As meetings go, what could be better than an event which features the Rules of Golf being taught Dr. Seuss style — complete with rhymes and big colorful hats — and adds equal doses kids-based philanthrophy, collaboration, awards and learning, with a little frivolity mixed in?

The CWGA Annual Meeting, held Saturday at The Inverness Hotel & Conference Center, included all of the above and more. With almost 200 people on hand, many representing about 75 clubs from around the state, there was a little something for everyone.

CWGA rules officials Jan Fincher, Karla Harding and Sandy Schnitzer set a humorous, yet educational tone by donning Dr. Seuss hats and even writing Seuss-like rhymes for their Rules of Golf breakout session:

Look at the greens. Look ’em over with care. Mark your ball and proceed. Do it with flair.

The rule that has changed is quite fundamental. Just put the ball back. Was it accidental? …

“We do it every year (with an ingenious approach to a Rules breakout session), but we’ve gotten more fun,” noted Harding, pictured below with Schnitzer.

“Every year we have Rules of Golf breakout sessions, and every year Jan Fincher, Karla Harding and Sandy Schnitzer come up with a new educational way to teach the Rules of Golf,” noted CWGA executive director Laura Robinson. “Last year it was a Jeopardy game. This year they came up with the Dr. Seuss adaptation. And they wouldn’t be the three of them without wearing the hats.

“It’s a balance. The Rules are complex and can be overwhelming, and what we’re trying to achieve in these breakout sessions is some education, and we’re going to bring it down to a level that’s easy to understand so that when you’re out on the golf course you have the confidence to apply some of these Rules. We’re not trying to teach all 500 pages of the Decisions book.”

Among those in attendance for the Annual Meeting festivities on Saturday was a who’s who of golf orgnizations from Colorado and beyond: There was representation from the USGA and leaders of the CGA, Colorado PGA, CoBank Colorado Open championships, the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado and the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Included was Highlands Ranch resident Mark Passey, a director of regional affairs for the USGA who plans to retire from the national organization on July 1, after more than 27 years.

“Look around the room,” noted Colorado Golf Hall of Fame executive director Sammie Chergo, one of Saturday’s speakers. “You have so many people here from the world of golf in Colorado that want to work together and make golf in Colorado great.”

And much of that effort revolves around building a solid foundation for the future through support of junior golf. So on Saturday, the CWGA presented a check for $10,000 to the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, a comprehensive set of programs and tournaments led by the CGA, Colorado PGA and the CWGA. In its inaugural year of 2016, the JGAC included 836 members, who played 3,695 rounds in Junior Alliance events. The JCAC also includes such things as the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program, the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, PGA Junior League, the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program and Drive, Chip & Putt competitions.

“Our beginning year we were hoping to shoot, using a golf analogy, 1 or 2 over par,” said Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Alan Abrams, the president of the JGAC . “But we had an incredible sub-par round and ended up winning the tournament. Exciting things happened for us that first year.

“Thanks to all of you (CWGA members) for … the wisdom to (support) junior golf. Obviously, that’s a legacy that you’ll have, and this Alliance covers everything junior golf in the state. Congratulations for giving us this great gift. I promise we will take it and do great things with it.”

(Abrams is pictured at top receiving the check from CWGA president Juliet Miner.)

In addition to the $10,000 — which was raised in 2016 by the CWGA — the association earned another $6,723 for junior golf through a silent auction and other sales held Saturday at the Annual Meeting.

“It looks like the silent auction once again broke the bank so we’re very pleased,” Miner said.

Overall regarding the meeting on Saturday, “In spite of the beautiful weather — it’s hard to compete with 70 degrees in March — we had a great turnout,” Miner noted.

Fitzsimons, Patty Jewett, Heggie Receive CWGA Awards: Saturday’s meeting also recognized the CWGA’s award winners for 2016, including the Club of the Year, which is a new honor.

The women’s clubs from Fitzsimons and Patty Jewett Golf Courses shared the inaugural Club of the Year Award for their work in raising money for charity, growing membership, etc.

Fitzsimons made significant charitable contributions thanks to annual golf events for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Colorado chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. And it took pro-active steps to bringing new golfers into the fold, and paid tribute to veterans and their families, which is inherent given the course’s military roots.

Patty Jewett raised almost $10,800 for charity through golf and related events in 2016. In addition to that money, members volunteered for Special Olympics, for cleanup day at the course, and for the CWGA.

“I think what you heard today through our Club of the Year awards and our fundraising efforts is that a lot of women’s organizations are very good at giving back,” Robinson said. “I think what you saw here was reaffirming that it really is about helping others through what we do.

“We tried to tally how much our clubs raised for charity this year through grassroots events and we think it’s well over $100,000, not including what we do in the office.”

Meanwhile, the 2016 CWGA Volunteer of the Year Award went to Vivian Heggie, who worked as a rules official at more CWGA championships and USGA qualifiers last year than any other volunteer. That included a dawn-to-dusk 36-hole U.S. Women’s Open qualifer in very cold and rainy conditions at Heritage at Westmoor.

“Our winner (Heggie, pictured in a yellow shirt-collar with Schnitzer) personifies dedication to the game of golf and dedication to making sure the players are well looked after and that they have a memorable experience,” Miner said. “It takes more than knowledge of the Rules to be a good rules official. It takes tact and the appropriate way to deliver a difficult message at times. Of course, it always helps if you have a delightful English accent (like Heggie). It takes perseverance and patience, and great respect for the players.”

The CWGA Player of the Year and Senior Player of the Year winners, both previously announced, also were recognized on Saturday. Both Jennifer Kupcho (the POY who is competing in a college tournament for Wake Forest) and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton (the SPOY who is playing in a Legends Tour event in Arizona) could not attend because they’re at tournaments, but sent their thanks. For more on their accomplishments in 2016, CLICK HERE.

“I’d like to thank the Colorado Women’s Golf Association for selecting me for this award,” said Kupcho, who received the POY honor for an unprecedented third straight season. “It’s a great honor to be your Player of the Year … My first time at Denver Country Club (in winning the CWGA Stroke Play) was definitely one to remember.”

Said Eaton, the SPOY for the seventh time in eight years: “Thank you to the CWGA for this honor. I had every intention of being there today, but I received a better invitation — to play in the LPGA Legends Tour event in Arizona. I had a great year and did not want to pass up that opportunity. … I’m very grateful that I continue to play well and enjoy the game so much.”

Also receiving recognition Saturday was the nine-hole women’s club from Raccoon Creek Golf Course, which was the top 2016 CWGA fundraiser for the Evans Scholarship for caddies, bringing in $1,450. Almost 60 caddies currently receive full tuition and housing Evans Scholarships at the University of Colorado, with about a quarter of them being young women.

Chip Shots: Among the speakers on Saturday besides Chergo were CGA executive director Ed Mate and Colorado Open Golf Foundation CEO Kevin Laura, both of whom spoke on topics in the news this week. Mate, who serves on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee, gave attendees an update on the Rules changes the USGA and R&A proposed that are expected to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. And Laura noted some big news that was announced on Thursday — that the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open is increasing its purse to $150,000 and more than quadrupling its first prize to $50,000. …

CWGA Centennial Committee co-chairs Phyllis Jensen and Nancy Wilson assembled 357 slides, 511 pictures and a lot of memorabilia from CWGA centennial-year activities and events in 2016 into a scrapbook and a slideshow. On Saturday, they presented their work to Miner for CWGA historical purposes. “I want to thank (Jensen and Wilson) for stepping forward,” Miner said. “They made our centennial a great success.” (Wilson, Miner and Jensen are pictured at left.) …

With the CWGA planning to unveil an updated logo in the near future, 24 proposed logo submissions that the association received were showed off to attendees on Saturday. “Many people have said a woman with a long skirt (as in the current logo) is not representative of golf today,” Miner said. “We don’t want to necessarily change the logo to something that is unrecognizable, but we do want to modernize it.” …

CWGA organizers were pleased with Saturday’s attendance, which was just shy of 200. “We had one of the biggest turnouts, and as a follow-up to the centennial year, that says something,” Robinson said. “Today we achieved our objective by making it educational and giving lots of information, besides celebrating women’s golf in Colorado.”
 

With the annual get-together of members, association leaders and staff “” along with assorted other interested parties “” set for Saturday (March 4) at The Inverness Hotel & Conference Center in Englewood, more than 175 people are expected to attend.

Coming off its 100th-anniversary year in 2016, the CWGA will devote a little time to reflecting on its past, with Centennial Committee co-chairs Nancy Wilson and Phyllis Jensen presenting a scrapbook and compilation from the centennial year festivities to CWGA president Juliet Miner.

As for the present/recent past, the CWGA will recognize some of its best from 2016 with its annual awards. That includes Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster (Player of the Year for an unprecedented third straight season) and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton (the Senior Player of the Year for the seventh time in eight years). Those honorees were previously announced, but a couple of others will be disclosed at the meeting: the Volunteer of the Year and the winner of a new award, CWGA Club of the Year, in recognition of all the work done at the club level in growing membership, raising money, etc.

But most of Saturday’s proceedings will be devoted to improvement looking ahead. That covers an array of items:

“” The CWGA will present a check for $10,000 to the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, which is beginning its second season as a one-stop-shop for junior golf in the state. The JGAC is a combined effort of the CGA, the Colorado PGA and the CWGA.

“” Club officials will be involved in an orientation session regarding the new USGA Tournament Management Software (powered by Golf Genius), led by CWGA tournament manager Kate Moore and Golf Genius’ Rory Luck.

“” In breakout educational sessions held opposite of the USGA Tournament Management session, meetings will focus on the Rules of Golf (led by Jan Fincher, Karla Harding and Sandy Schnitzer), handicapping (led by Laurie Steenrod), and a President’s Roundtable (led by CWGA vice president Kathy Malpass).

“” From 7:30 to 11:15 a.m., a silent auction will be held, with the proceeds benefiting junior golf, most notably the programs that fall under the auspices of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado.

In addition, there will be updates on the impending and recent changes regarding the Rules of Golf (presented by CGA executive director Ed Mate, who sits on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee) and the JGAC.

Overall, in addition to education, training and networking, “the theme (of Saturday’s meeting) is collaboration and community,” CWGA executive director Laura Robinson said. “In order to grow golf effectively in Colorado, it’s important to work hard to collaborate with the various golf organizations and associations in the state, including the CGA, Colorado PGA, the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, the First Tee, etc. We want to be a strong remember of the community.”

The keynote speaker at Saturday’s business meeting will be Sammie Chergo, the new executive director of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Chergo was head coach when the University of Denver women’s golf team posted fifth- and sixth-place finishes in the women’s NCAA Championships, and she later also coached at Oregon State.

In addition, the CWGA is in the midst of modernizing its logo. The association has opened the idea up to members and 17 new logos have been submitted. The CWGA will get input on those logo submissions at the meeting.

Speaking of new looks, the CWGA launched its new website (coloradowomensgolf.org) about two months ago. The site includes many new resources and features for members and clubs, including how to find a club to join.

For the CWGA Annual Meeting agenda, CLICK HERE.

This summer, there’s an opportunity to both play a stellar golf course which isn’t easy to get on, and to help honor three of Colorado’s all-time golf greats.

The Colorado Golf Hall of Fame will hold its annual tournament on June 29 at a very popular, picturesque venue — Santuary Golf Course in Sedalia — with first-come, first-served registration opening on Friday (Feb. 10) at 9 a.m.

And following the round of golf, three of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame’s most notable inductees will be recognized — Judy Bell, Dale Douglass and Dow Finsterwald.

Bell was the first female president of the USGA. Douglass won three times on the PGA Tour and 11 on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, including the 1986 U.S. Senior Open. And Finsterwald claimed a dozen PGA Tour wins, with the 1958 PGA Championship being the most notable.

The Colorado Golf Hall of Fame tournament on June 29, which will feature a “shamble” format, will begin with an 11:30 a.m. shotgun start. The cost is $1,000 per foursome. To register for the event beginning Friday at 9 a.m., CLICK HERE.

The reception where Bell, Douglass and Finsterwald will be recognized will follow the golf.

Also this year, the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame will be holding its induction dinner on May 21, also at Sanctuary. Inducted that night will be M.J. Mastalir of Denver, with annual awards going to the new Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, and Rick Polmear of Greenwood Village.

For more information on either the induction dinner or the golf tournament, contact CGHOF executive director Sammie Chergo at sammiechergo@gmail.com or 303-594-9159. To visit the CGHOF website, CLICK HERE.

Chergo recently resigned after two seasons as women’s golf head coach at Oregon State University. Her former assistant, fellow Colorado native Dawn Shockley, was named OSU head coach earlier this month. Shockley played at DU the years the Pioneers posted top-10 finishes at nationals.

Chergo coached the DU women’s team for 15 years before departing in 2013. Aside from her stint at Oregon State, Chergo is a lifelong Coloradan. She played college golf at Colorado State University.

Chergo received the 2009 Golf Person of the Year award from the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

“I am both thrilled and honored that the CGHOF has chosen me as its new executive director,” Chergo said. “There is such a rich history of excellence within this organization. I look forward to being a part of the excellence and building a difference-making future on the rich tradition of celebrating the best of the past, present and future of Colorado golf. It’s wonderful to be back home working with the Colorado golf community that means so very much to me.” 

The Colorado Golf Hall of Fame was founded in 1973 to honor men and women who have made outstanding contributions to golf in the Centennial State. The CGHOF museum is located in the clubhouse for the Riverdale Golf Courses in Brighton.

Two months after Denver native and former University of Denver women’s golf coach Sammie Chergo stepped down as women’s coach at Oregon State, her former OSU assistant, Dawn Shockley, was named the Beavers’ head coach on Monday.

Shockley was born and raised in Colorado and played golf under Chergo at DU. While competing for the Pioneers, they placed sixth and fifth, respectively, in the 2008 and ’09 women’s NCAA finals. Individually, Shockley won twice while at DU, including the 2009 NCAA East Regional as a senior. She finished 21st individually in the 2009 NCAA finals.

“Dawn is a proven winner and a steely competitor,” Oregon State athletic director Todd Stansbury said in Monday’s announcement. “Her ability to instill confidence in student-athletes and teach course management set her apart from other candidates. I’m excited to watch our program develop under her leadership.”

Shockley, a regular on the Symetra Tour or Ladies European Tour for several years before going to Oregon State, had been serving as interim head coach at OSU since Chergo departed.

Oregon State competes in the Pac-12, the same conference as the University of Colorado.

“Being a head coach is a privilege,” Shockley said. “I’m very grateful (and) thankful and look forward to the opportunity to lead this team and continue what we’ve been doing for the last two years. … I look forward to becoming one of those teams that’s a powerhouse. The challenge and excitement about being the head coach is leading this team to something that is pretty cool and pretty unique.”

Oregon State set — or re-set — program scoring average records the last two seasons under Chergo, with Shockley’s assistance.

Besides excelling at golf while she attended Estes Park High School, Shockley won the Class 3A state cross country title as a freshman, was named Miss 3A Colorado Basketball as a senior, and served as her school’s student body president as a senior.

As she told coloradogolf.org in 2009, “I’m pretty competitive in everything.”

Chergo, who coached DU for 15 years before departing in 2013, said in an email Monday that she opted to leave Oregon State “to get back home closer to my family. … It was a difficult decision to make as we have really been having some fun growing the program and changing the culture.”

Except for the last two years, Chergo (pictured) has lived her entire life in Colorado.

Oregon State, which recently placed 10th in the 11-team Pac-12 Conference women’s tournament, posted two top-three team finishes this season. In 2014, the Beavers won Chergo’s first tournament as the OSU head coach. They are currently ranked 67th among the nation’s Division I teams, according to Golfstat.

As for the future, Chergo, a Denver native and former Colorado State University golfer, wrote Monday, “I will always be a coach and administrator at heart and I am sure those skills will lead me somewhere in Colorado.”

Former DU golfer Dawn Shockley, a Colorado native who grew up in the Centennial State, will serve as the interim head coach for Oregon State while the school conducts a search to find Chergo’s replacement.

Meanwhile, current DU coach Lindsay Kuhle announced Monday that Sonya Knebel of Germany will join the Pioneers’ roster for the 2016-17 season. Knebel is transferring to DU from Augusta (Ga.) University.

Chergo and Shockley, who built their sports reputations with the University of Denver women’s golf program, will have a homecoming of sorts next week when the top women’s golf conference in the nation holds its league championships at Boulder Country Club April 20-22.

Now in her first season as head coach at Oregon State — and having hired Shockley, one of her standout players at DU, as an assistant coach — Chergo will bring her OSU Beavers to her old stomping grounds. (Chergo is pictured in black above, alongside Shockley.)

“I’m excited to bring the team out — a lot of them have not been to Colorado before,” Chergo said in a recent phone interview. “We’ll have a whole bunch of family and friends there. I think we’ll have one of the biggest galleries out there, so there will be a lot of energy. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Chergo, the DU women’s head coach for 15 years before resigning in early 2013, indicated at that time that she was retiring from coaching. But she changed her mind when Oregon State came calling in the middle of last year.

“I thought I was” done coaching, Chergo said. “I felt I had done everything I could do there (at DU). Other schools called, and I didn’t even think about it. There were only a handful of places I wanted to go. But Oregon State called out of the blue, and I fell in love with the place. We have so much fun working to grow the program, and the community really wants to help. It was a perfect fit.

“One of the reasons I got back in was I missed the student-athlete. I missed the competition.”

Chergo worked wonders during her years at DU, taking the Pioneers to heights never seen in Colorado women’s college golf history. They finished sixth in the NCAA Championship finals in 2008, and fifth in 2009. All told, Chergo was named Sun Belt Conference coach of the year six times.

Shockley, a former state high school cross country champion from Estes Park, won the individual NCAA East Regional title in 2009, helping the Pioneers claim the regional team championship. Stephanie Sherlock and Katie Kempter also were key players during those years.

Shockley turned pro in 2009 and played on the Symetra Tour and the Ladies European Tour. Just last June, the former All-American finished fourth in the Symetra Tour’s FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship.

“Even when she played for me, she said she wanted to be a coach,” Chergo said of Shockley. “After playing professionally, she was ready to do something else. She’s a great player, she loves the game of golf, loves coaching and she’s energetic. It’s great to watch her grow.”

Chergo is trying to do at Oregon State what she did at Denver — steadily build the program into a team which regularly advances to the NCAA finals. But she has some work in front of her as the Beavers are currently ranked 73rd in the nation, according to Golfstat, and 75th, according to Golfweek.

In the stellar Pac-12 Conference, which has three teams ranked in the top three nationally (Southern Cal, Washington and UCLA), Oregon State is either No. 10 or No. 11 out of 11 teams, depending on which rankings you use. (Utah doesn’t have a women’s golf program.)

“It’s similar to where we were with DU seven or eight years ago when we were starting to build,” Chergo said. “The culture we created at DU, we’re looking to create here.

“We have a lot of work to do to grow this program. We just opened a $600,000 indoor training center and every week we’re playing against the best teams. Hopefully we’ll be in the top 25 in a couple of years. Corvallis is a very supportive community. They love the Beavers. You can’t walk down the street without hearing, ‘Go Beavers.’ It’s a wonderful place, a beautiful college town.”

Before moving to Corvallis in the late summer, Chergo had lived her whole life in Colorado. She attended Arvada West High School and Colorado State, then served as an assistant coach at the University of Colorado before going to DU.

“I didn’t go away for college; this is kind of like my going away for college,” said Chergo, who succeeded Rise Alexander at OSU after Alexander coached the Beavers for 27 years. “But I’m a Northwesterner now. I’m close to my family, but I probably see and talk to them more now than ever before” in her professional career.

Though Chergo is two years removed from her days at DU, her influence on the golf programs there is still certainly being felt. Two of her former Pioneer assistant coaches now head the teams, with Lindsay Kuhle leading the women’s program and Erik Billinger the men’s.

“Those two are my peeps. I couldn’t be more proud,” Chergo said.

———————————————————————————————————

Pac-12 Women’s Golf Championships in Boulder: The Essentials

What: Pac-12 Conference Women’s Golf Championships, with the University of Colorado serving as the host school.

Where: Boulder Country Club, 6,437 yards, par-71.

When: Championship rounds, Monday through Wednesday (April 20-22); practice round, Sunday (April 19). Ralphie the buffalo is tentatively scheduled to be on hand during Sunday evening’s team banquet. The Sunday practice rounds are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. On Monday and Tuesday, play will start at 9 a.m. On Wednesday, it will begin at 8:30 a.m.

Format: 54 holes of stroke play, with team and individual competitions. The best four individual scores from each school each day will count toward the team total.

Admission/Parking: Both free.

Participating Schools (with national Golfstat ranking): 1. Southern California; 2. Washington; 3. UCLA; 8. Arizona; 19. Stanford; 25. Arizona State; 32. Oregon; 34. California; 39. Colorado; 73. Oregon State; 76. Washington State. (Note: Utah doesn’t have a women’s golf program.)

Top Individuals (with national Golfstat ranking): 4. Bronte Law, UCLA; 7. Kyung Kim, USC; 10. Jennifer Yang, Washington; 14. Erynne Lee, UCLA; 17. Ying Luo, Washington; 20. Eimi Koga, Washington; 22. Monica Vaughn, Arizona State; 26. Esther Lee, Colorado; 28. Noemi Jimenez, Arizona State; 29. Lauren Kim, Stanford; 30. Manon Gidali, Arizona.

Defending Team Champion: Stanford.

TV: Final-round highlights will be carried on a tape-delayed basis by the Pac-12 Networks, on May 10 from 11 a.m.-noon (MT).

Streaming of the Event: Some of the action during the first two rounds will be streamed live by CU on Pac-12 Digital.
 

For the second time in two years, a longtime University of Denver head golf coach has departed and been replaced by a highly regarded assistant coach with strong DU ties.

Sixteen months after Sammie Chergo stepped down after 15 years as DU women’s head coach and was replaced by her former longtime assistant, Lindsay Kuhle, Eric Hoos exited as DU men’s head coach after 15 seasons and was succeeded by former Pioneer women’s associate head coach Erik Billinger.

A DU press release said Hoos “resigned from the position to pursue other professional opportunities.”

Hoos (pictured above) led the DU men to three league titles during his coaching tenure, including this year’s Summit League championship. The Pioneers also won the season-opening Ram Masters Invitational in September. Since taking the DU job in 1999 after being an assistant at the University of Colorado, Hoos guided the Pioneers to nine team victories, 17 individual wins and nine NCAA regional appearances.

Reached Monday evening, Hoos didn’t want to elaborate much on the situation, but did say, “It was a fun run. Not many coaches get to spend 15 years at one place. I wish Erik the best.”

Hoos is a graduate of Fairview High School and the University of Arkansas. His professional playing career was highlighted by a victory on what is now the Web.com Tour. In 2011 and ’13, Hoos was the low amateur at the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open.

“The University of Denver community thanks Eric for his years of dedication and the leadership, passion and energy he provided to the golf program,” Peg Bradley-Doppes, vice chancellor of athletics and recreation, said in the press release. “We wish him much success with his future endeavors.”

Billinger (left) played golf at DU after transferring from CU, winning a Sun Belt League individual title as a Pioneer in 2001 and qualifying for two NCAA regionals.

He said he was “very surprised” at the recent turn of events. Billinger indicated he heard about Hoos’ resignation on Friday morning and was offered the job on Friday afternoon.

“I have a little mixed emotions,” Billinger said Monday in a phone interview. “I’m sad Hoos is leaving, but I’m grateful for the opportunity. I’m glad the university felt highly enough of me to be a leader. Both my wife (Megan) and I graduated from DU, so we’re excited.

“But there’s lots and lots going on today. It’s a little crazy.”

After helping out with the DU men’s and women’s programs for two years following his graduation in 2002, Billinger worked as a PGA instructor for 10 years at Highlands Ranch Golf Club before becoming a DU women’s assistant coach in 2012. (Highlands Ranch Golf Club was gifted to DU in 2011.) This year, the DU women’s team, under Kuhle and Billinger, won its 11th consecutive league title. And senior Tonje Daffinrud finished 10th individually in the NCAA Championship Finals.

Though Billinger helped coach the DU women in the last two seasons, he’s quite familiar with the men’s team. The women’s and men’s squads traveled together to this year’s Summit League tournaments, and they both practice at Highlands Ranch Golf Club and at an indoor practice facility at the Ritchie Center.

Asked about his coaching approach, Billinger said he was going to “try to make the environment positive and enthusiastic.”

Billinger was the Colorado PGA’s Player of the Year in 2008 and Teacher of the Year in 2010 and ’12.
 

Hulwick, who took over the program in February shortly after the resignation of longtime successful coach Sammie Chergo, recently guided the Pioneers to their 10th consecutive conference title, this one in the Western Athletic Conference (pictured).

It was DU’s first tournament victory with Hulwick as head coach, though she was an assistant when the Pioneers finished as high as sixth and fifth in the 2008 and 2009 NCAA Championship finals, respectively. This year’s performance earned Hulwick WAC women’s coach of the year honors.

Denver also claimed the individual conference championship as junior Tonje Daffinrud won by six and was named WAC women’s golfer of the year. Daffinrud has recorded six top-10 finishes this season and ranks among the top 30 women’s college golfers in the country according to Golfweek.

And on Monday night, DU was seeded 11th in the NCAA Division I West Regional in Stanford, Calif. In all, three regionals are on tap, running concurrently May 9-11. The top eight schools from each 24-team regional — along with two individuals from non-advancing programs — will land spots in the NCAA Championship finals, set for May 21-24 in Athens, Ga.

It will be the 12th consecutive NCAA Regionals appearance for DU. In all, 72 teams and 18 individuals will compete in Division I regional tournaments.

“We’ve gotten better and better in each tournament this spring, and that was our goal this winter,” Hulwick said after winning the WAC title. “We’re looking forward to NCAA postseason play next month.”

DU is ranked 32nd among the nation’s women’s teams by Golfstat, and 33rd by Golfweek.

Also headed to the West Regional, but as an individual, is University of Colorado junior Jennifer Coleman, who is coming off a third-place showing in the loaded Pac-12 Conference Championships. Coleman, who’s won one tournament this season, is ranked 92nd individually in the country by Golfweek.

Among the other players with Colorado ties in the NCAA Division I regionals are North Carolina State’s Lindsay McGetrick, San Diego State’s Paige Spiranac and and Texas-San Antonio’s Allie Johnston — all in the Central Regional in Norman, Okla. — and Pepperdine’s Somin Lee at the Stanford site.

While the women’s NCAA regionals have been set, men’s Division I programs are in the final week of their conference championships. Their NCAA regional fields will be announced on May 6.

Meanwhile, here are how the NCAA regional berths have shaped up for Colorado-based Division II programs:

Men’s NCAA Division II Regionals — On Friday, the NCAA announced the 80 teams and 32 additional individuals that earned berths in the men’s NCAA Division II Regional tournaments that will be held May 6-8.

Three Colorado-based teams — Colorado School of Mines, Colorado-Colorado Springs and Colorado State-Pueblo — are headed for the South Central Regional in DuPont, Wash. Mines, who went to the NCAA Div. II finals for the first time last year, is seeded first in the 10-team regional for the second straight season, while Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champion UCCS is fifth, and Colorado State-Pueblo eighth.

In addition, Colorado Mesa’s Brandon Bingaman will be competing as an individual.

At the combined 20-team South Central and West Regionals, five schools and the top two individuals not on those teams will advance to the Division II finals, set for May 20-24 in Hershey, Pa.

Women’s NCAA Division II Regionals — Only one Colorado-based NCAA Division II women’s golfer earned a spot in the Division II Regional fields that were announced on Monday and that will be contested May 5-7.

Colorado State-Pueblo freshman Leina Kim is one of four individuals who earned a spot in the West Regional set for Tiara Rado Golf Course in Grand Junction. The nine-team field — plus the four individuals — will vie for three team and three individual berths to the Division II finals, set for May 15-18 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Kim was the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s women’s golfer of the year this season. She owns six top-five finishes in the 2012-13 school year, including one victory.