Next spring, for the first time since 2001, Colorado girls high school golf will add a classification, going from two to three. A 3A state tournament will be added to the existing ones for 5A and 4A.
Girls golf in the state had just one classification from 1990 through 2000, after which separate 5A and 4A meets were held.
Over the first quarter-century of sanctioned girls high school golf in Colorado, six players have won two or more state titles: Ashley Tait of Mullen (3), Lynn Ann Moretto of Cherry Creek (3), Becca Huffer of Littleton (2), Jennifer McCormick of Columbine (2), Kelly Jacques of Skyline (2) and Emily Wood of Salida (2).
Which brings us to this year. Senior Jennifer Kupcho (above) of Jefferson Academy is a big favorite to become multi-champion No. 7. Seeing that she won last year’s 4A state tournament by 14 strokes — one of the largest margins in state history — someone would have to pull off a major upset to beat her when next week’s 4A meet takes place at River Valley Ranch Golf Club in Carbondale.
Kupcho has been a significant force in Colorado women’s/girls golf for several years, but particularly in the last year. The Wake Forest signee became the youngest CWGA Player of the Year of the new millennium (17) in 2014. Last year, she won three CWGA championships, a couple of major CJGA titles and the state high school crown. She also qualified for two USGA national championships and finished second in the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open.
And just this week, she teamed up with Gillian Vance of Dakota Ridge — who will compete in the 5A state meet at the Olde Course in Loveland — to advance to the round of 32 at the inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship in Oregon.
As for Kupcho’s high school career, it wouldn’t have taken much for her to be going for her fourth state title when she tees it up in Carbondale. She finished third in the state meet in 2012 as a freshman, ending up a stroke out of a playoff. And in 2013, she placed second, two behind champion Kala Keltz of Montrose.
As it is, a win next week would give Kupcho one of the best high school careers in state history, with two victories, a second and a third.
Meanwhile, Kylee Sullivan has enjoyed a different kind of success at the 4A state meet. She’s led Cheyenne Mountain to state team championships each of the last two years while finishing fifth individually in 2014 and sixth in 2013.
Other players that are likely to be on the leaderboard in Carbondale are Emilee Strausburg of D’Evelyn (third in 2014), Courtney Ewing of Pueblo West (fourth last year), Erin Sargent of Silver Creek (sixth in 5A last year and a 2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior qualifier along with Kupcho, Vance and Jaclyn Murray), and 4A Western Regional champion Kiselya Plewe of Dolores (sixth in 2014).
5A State Tournament at Olde Course: The 5A state meet at the Olde Course in Loveland figures to be a very competitive affair as a half-dozen top-10 finishers from 2014 are back.
Vance, who has signed with the University of Colorado, has posted top-15 finishes each of the last two years and went to the U.S. Girls’ Junior in 2014. Morgan Sahm of Grandview, the 5A Central Regional champion, has been in the top 10 each of the past two seasons and she qualified for the 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur Publinks as a 14-year-old. Sydney Gillespie of Regis Jesuit, another 2015 regional champ, is going for four straight top-10s at state (including in 4A as a freshman). Brigham Young University signee Anna Kennedy of Legend, the Southern Regional winner, placed third at state last year, making her the highest returnee. And Murray from Regis, a 2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior qualifier, might also make some noise.
Defending team champion Regis will go for its fourth state team title in six years as it won in Class 4A in 2010 and ’12.
Monday Tee Times for State Tournaments: 5A, 4A.
Regional Champions: Here are the team and individual champions from the recent 5A and 4A regional state-qualifying tournaments:
5A Southern Regional (held at Heritage Eagle Bend) — Team: Cherry Creek; Individual: Anna Kennedy, Legend.
5A Western (Fox Hollow) — Team: Legacy; Individual: Andrea Hoos, Legacy.
5A Northern (Heather Ridge) — Team: Regis Jesuit; Individual: Sydney Gillespie, Regis.
5A Central (CommonGround) — Team: Grandview; Individual: Morgan Sahm, Grandview.
4A Colorado Springs (CC of Colorado) — Team: Cheyenne Mountain; Individual: Kylee Sullivan, Cheyenne Mountain.
4A Metro-West (Raccoon Creek) — Team: Colorado Academy; Individual: Jennifer Kupcho, Jefferson Academy.
4A Northern (Boomerang) — Team: Northridge; Individual: Adara Pauluhn, Niwot.
4A Southern (Hollydot) — Team: Pueblo West; Individual: Brooke Lucero, Rye.
4A Western (Cobble Creek) — Team: Montrose; Individual: Kiselya Plewe, Dolores.
But no matter how new the programs are to the local high school golf scene, that hasn’t kept them from producing some of the best talent to come from Colorado in recent years.
That’s been proven this past week during the early national letter of intent signing period for golf and other sports. Both Valor and Jefferson Academy had multiple players sign with college programs. Valor’s Ross Macdonald and Pierce Aichinger are going to the University of Colorado, while teammate Jake Staiano is headed to Colorado State. Jefferson Academy’s Jennifer Kupcho (pictured) signed on Monday with Wake Forest, while teammate Mariah Ehrman formally committed to Colorado Mesa University.
Well over a dozen Colorado junior players have inked NLIs since last Wednesday, including at least 12 with NCAA Division I programs. Valor was particularly a center of activity with all three seniors from this year’s 4A state championship team going to Division I programs in-state.
“There were attractive options for all three out of state,” said Jason Preeo, Valor’s boys golf coach and the individual instructor for Macdonald, Staiano and Aichinger. “But their first choice was in-state. They all got pretty much what they were looking for. It’s really important for in-state schools to make sure the top talent stays in the state. You have to own your home turf.”
Indeed, the University of Colorado men’s team, which had just six players on its roster in the fall season, landed three in-state players, all of whom finished in the top eight in the ultra-competitive 4A state tournament — Macdonald (third), Aichinger (sixth) and Cheyenne Mountain’s Wilson Belk (eighth). Macdonald, the CGA Junior Player of the Year, has won the last two CGA Junior Stroke Plays and Aichinger claimed the Colorado Junior PGA Championship this year.
As for CSU-bound Staiano, he won the 2013 CGA Junior Match Play, advanced to match play at the 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur, and was the runner-up in the 4A state tournament.
It’s little wonder why Valor, which once featured Oklahoma State-bound Wyndham Clark, has won four of the last six 4A state team titles and has now produced seven NCAA Division I signees.
All four Colorado players who signed with either the CU or CSU men are currently ranked among the top 500 boys national/international players on Junior Golf Scoreboard.
On the girls side, Kupcho is ranked No. 104 nationally/internationally among girls by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Although the reigning 4A state high school champ also considered the University of Denver and Colorado State, she’s headed for Wake Forest, which is currently the No. 10-ranked women’s college program in the nation.
“It’s really exciting to have it done,” said Kupcho, the CWGA Player of the Year and three-time Junior Player of the Year at age 17. “I’ve been looking forward to this day. Finally to just get it over with and know I’m going to college is kind of exciting. To go play Division I golf is a real exciting accomplishment.”
Wake Forest has been to 13 NCAA Championship finals in the last 22 years. Laura Diaz, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour and a former Wake Forest standout, is a volunteer assistant coach for the Demon Deacons.
Kupcho cited the coaches and the climate (Wake Forest is in Winston-Salem, N.C.) as the primary reasons she chose to be a Demon Deacon.
“Obviously, I’ve always wanted to play for a higher (ranked) school so I can hopefully go play professional” eventually, said Kupcho, who finished runner-up in the 2014 HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open, a tournament that featured numerous top-level Symetra Tour players. “I would say that’s part of the steppingstone to playing professionally.”
Kupcho’s brother, Steven, plays for the University of Northern Colorado, though he’s redshirting this season. Jennifer Kupcho’s parents coach the Jefferson Academy girls golf team.
Here are the in-state players who have signed national letters of intent this month, and out-of-state players who have signed with Colorado-based NCAA Division I schools (note: this list was updated in May 2015):
BOYS
Pierce Aichinger, Valor Christian — Colorado
Wilson Belk, Cheyenne Mountain — Colorado
Li Chen, Legacy — Northern Colorado
Bretton Krantz, Windsor — Colorado Mesa
Ross Macdonald, Valor Christian — Colorado
Hayden Plewe, Montezuma-Cortez — Southern Utah
Grant Rogers, Boulder — Rice
Jake Staiano, Valor Christian — Colorado State
Taylor Rodriguez, 4A individual champ at Pueblo South — CSU-Pueblo
Jackson Vacek, Fairview — Occidental
GIRLS
Mariah Ehrman, Jefferson Academy — Colorado Mesa
Courtney Ewing, Pueblo West — CSU-Pueblo
Tori Goodman, Falcon — CSU-Pueblo
Anna Kennedy, Legend — BYU
Ashlyn Kirschner, Ralston Valley — Colorado Mesa
Jennifer Kupcho, Jefferson Academy — Wake Forest
Adara Pauluhn, Niwot — Boise State
Kylee Sullivan, Cheyenne Mountain — Oakland U.
Gillian Vance, Dakota Ridge — Colorado
Out-of-State Players Committed to Colorado Div. I Schools
Boys
Ben Bradley of Frankfurt, Germany — Colorado (eligible to compete in spring semester 2015)
Kade Crossland, transfer from Corban University in Solem, Ore. — Colorado
Tate Tatom of Gallatin Gateway, Mont. — Air Force Academy
Girls
Hanna Atkins of Phoenix — Northern Colorado
Lauryn Keating of Elma, Wash. — Colorado
Sophie Newlove of Nottingham, England — Denver
Katrina Prendergast of Sparks, Nev. — Colorado State
Janet Yeo of Los Angeles — Northern Colorado
Stanford-bound Calli Ringsby of Cherry Creek will defend her 5A state high school title on Monday and Tuesday at Raccoon Creek Golf Course in Littleton. Among other seniors likewise expecting to be in the hunt there are Hannah Wood of Arapahoe (University of Oklahoma), Sarah Hankins of Legacy (Wyoming), Jenni Chun of Highlands Ranch (Cal State Bakersfield) and Jaylee Tait of Columbine (Montana State).
All told, nine of the top 10 5A finishers from a year ago are back for another run at the state title. Four of the top five performers from the 5A state tournament a year ago are now seniors.
And at the 4A state meet Monday and Tuesday at the Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs, junior Jennifer Kupcho of Jefferson Academy should be considered the favorite. Though Kupcho hasn’t formally signed with a college program — that isn’t allowed until the senior year — she has committed to play college golf at Wake Forest.
All in all, a lot of firepower will be on display.
Ringsby (pictured above) has finished second, fourth and first in her previous three state high school appearances. In 2012, she swept both the CWGA Junior Stroke Play and Junior Match Play titles, and was selected to play in the USA-China Youth Golf Match.
Wood, the winner of the last two CJGA Tournament of Champions titles, has gone 10th, third and third the last three years at the state high school tournament. She’s been a member of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course the last two years. In 2013, she competed in three USGA championships and won the prestigious Kathy Whitworth Invitational junior tournament in Texas.
Kupcho has finished third and second in her other state appearances (Kala Keltz, now at Northern Colorado, won the 2013 4A title). Kupcho competed in four USGA championships in 2013 and was named the CWGA Junior Player of the Year. Last year, she went to the U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and the USGA Women’s State Team. She was also named to the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround.
Earlier this week, Kupcho placed an impressive sixth in U.S. Women’s Open Sectional Qualifying in Colorado.
Perhaps not coincidentally, Ringsby, Wood, Kupcho and Sydney Merchant made up the team that represented the CWGA in the Girls Junior America’s Cup last year.
Merchant, a sophomore at Dakota Ridge, won the CWGA Junior Match Play in 2013 and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur. She’s been stellar this high school season, claiming two of her tournament victories with rounds of 68 and 63. She tied for third in the 2013 5A state tournament as a freshman and should certainly be in the mix again this year.
Team-wise next week, Cherry Creek will be seeking its fourth consecutive 5A state title, while Cheyenne Mountain will be defending in 4A. Cheyenne Mountain is led by Kylee Sullivan, who finished sixth individually last year and who will be playing at her home course (the Country Club of Colorado) for the state meet. Sullivan won the CJGA Junior Series Championship last year at that same course.
Here are the 2014 champions, both team and individual, for the regional state-qualifying tournaments that were held earlier this month:
5A Central Regional at Broken Tee — Team Winner: Regis Jesuit 228. Individual Winner: Sydney Gillespie, Regis Jesuit, 71.
5A Western Regional at Fox Hollow — Team Winner: Fossil Ridge 247. Individual Winner: Ali Pepper, Arvada West, 78.
5A Southern Regional at Colorado Springs Country Club — Team Winner: Arapahoe 246. Individual Winner: Hannah Wood, Arapahoe, 71.
5A Northern Regional at Highland Meadows — Team Winner: Rock Canyon 227. Individual Winner: Michelle Romano, Rock Canyon, 71.
4A Colorado Springs Regional at Eisenhower Silver — Team Winner: Cheyenne Mountain. Individual Winner: Kylee Sullivan, Cheyenne Mountain, 77.
4A Western Regional at Adobe Creek — Team Winner: Montrose 246. Individual Winner: Kiselya Plewe, Dolores, 72.
4A Southern Regional at Hollydot — Team Winner: Pueblo East 256. Individual Winner: Gia Zupancic, Pueblo East, 75.
4A Northern Regional at Olde Course in Loveland — Team Winner: Broomfield 259. Individual Winner: Haley Patterson, Yuma, 78.
4A Metro West Regional at Indian Tree — Team Winner: Colorado Academy 241. Individual Winner: Jennifer Kupcho, Jefferson Academy, 74.
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