Burstyn 75-71-76–222. Competing only as individuals: 9. Johnny Hayes 71-67-73–211; 35. Drew Trujillo 71-72-75–218; 74. Tyler Engel 83-69-77–229; Ross Thornton 74-DQ-78.

3. Colorado State 289-279-279–847
1. Kirby Pettitt 71-67-64–202; 20. Kory Harrell 72-70-72–214; 25. Parker Edens 72-70-73–215; 47. Cameron Harrell 74-74-73–221; 47. Jordan Wetsch 79-72-70–221. Competing only as individual: 47. Dominic Kieffer 76-71-74–221.

7. Northern Colorado 292-283-286–861
20. Charlie Mroz 73-69-72–214; 25. Steven Kupcho 73-72-70–215; 27. Steve Connell 72-73-71–216; 35. Conner Barr 76-69-73–218; 58. Ben Krueger 74-75-74–223. Competing only as individual: 69. Jason Pearce 75-76-76–227.

8. Denver 295-278-292–865
10. Oskar Arvidsson 70-69-73–212; 35. ChunJi Kim 73-68-77–218; 35. Ole Ramsnes 75-72-71–218; 41. Jordan Burgess 79-69-71–219; 75. Arti Edelman 77-75-78–230; Competing only as individual: 10. Victor Doka 70-70-72–212.

9. Air Force Academy 295-284-288–867
10. Kyle Westmoreland 73-70-69–212; 27. Andrew Hoops 73-71-72–216; 35. Jack Howard 72-69-77–218; 65. Todd Berglund 80-74-71–225; 76. Blake Jones 77-79-76–232. Competing only as individual: 78. Matthew Dunn 79-75-81–235.
 

“I look back on the past few years and I don’t know if I actually wanted it,” the Arvada resident and Colorado State University-Pueblo golfer said Tuesday. “I was more afraid of what would happen. You’re nervous. You say you want it but you’re not really sure. But yesterday I came in thinking, ‘I really want to go (to the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship). I’m playing really good and I want to do this and I have the game to do it.’ And I came out and played really well.”

The result is that Thomas will join two other Colorado-based college golfers in not only making their first appearance in the U.S. Publinks, but in any USGA championship.

CSU’s Kirby Pettitt, Air Force’s Kyle Westmoreland and CSU-Pueblo’s Thomas earned the three available qualifying spots out of a field that originally numbered 78 Tuesday at Twin Peaks Golf Course in Longmont. And the reward is trips to the U.S. Publinks that will be played July 9-14 at Soldier Hollow Golf Course in Midway, Utah.

Pettitt, a senior-to-be at CSU, shot rounds of 67-72 for a 1-under-par 139 total at Twin Peaks. Westmoreland, who will be a junior at the Air Force Academy, went 68-71 to tie his fellow Mountain West Conference golfer. (Westmoreland is pictured above at left with his co-medalist Pettitt.) And Thomas, who’s entering his final season at CSU-Pueblo, carded scores of 66-74 to gain the final qualifying spot at even-par 140.

For both Pettitt and Westmoreland, it was their first time even attempting to qualify for the U.S. Publinks.

“I’m very excited,” said Pettitt, an Iowan now living in Fort Collins full-time. “To be able to go play in a USGA event and showcase your talent and compete at a very high level is exactly what I’m looking to do. I’ve got one more year at school and then I’ll just see what happens. I’ll try to play professional golf after that, I believe.”

Being at the Air Force Academy, Westmoreland hasn’t gotten a lot of chances to play tournaments in recent summers, but he made the most of his opportunity on Tuesday. He finished the day with an eagle, six birdies and seven bogeys over the 36 holes.

Suffice it to say qualifying for a USGA championship ranks up there with winning his first college tournament last fall — the Service Academy Golf Classic against rival players from Navy and Army.

“It was a fun season for me, and this makes it even more fun,” said Westmoreland, who hails from Katy, Texas near Houston. “This means a lot. It’s a great opportunity to get to play some real high-quality golf. I’m thrilled.”

Pettitt’s performance Tuesday bore much resemblance to Westmoreland’s as he recorded six birdies and five bogeys. Thomas, meanwhile, went bogey-free in his 66 and carded six birdies and six bogeys overall.

“I played so good today,” said the 24-year-old Thomas, who needed just 24 putts in his first round. “… I drove three par-4s on my second 18 holes, and a couple of them were almost 400 yards. So I was hitting it really solid.

“I can’t tell you what this means to me. It’s fantastic.”
 

U.S. Amateur Public Links Qualifying
At Par-70 Twin Peaks GC in Longmont

ADVANCE TO U.S. PUBLINKS
Kirby Pettitt, Fort Collins, Colo., 67-72–139
Kyle Westmoreland, Katy, Texas, 68-71–139
Sean Thomas, Arvada, Colo., 66-74–140

ALTERNATES (in order)
Brandon Bingaman, Montrose, Colo., 72-69–141
Kory Harrell, Colorado Springs, Colo., 70-71–141

FAILED TO QUALIFY
Chun-Ji Kim, Chandler, Ariz., 73-70–143
Eric Parish, Laramie, Wyo., 70-73–143
Steven Kupcho, Westminster, Colo., 71-72–143
Cameron Harrell, Colorado Springs, Colo., 73-70–143
Jeff Chapman, Denver, Colo., 71-73–144
James Kurtenbach, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 74-70–144
Wlad Colmenares, Aurora, Colo., 73-71–144
David Schroeder II, Colorado Springs, Colo., 71-73–144
Jon Lindstrom, Broomfield, Colo., 72-72–144
Stu Allen, Lakewood, Colo., 72-73–145
Lanny Cameron, Loveland, Colo., 73-72–145
Andrew Moore, Loveland, Colo., 77-68–145
Cameron Freeman, Fort Collins, Colo., 72-74–146
Derek Fribbs, Boulder, Colo., 74-72–146
Tristan Sanders, Denver, Colo., 71-76–147
Nick Burns, Denver, Colo., 76-72–148
Robert Clever, Firestone, Colo., 72-76–148
Wesley Martin, Denver, Colo., 73-76–149
Minkyu Jeon, Littleton, Colo., 73-76–149
Nicholas Sheedy, Denver, Colo., 75-75–150
Matt Porter, Castle Rock, Colo., 74-76–150
Russell Einspahr, Arvada, Colo., 75-75–150
Andy Yang, Denver, Colo., 76-74–150
Jason Coffin, Denver, Colo., 74-77–151
Brian Richmeier, Aurora, Colo., 75-76–151
Clint Miller, Englewood, Colo., 73-78–151
Nick Berry, Littleton, Colo., 76-75–151
Chris Ortiz, Rio Rancho, N.M., 77-74–151
Jonathan S Park, Denver, Colo., 78-73–151
Nicholas Tarasiewicz, Colorado Springs, Colo., 72-81–153
Christian Rundberg, Laramie, Wyo., 76-77–153
Steve Connell, Thornton, Colo., 77-77–154
Chris Longfellow, Castle Rock, Colo., 78-77–155
Kyle Beard, Denver, Colo., 75-80–155
Bryan Kruse, Westminster, Colo., 76-79–155
Christopher Good, Denver, Colo., 76-79–155
Charles Santaularia, Denver, Colo., 77-78–155
Robert Burke, Longmont, Colo., 76-79–155
Austin Vanderbloom, Cheyenne, Wyo., 75-81–156
Chad Hess, Colorado Springs, Colo., 80-76–156
Wes Adkins, Fort Collins, Colo., 76-80–156
Michael Glaesel, Arvada, Colo., 80-76–156
Adam Thoutt, Westminster, Colo., 77-80–157
Jordan Burgess, Windsor, Colo., 76-81–157
Chris Weinstein, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 79-79–158
Erik Helton, Brighton, Colo., 79-80–159
Bryan Doyea, Peyton, Colo., 75-84–159
Christopher Raap, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 79-82–161
Grant Rogers, Boulder, Colo., 81-80–161
Bill Parker, Aurora, Colo., 83-78–161
Danny Hahn, Denver, Colo., 78-83–161
Shane Unfred, Windsor, Colo., 84-77–161
Nathan Gruda, Golden, Colo., 83-81–164
Joshua Kim, Aurora, Colo., 80-85–165
Chase Nathe, Parker, Colo., 85-80–165
Jon Baldwin, Lone Tree, Colo., 83-84–167
Rupert Lona, Westminster, Colo., 86-84–170
Tom Trexler, Littleton, Colo., 85-86–171
Mitchell Smith, Elizabeth, Colo., 75-WD
Gary Driber, Castle Pines, Colo., 80-NC
Nicholas Purvis, Montrose, Colo., 88-WD
Travis Fore, Windsor, Colo., 79-WD
Scott Steger, Fort Collins, Colo., 86-NS
Troy Duerr, Colorado Springs, Colo., 83-WD
Branden Barron, Centennial, Colo., 76-WD
Dale Bonati, Colorado Springs, Colo., 97-NS