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
Seeking their first league title since 2010 — and the automatic NCAA Regional berth that would have gone with it — the Rams fell just short of the mark Sunday in Tucson, Ariz.
After going into the final round with a two-stroke lead — and still being ahead with nine holes left — CSU was edged on the final hole and had to settle for a runner-up finish, one stroke behind UNLV, which successfully defended its title. Five teams in the 11-school field finished the 54-hole event at least 14 under par, with UNLV posting an 18-under-par total and Colorado State checking in at 17 under.
CSU and UNLV were tied for the team lead with just the final group of the day left on the course. Unfortunately for the Rams, senior Blake Cannon bogeyed the 470-yard, par-4 18th, leaving CSU one back of UNLV.
Cannon and teammate Colton Yates led the way for the Rams, tying for eighth place at 5-under 211. Colorado resident Jake Staiano was 11th at 212. (April 27 Update: Staiano was subsequently named to the All-Mountain West Conference team.)
Meanwhile, Sunwoo Choi of the Air Force Academy placed sixth individually at 210 as the Falcons were seventh in the team standings.
At the Women’s Summit League Championship in Nebraska City, where the University of Denver is seeking its 14th straight conference title, DU grabbed a one-stroke lead over South Dakota State following the first round.
The Pioneers opened with an 8-over-par 296. Senior Jessica Carty, the defending champion, posted an even-par 72 which left her in second place, three strokes behind Megan Mingo of South Dakota State.
At the Women’s Big Sky Championship in Boulder City, Nev., Northern Colorado wrapped up its season with a fifth-place finish out of the 12-team field. UNC posted a 58-over-par 922 total. Sacramento State won at 900. Baile Winslow led the way for UNC individually, tying for 11th place.
Men’s Mountain West Conference Championship
April 21-23, 2017 (final) in Tucson, Ariz.
2. (out of 11 teams) Colorado State 283-280-284–847
8. Blake Cannon 70-70-71–211
8. Colton Yates 71-71-69–211
11. Jake Staiano 71-70-71–212
20. AJ Ott 71-72-73–216
20. Max Oelfke 74-69-73–216
7. Air Force Academy 296-286-289–871
6. Sunwoo Choi 72-68-70–210
22. Andy Germann 73-74-70–217
36. Joshua Wu 72-71-78–221
49. Dane Hankamer 79-73-76–228
52. Brenden Bone 80-77-73–230
Also
22. Coloradan Tanner Jenson, Utah State 69-73-75–217
38. Coloradan Glenn Workman, Wyoming 72-74-76–222
Women’s Big Sky Championship
April 21-23, 2017 (final) in Boulder City, Nev.
5. (out of 12 teams) Northern Colorado 311-302-309–922
11. Baile Winslow 77-75-78–230
18. Morgan Sahm 78-79-75–232
21. Marisa Hisaki 82-72-79–233
27. Christina Ferrreira 74-76-85–235
45. Kala Keltz 85-79-77–241
Also
34. Coloradan Delaney Elliott, Montana State 81-81-79–241
42. Coloradan Jaylee Tait, Montana State 81-88-74–243
Women’s Summit League Championship
April 23-25, 2017 in Nebraska City
1. (out of 9 teams) Denver 296
2. Jessica Carty 72
3. Sophie Newlove 74
4. Mariell Bruun 75
4. Lauren Whyte 75
4. Jessica Dreesbeimdieke 75
Note: Just prior to the tournament, DU seniors Jessica Carty and Mariell Bruun were named to the All-Summit League first team and junior teammate Lauren Whyte to the second team.
Women’s Big 12 Conference Championship
April 21-23, 2017 (final) in San Antonio, Texas
38. Coloradan Hannah Wood, Oklahoma 80-78-77–235
The fast-approaching spring portion of the college golf season is shaping up to be one of the most interesting in decades from a Colorado perspective.
The spring schedule starts next week for some teams — including the University of Denver men’s squad — and over the next 4 1/2 months we’ll get our answers to the following questions, each of which has a direct link to Colorado:
— Can Westminster resident Jennifer Kupcho remain No. 1 in the nation in women’s college golf?
It’s not very often that a Colorado golfer ranks No. 1 in the nation, but this is one of those times. Kupcho, a sophomore at Wake Forest, will go into the spring schedule No. 1 in women’s golf — at least according to Golfstat’s head-to-head player standings; she’s No. 4 according to Golfweek.
Kupcho, the CWGA Player of the Year the last three seasons, owned a stellar 69.25 stroke average in her four fall tournaments. After finishing eighth and fourth in her first two tourneys of the season, she won her last two fall events of the year.
Of course, arguably the most important thing is where Kupcho finishes in the NCAA Finals in May. Last year, she placed sixth there individually as a freshman.
Kupcho (left) currently sits 15th in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings.
By the way, Kupcho is just one of four “local” players who is ranked among the top 60 women’s college golfers in the nation heading into the spring. Also on that list are Hannah Wood of Highlands Ranch and the University of Oklahoma (26th according to Golfstat); and University of Colorado senior Esther Lee (31st according to Golfweek) and her freshman teammate Kirsty Hodgkins (53rd according to Golfweek).
Lee set the women’s NCAA record for low round in relation to par when she shot a season-opening 11-under-par 61 in September at the University of New Mexico’s Championship Course.
— Can Highlands Ranch resident Wyndham Clark (pictured above) remain No. 1 in the nation in men’s college golf?
If that question looks a lot like the previous one, it’s no misprint. While one Colorado resident is ranked No. 1 in women’s college golf (Kupcho), another is No. 1 in men’s (Clark). At least that’s where Golfstat’s head-to-head player standings puts the University of Oregon’s fifth-year senior, who is in the midst of his only season in Eugene after transferring from Oklahoma State. Clark, a former Big 12 Player of the Year, is No. 2 in the nation according to Golfweek.
The former CGA Amateur champion didn’t win an individual title in the fall — in fact, he has yet to claim an individual championship in his career as a college player, though he’s finished second five times. And, for the record, he was third in an October event in his home state, at the Paintbrush Invitational at Colorado Golf Club.
Overall, Clark went second, third and sixth individually in his three fall college tournaments.
— Will the 2017 NCAA champions pass through Boulder?
As we’ve noted several times in recent years, the men’s Pac-12 Conference Championships will be contested April 28-30 at Boulder Country Club, marking the first time the CU men have hosted a conference tournament since 1972.
Not only will the event feature the defending NCAA champions (Oregon), but seven of Golfweek’s top 20 players in the country figure to be on hand: Maverick McNealy of Stanford (No. 1), Clark of Oregon (No. 2), Sean Crocker of USC (No. 6), Brandon Wu of Stanford (No. 16), Rico Hoey of USC (No. 18), Jonah Texeira of USC (No. 19) and Colin Morikawa of Cal (No. 20).
Joining Clark in the top 75 of the Golfweek men’s rankings is CU junior Yannik Paul, who checks in at No. 75.
— Will any locals play in the 2017 Arnold Palmer Cup?
The Arnold Palmer Cup is the college equivalent of the Ryder Cup, with the top men’s college players from the U.S. and Europe squaring off in individual and two-man team match play competition. This year’s Palmer Cup will be held June 9-11 at Atlanta Athletic Cup. The 2009 version of the Palmer Cup was contested at Cherry Hills Country Club in suburban Denver.
Clark, who competed in the 2014 Palmer Cup, sits No. 1 in the Team USA standings. CU junior Yannik Paul, a German, is No. 10 for Team Europe.
The top six players from both the final U.S. and European standings will earn spots into the 2017 event, along with four captain’s picks for each squad.
— Will the CU men make the NCAA Finals as a team for first time since 2002?
The CU men’s golf program, host of the aforementioned Pac-12 Championships in Boulder, hasn’t advanced a full team to the NCAA Finals in 15 years, but may have the players to get over the hump this season.
The Buffs are currently ranked No. 24 in the nation, according to Golfweek. They have four players who have played at least 10 rounds this season who own stroke averages under 73: Yannik Paul (71.00), Ethan Freeman (71.75), Jeremy Paul (72.31) and Morten Toft Hansen (72.94). Senior Jeremy Paul, who owns the lowest career stroke average in CU history (71.77), advanced to the final stage of Web.com Tour Q-school and has conditional status on that circuit, but coach Roy Edwards said Thursday that Paul will compete for CU in the spring.
— Will the DU women extend their streak to 14?
The DU women don’t play in a particularly strong league by national standards, but whatever the case, winning 13 consecutive conference titles is quite a feat. Yet that’s exactly what the Pioneers have accomplished.
The run includes three Summit League championships, nine in the Sun Belt Conference and one in the WAC.
The opportunity for No. 14 in a row will come April 23-25 in Nebraska City.
Here’s a rundown of some key spring tidbits for the nine NCAA Division I teams based in Colorado:
Air Force Academy Men
National Rank — 153rd (Golfstat), 183rd (Golfweek).
Top Stroke Average at Midseason — Sunwoo Choi 72.87.
Spring Tournament Opener — Feb. 13-14, Pat Hicks Invitational, St. George, Utah.
Conference Championship — April 21-13, Mountain West, Tucson, Ariz.
CSU Men
National Rank — 60th (Golfweek), 69th (Golfstat).
Top Stroke Average at Midseason — Blake Cannon 71.53.
Spring Tournament Opener — Feb. 27-28, National Invitational Tournament, Tucson, Ariz.
Conference Championship — April 21-13, Mountain West, Tucson, Ariz.
CSU Women
National Rank — 103rd (Golfstat); 109th (Golfweek).
Top Stroke Average at Midseason — Ellen Secor 74.14.
Spring Tournament Opener — Feb. 27-28, The Gold Rush, Seal Beach, Calif.
Conference Championship — April 17-19, Mountain West, Rancho Mirage, Calif.
CU Men
National Rank — 24th (Golfweek), 28th (Golfstat).
Top Stroke Average at Midseason — Yannik Paul 71.0.
Spring Tournament Opener — Feb. 2-4, Amer Ari Intercollegiate, Waikoloa, Hawaii.
Conference Championship — April 28-30, Pac-12, Boulder CC.
CU Women
National Rank — 41st (Golfstat); 43rd (Golfweek).
Top Stroke Average at Midseason — Esther Lee 72.25.
Spring Tournament Opener — Feb. 11-12, Peg Barnard Invitational, Stanford, Calif.
Conference Championship — April 24-26, Pac-12, Tucson, Ariz.
DU Men
National Rank — 129th (Golfweek), 151st (Golfstat).
Top Stroke Average at Midseason — Chris Korte 73.25.
Spring Tournament Opener — Jan. 23-24, Arizona Intercollegiate, Tucson, Ariz.
Conference Championship — April 28-30, Summit, Newton, Kan.
DU Women
National Rank — 49th (Golfstat); 50th (Golfweek).
Top Stroke Average at Midseason — Jessica Carty 73.58.
Spring Tournament Opener — Feb. 19-21, Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate, New Orleans, La.
Conference Championship — April 23-25, Summit League, Nebraska City, Neb.
UNC Men
National Rank — 133rd (Golfstat), 139th (Golfweek).
Top Stroke Average at Midseason — Coby Welch 72.71.
Spring Tournament Opener — Feb. 15-17, John Burns Invitational, Lihue, Hawaii.
Conference Championship — April 28-30, Big Sky, Boulder City, Nev.
UNC Women
National Rank — 163rd (Golfstat); 163rd (Golfweek).
Top Stroke Average at Midseason — Janet Yeo 75.0.
Spring Tournament Opener — Feb. 13-14, Battle at Boulder Creek, Boulder City, Nev.
Conference Championship — April 21-23, Big Sky, Boulder City, Nev.
Lindsay Kuhle was named the league’s coach of the year for the third consecutive time, while junior Jessica Carty earned women’s golfer of the year honors, and freshman Kathi Baratta landed the newcomer of the year award. (Kuhle and Baratta are pictured lining up a putt last fall.)
In April, Kuhle’s Pioneers won their league tournament for the 13th consecutive year, and Carty claimed top individual honors, tying the tournament record with a 217 total for 54 holes.
As a team, DU recorded a 52-stroke victory in the Summit League tourney.
(June 9 update: Also this week, the DU women announced that Lauren Whyte of Scotland, a transfer from Baylor, will join the team in the fall. Whyte competed for the Bears when they finished NCAA runner-up in 2015.)
]]>The Pioneers have known nothing but success in their conference tournaments for the last decade, having put together an amazing run of 10 consecutive conference team titles.
They’ve won in the Sun Belt Conference (nine times), they’ve won in the Western Athletic Conference (once) and this week coach Lindsay (Hulwick) Kuhle’s squad will take aim at the Summit League crown, which will be decided from Monday through Wednesday (April 21-23) in Keller, Texas.
Kuhle (pictured above), the 2005 CWGA Stroke Play winner, has been involved in most of DU’s run of conference championship dominance, having been an assistant coach or associate head coach under Sammie Chergo for seven of the victories before taking the Pioneers to the WAC title last year as a rookie head coach.
And DU has not only claimed team victories at conference championships during the last decade. The Pioneers have also won six individual titles during that span: Emily Hoeper (2005), Stephanie Sherlock (2007 and 2008), Kimberly Kim (2010), Rachael Watton (2012) and Tonje Daffinrud (2013).
Daffinrud, then a junior, ran away with the WAC title a year ago, winning by six strokes. And before departing the DU program later this spring, she’ll try to make it two in a row, this time in the Summit League. She owns a 72.05 season-long stroke average — the best among league players by almost three shots — and has posted top-eight finishes in each of her last five stroke-play events. Daffinrud is ranked 15th in the nation among women collegians by Golfstat and 24th by Golfweek.
“I would love to win Summit League titles both as a team and as an individual,” Daffinrud said. “A win would give myself and the team great confidence going into the NCAA Regionals and ideally, into the NCAA Championships.”
Should Denver claim the Summit League title, it will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA regionals.
There are eight teams in the Summit League tournament, mostly from the Midwest, but DU placed first in the preseason league polls, both on the women’s and men’s sides. In fact, Denver ranks among the top 45 women’s teams in the nation. And DU claimed all five spots on the all-league women’s first team (Daffinrud, Mariell Bruun, Elyse Smidinger, Isabel Southard and Watton), a first in Summit League history.
All nine NCAA Division I golf programs in the state (five men’s and four women’s) will compete in their conference championships over the next week.
Here’s the schedule, noting the Colorado-based schools playing:
April 20-22 — Big Sky Women in Chandler, Ariz. (Northern Colorado)
April 21-23 — Summit League Men in Tyler, Texas (Denver)
April 21-23 — Summit League Women in Keller, Texas (Denver)
April 24-26 — Mountain West Women in Rancho Mirage, Calif. (Colorado State)
April 25-27 — Pac-12 Men in Marana, Ariz. (Colorado)
April 25-27 — Pac-12 Women in Corvallis, Ore. (Colorado)
April 25-27 — Mountain West Men in Tucson, Ariz. (Colorado State and Air Force)
April 25-27 — America Sky Men in Angels Camp, Calif. (Northern Colorado)
Here’s a rundown:
April 20-22 — Big Sky Women in Chandler, Ariz.
Notable — Northern Colorado is ranked 210th/211th among the nation’s Division I women’s teams. … UNC, the 2012 champion, finished third in the 2013 Big Sky Championship. … Since-graduated Carleigh Silvers was UNC’s top individual last year, placing fifth. … Colorado Springs resident Paige Crawford, who plays for Montana State, is defending her conference title this week after winning by seven strokes last year.
April 21-23 — Summit League Men in Tyler, Texas
Notable — Denver, ranked 127th/131st in the nation, won its opener and notched one other top-five finish this season. … Senior Oskar Arvidsson leads Denver in season-long scoring average with 72.47. He has one win and three other top-10s this season. … Joining Arvidsson on the all-league first team is teammate Ole Ramsnes. … Arvidsson finished fifth individually at the Western Athletic Conference Championships last year. … DU placed seventh in the 10-team conference race in 2013.
April 21-23 — Summit League Women in Keller, Texas
Notable — See story above.
April 24-26 — Mountain West Women in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Notable — Colorado State recorded one top-five finish during the regular season, a fourth-place showing at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational. The Rams are ranked 122th/129th in the nation. … Emily Roering owns the team’s top scoring average at 76.9, having posted one top-five finish. … Colorado State finished seventh in last year’s eight-team MWC tournament. … Roering led the way for CSU individually, placing 19th.
April 25-27 — Pac-12 Men in Marana, Ariz.
Notable — This tournament is unusual in that it’s a 72-hole event, with the best five scores from six players each day counting toward the team total. … Colorado has posted seven top-four team finishes this season, including in each of its last four tournaments. The Buffs are ranked 53rd/59th in the country. … German twins Jeremy Paul (72.03) and Yannik Paul (72.63), both freshmen, lead CU in season stroke average. Paul won a tournament this spring and is ranked 126th in the nation by Golfstat and 174th by Golfweek. … Colorado finished 10th in last year’s Pac-12 Championships. … The Buffs put one player in the top 25 individually in 2013 as Philip Juel-Berg placed 24th.
April 25-27 — Pac-12 Women in Corvallis, Ore.
Notable — Colorado has recorded two top-three finishes this season and is ranked 47th/58th in the nation. … Senior Jennifer Coleman leads the team in stroke average at 74.0. She’s finished in the top three individually in two of her last three tournaments and ranks 107th/121st in the country. … Coleman placed third individually against a very strong field in last year’s conference championship. … As a team, the Buffs ended up ninth in 2013.
April 25-27 — Mountain West Men in Tucson, Ariz.
Notable — Air Force Academy senior Kyle Westmoreland has notched five top-seven finishes this season, including a victory at the season-opening Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational. He ranks third in the Mountain West Conference in scoring average at 71.7. Nationally, Westmoreland is 109th in the country according to Golfstat. … Junior Cameron Harrell leads the way for CSU in stroke average at 72.24. … Air Force has won two tournaments this season, the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational and the Snowman Getaway. … CSU is ranked 103rd/104th in the nation, while Air Force is 137th/142nd. … Air Force finished fourth and Colorado State placed fifth in the nine-team 2013 conference championships. … Westmoreland was the top local individual in 2013, finishing eighth.
April 25-27 — America Sky Men in Angels Camp, Calif.
Notable — Northern Colorado has posted three top-three team finishes this season, including a win at the Border Olympics. … The Bears are ranked 152nd/153rd in the country. … In the last five tournaments, five UNC players have finished in the top two individually, with Ben Krueger doing so twice, Steven Kupcho twice and Conner Barr once. … Krueger, a Colorado Springs resident, placed third individually last year at the conference tournament. … UNC ended up fifth in the 12-team America Sky field last year.