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) 

When it comes to top high school athletes often choosing to stay close to home to play college sports, a couple of reasons are among those often cited.

The athletes usually enjoy staying in the area where they grew up, and family and friends have more opportunity to watch their loved ones compete when college is nearby.

And it doesn’t hurt when some local college programs are highly regarded and competitive.

With that as a backdrop, some of the best junior golfers from Colorado and/or members of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado are making their college choices official during the National Letter of Intent early-signing period, which started on Wednesday and continues for eight days.

At least 15 Coloradans or JGAC members are expected to play college golf for NCAA Division I programs starting next fall. Eight of those 14 are heading to Colorado-based programs, with another two bound for the nearby University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Here’s the rundown of the Colorado/JGAC Class of 2018 commitments (the list of signees/commitments here will be updated throughout the school year. Additions to the list can be emailed to golfjournal@coloradogolf.org):

Boys
Davis Bryant (Eaglecrest HS) — Colorado State
Jack Castiglia (Lakewood HS) — Northern Colorado
Kirby Coe-Kirkham (JGAC member from Sheridan, Wyo.) — Wyoming
Spencer Daake (Monarch HS) — Hastings (Neb.) College 
Freddie Gluck (Boulder HS) — Rochester in New York
Gabe Goodman (Green Mountain HS) — Concordia in New York
Oliver Jack (Kent Denver HS) — University of Colorado
Barrett Jones (Eagle Valley HS) — Northern Colorado
Brayden Lambrecht (Sterling HS) — Colorado Mesa
Cal McCoy (Regis Jesuit HS) — University of Denver
Thomas Messner (Colorado Academy) — Army in West Point, N.Y.
Sam Ostravich (ThunderRidge HS) — Northeastern Junior College in Sterling
Ryan Pierce (Doherty HS) — Bethany College in Kansas
Micah Ramirez (Resurrection Christian HS) — Doane University in Nebraska
Kailer Rundiks (Denver East HS) — Western New Mexico
Andrew Rush (Palmer HS) — Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa
Tyler Severin (Roosevelt HS) — Wyoming
Ian Thorpe (Peak to Peak HS) — Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y.
Luke Trujillo (Discovery Canyon HS) — Air Force Academy
Jackson Zinn (Ralston Valley HS) — New Mexico Military Institute

Girls
Anna Branscome (Bear Creek HS) — Chadron State in Chadron, Neb.
Payton Canon (Cherry Creek HS) — Oregon Tech
Kyree Conaway (Vista Peak HS) — Wagner College in New York
Kayla Elder (Fort Collins HS) — Chadron State in Nebraska
Gabriella Esquibel (Heritage HS) — Regis University
Callie Jones (Glenwood Springs HS) — Winona State in Winona, Minn.
Arielle Keating (former Colorado Springs resident) — Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton
Brandy McClain (Rock Canyon HS) — Colorado Mesa
Kieran McMullen (Rock Canyon HS) — Concordia College in N.Y.
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

(In addition, Jessica Zapf of Windsor has committed to the University of Wyoming as part of the incoming college class of 2019.)

Bryant (CSU; pictured above) 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 this year.

On the girls side, Webster (left) was the 2016 girls JGAC Most Improved Player and she won the girls AJGA Preview title this 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 this year. And Poynter (UNC) qualified for this year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior.

In addition, here are the players — both from in-state and elsewhere — who have signed or committed to play at Colorado-based NCAA Division I schools from the Class of 2018:

University of Colorado Women
Malak Bouraeda, Southlake, Texas
Kelsey Webster, Fairview HS in Boulder

Colorado State University Women
Sydney Smith, Las Vegas, Nev.
Saga Traustadottir, Iceland

University of Denver Women
Alyson Beach, Murrieta, Calif.
Trussy Li, Diamond Bar, Calif.

Air Force Academy Men
Jonathan Farmer, San Diego
Luke Trujillo, Discovery Canyon HS in Colorado Springs

University of Colorado Men
Oliver Jack, Kent Denver HS
Adam Matteson, San Diego
Kristoffer Max, Denmark
John Paterson, Scotland

Colorado State University Men
Davis Bryant, Eaglecrest HS in Aurora
Akedanai Ponghathaikul, Thailand
Oscar Teiffel, Sweden

University of Denver Men
Carson Griggs, Sand Springs, Okla.
Cal McCoy, Regis Jesuit HS in Aurora
Esteban Missura, Ecuador

University of Northern Colorado Men
Jack Castiglia, Lakewood HS
Barrett Jones, Eagle Valley HS in Gypsum

And FYI, looking ahead to next year’s signings, CU has garnered a commitment from Canon Olkowski of Grand Junction as part of the Class of 2019. Olkowski is the brother of current CU player Trevor Olkowski.
 

Included are at least eight Coloradans who will play NCAA Division I golf. Among them are 2015 4A state high school champion Jackson Solem of Longmont (headed to the University of Denver), 2016 JGAC Junior Tour Championship winner Trevor Olkowski of Grand Junction (University of Colorado), 2015 Colorado Junior PGA Championship winner Cole Krantz of Windsor (also CU), 2016 Colorado Junior Match Play champ Griffin Barela of Lakewood (University of Wisconsin), Daniel Pearson of Fairview High School, who placed fourth in the 5A state meet (University of Nebraska) and Glen-Michael Mihavetz of Montrose (Monmouth).

And on the women’s golf side, Jordan Remley of Lakewood, a fifth-place finisher in the 2016 5A state tournament, is headed to the University of Wyoming. Amelia Lee of Castle Rock has committed to Creighton.

(Updated Nov. 11) Here are some of the Class of 2017 players from Colorado who have signed, or are expected to sign, letters of intent this fall:

Boys
Griffin Barela of Lakewood (Lakewood HS) — Wisconsin
Jacob Hoekert of Woodland Park (Colorado Springs Christian School) — Taylor University in Updland, Ind.
Cole Krantz of Windsor (Windsor HS) — Colorado
Glen-Michael Mihavetz of Montrose (Montrose HS) ““ Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J.
Trevor Olkowski of Grand Junction (Grand Junction HS) — Colorado
Owen Pasvogel (Discovery Canyon HS) — Northern Colorado
Daniel Pearson of Longmont (Fairview HS) — Nebraska
Jackson Solem of Longmont (attends Longmont Christian HS, played for Silver Creek HS) — Denver
JT Snowden (Rock Canyon HS) — Cal Lutheran
Tyler Zhang of Lone Tree (Regis Jesuit HS) — Regis University
Zach Zurcher (Valor Christian HS) — Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala.

Girls
Julia Baroth of Denver (Denver East HS) — University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
Alexis Chan (Rock Canyon HS) — Carleton College (Minn)
Tabitha Diehl (Mountain Vista HS) — Rhodes College
Amelia Lee of Castle Rock (Rock Canyon HS) — Creighton
Hannah More of Littleton (Mullen HS) — Colorado Mesa
Jordan Remley of Lakewood (Ralston Valley HS) — Wyoming
Kellsey Sample of Monument (Palmer Ridge HS) — CSU Pueblo

Also
JGAC member Easton Paxton of Riverton, Wyo. — North Carolina State

Out-of-State Players Signing with Colorado Colleges (Updated May 25, 2017)

Boys
Air Force Academy
Kyle Spencer of Mount Pleasant, S.C.

Colorado State University
Jack Ainscough of Hartlepool, England
Andrew Lafferty of Alpharetta, Ga.
Cullen Plousha of Carlsbad, Calif.
Parathakorn Suyasri of Chonburi, Thailand

University of Colorado
Daniel O’Loughlin of Nottingham, England (sophomore-to-be transferring from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La.)

University of Denver
John Sand of Hoquiam, Wash.

University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
Isaac Spillum of Paradise Valley, Ariz.

Girls
University of Colorado
Alisha Lau of British Columbia, Canada
Katie Stribling of Tustin, Calif.

Colorado State University
Haley Greb of Pendleton, Ore.

University of Denver
Anni Heck of Eagen, Minn.
Caroline Klemp, Lansing, Kan.

Looking ahead to future years, 3A state high school champion Oliver Jack from Kent Denver has verbally committed to attend CU beginning in 2018. And Eaglecrest junior Davis Bryant, runner-up in the 5A state high school tournament this fall, has said he’ll play at Colorado State starting in 2018. Bryant qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2015.

If other Colorado junior golfers have signed to play college golf beginning in 2017, please email us at golfjournal@coloradogolf.org