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
 

For instance, when combining Golfweek’s men’s and women’s NCAA Division I top 25, seven California-based programs are ranked, while there are six from Texas, and four each from North Carolina and Oklahoma.

But it’s one of the states that’s tied for fifth place, with three representatives in the top 25 — men’s and women’s rankings combined — that might raise a few eyebrows.

That would be none other than Colorado.

Yes, that’s right: Going into the spring portion of the schedule, which starts as soon as next week for some teams, three Colorado-based NCAA Division I programs are ranked in Golfweek’s men’s and women’s top 25. Only the aforementioned four states have more combined representatives in those polls.

For the record, the University of Colorado women are ranked 14th by Golfweek, while the University of Denver women are 23rd (20th by Golfstat), and the Colorado State University men are 18th. And, in the NCAA Division II ranks, the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs men are 10th nationally according to Golfstat.

Not bad for a state that has its fair share of snow during the college golf season.

Not coincidentally, the three ranked DI teams are the three Colorado programs that posted outright team victories in the fall, with the DU women notching two wins and the CU women and CSU men one each.

But the crucial part of the season comes with the “spring” schedule, which in some cases begins in late January and continues through May. That includes conference championships and NCAA regionals and finals. First up for local teams is the DU men’s appearance at the Arizona Intercollegiate in Tucson Monday and Tuesday (Jan. 29-30).

Individually, a plethora of local players and golfers from Colorado-based teams are ranked among the top college players in the country going into the spring schedule.

In Golfstat’s top 100 on the women’s side are:

9. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, Wake Forest
28. Robyn Choi, CU
39. Kirsty Hodgkins, CU
55. Hannah Wood of Highlands Ranch, Oklahoma
58. Lauren Whyte, DU
69. Sophie Newlove, DU
70. Brittany Fan, CU

Kupcho, who remains third in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, and Hodgkins, along with CSU’s Katrina Prendergast, scored individual victories in the fall.

In Golfstat’s men’s top 100 is CSU sophomore AJ Ott, who checks in at 92nd. In the Division II ranks, 2016 CGA Amateur champion Colin Prater of UCCS is 16th, while Chase Carlson of Colorado Christian is 30th.

Kyler Dunkle of Larkspur, who plays for Utah, posted an individual win in the fall and is ranked 228th.

Here’s a brief look at each of the Colorado-based NCAA Division I programs entering the spring season:

CU Men
Spring Opener — Feb. 1-3, Amer Ari Intercollegiate, Waikoloa, Hawaii.
Conference Championship — Pac-12 Men, April 23-25, Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.
Highest Current National Ranking — 54th (Golfweek).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Tie for first (lost in playoff), third.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Spencer Painton (second), Yannik Paul (third), Daniel O’Loughlin (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 185. Daniel O’Loughlin (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Daniel O’Loughlin 71.00.

CU Women
Spring Opener — Feb. 11-13, Lady Puerto Rico Classic.
Conference Championship — Pac-12 Women, April 22-24, Seattle.
Highest Current National Ranking — 14th (Golfweek).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Won Gonzaga Coeur D’Alene Resort College Invitational, second, third, fourth.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Kirsty Hodgkins (win, second), Robyn Choi (second, third, fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 28. Robyn Choi (Golfstat), 32. Kirsty Hodgkins (Golfweek), 70. Brittany Fan (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Robyn Choi and Kirsty Hodgkins 71.92.

CSU Men
Spring Opener — Feb. 25-26, National Invitational Tournament, Tucson, Ariz.
Conference Championship — Mountain West Men, April 20-22, Bremerton, Wash.
Highest Current National Ranking — 18th (Golfweek).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Won Ram Masters Invitational, second, third, fifth.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Max Oelfke (second), AJ Ott (fourth), Jake Staiano (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 92. AJ Ott (Golfstat); 151. Max Oelfke (Golfstat); 155. Jake Staiano (Golfstat); 175. Parathakorn Suyasri (Golfstat); 180. Colton Yates (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — AJ Ott 70.75.

CSU Women
Spring Opener — Feb. 12-13, Gold Rush, Long Beach, Calif.
Conference Championship — Mountain West Women, April 16-18, Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Highest Current National Ranking — 99th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Third twice.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Katrina Predergast (win, second), Ellen Secor (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 161. Katrina Prendergast (Golfweek).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Katrina Prendergast 72.33.

DU Men
Spring Opener — Jan. 29-30, Arizona Intercollegiate, Tucson, Ariz.
Conference Championship — Summit League Men, April 29-May 1, Newton, Kan.
Highest Current National Ranking — 95th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — None.
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 121. Chris Korte (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Chris Korte 71.33.

DU Women
Spring Multi-Team Opener — Feb. 18-20, Allstate Sugar Bowl Invitational, New Orleans.
Conference Championship — Summit League Women, April 22-24, Nebraska City.
Highest Current National Ranking — 20th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Won Golfweek Conference Challenge, won Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate, fourth.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Sophie Newlove (fourth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 58. Lauren Whyte (Golfstat), 69. Sophie Newlove (Golfstat), 111. Mary Weinstein (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Sophie Newlove 72.08.

UNC Men
Spring Opener — Feb. 15-17, John Burns Intercollegiate, Lihiu, Hawaii.
Conference Championship — Big Sky Men, April 13-15, Davis, Calif.
Highest Current National Ranking — 129th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Joshua Matz (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.
Top Fall Scoring Average — Joshua Matz 71.50.

UNC Women
Spring Opener — Feb. 12-13, Battle at Boulder Creek, Boulder City, Nev.
Conference Championship — Big Sky Women, April 20-22, Boulder City, Nev.
Highest Current National Ranking — 155th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — None.
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.
Top Fall Scoring Average — Morgan Sahm 73.08.

Air Force Academy Men
Spring Multi-Team Opener — Feb. 25-26, Loyola Intercollegiate, Goodyear, Ariz.
Conference Championship — Mountain West Men, April 20-22, Bremerton, Wash.
Highest Current National Ranking — 187th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Bryant Falconello (fourth), Joseph Crisostomo (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.
Top Fall Scoring Average — Tate Tatom 72.83.

The two months from early September to early November featured the following highlights from a Centennial State perspective:

— Four team victories in invitational tournaments for Colorado-based programs. That includes a remarkable feat by the University of Denver women, who won two events in just 11 days — both victories coming in Colorado. Other outright team wins in the fall were notched by the Colorado State University men (left at their Ram Masters Invitational, where they prevailed for the fourth straight year) and the University of Colorado women. For statistical and rankings purposes, the CU men technically tied for a win in their own Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, but Utah won a team playoff to claim the title at Colorado National.

— Four individual wins by Coloradans or players at Colorado-based schools. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster (Wake Forest), Kyler Dunkle of Larkspur (Utah), CU’s Kirsty Hodgkins and CSU’s Katrina Prendergast all scored individual victories. It was the fourth in her college career for Kupcho, and the first for Dunkle, Hodgkins and Prendergast.

— Three of the nine Colorado Division I teams are ranked in the top 20 in the nation after the fall schedule. The CU women are No. 14 nationally according to Golfweek, while Golfstat has DU No. 20 in the nation. On the men’s side, CSU is 18th in the country according to Golfweek after four top-five finishes in four fall events.

— Ten local players are ranked among the top 100 individuals nationally by Golfstat, including four Colorado residents. Among women, Kupcho is ninth, CU’s Robyn Choi 28th, CU’s Hodgkins 39th, Coloradan Hannah Wood (Oklahoma) 55th, DU’s Lauren Whyte 56th, CU’s Brittany Fan 71st and DU’s Sophie Newlove 72nd. For the men, there’s three CSU players in the top 100: Max Oelfke at 75th, AJ Ott at 76th and Jake Staiano at 88th. Kupcho, who’s No. 3 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, and Choi played in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, and Kupcho and Wood in last year’s.

— Several local golfers landed conference player of the month awards in the fall: Kupcho in the ACC for October, Hodgkins in the Pac-12 for September, and Newlove in the Summit for October.

Here are brief wrapups of the fall for the nine NCAA Division I teams based in Colorado:

CU Men

Top-Five Team Finishes — Tie for first (lost in playoff), third.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Spencer Painton (second), Yannik Paul (third), Daniel O’Loughlin (fifth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 54th (Golfweek).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 190. Daniel O’Loughlin (Golfstat).

Spring Opener — Feb. 1-3, Amer Ari Intercollegiate, Waikoloa, Hawaii.

CU Women

Top-Five Team Finishes — Won Gonzaga Coeur D’Alene Resort College Invitational, second, third, fourth.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Kirsty Hodgkins (win, second), Robyn Choi (second, third, fifth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 14th (Golfweek).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 28. Robyn Choi (Golfstat), 32. Kirsty Hodgkins (Golfweek), 71. Brittany Fan (Golfstat).

Spring Opener — Feb. 11-13, Lady Puerto Rico Classic.

CSU Men

Top-Five Team Finishes — Won Ram Masters Invitational, second, third, fifth.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Max Oelfke (second), AJ Ott (fourth), Jake Staiano (fifth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 18th (Golfweek).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 75. Max Oelfke (Golfstat), 76. AJ Ott (Golfstat), 88. Jake Staiano (Golfstat), 193. Colton Yates (Golfweek).

Spring Opener — Feb. 25-26, National Invitational Tournament, Tucson, Ariz.

CSU Women

Top-Five Team Finishes — Third twice.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Katrina Predergast (win, second), Ellen Secor (fifth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 99th (Golfstat).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 161. Katrina Prendergast (Golfweek).

Spring Opener — Feb. 12-13, Gold Rush, Long Beach, Calif.

DU Men

Top-Five Team Finishes — None.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — None.

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 96th (Golfstat).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 115. Chris Korte (Golfstat).

Spring Opener — Jan. 29-30, Arizona Intercollegiate, Tucson, Ariz.

DU Women

Top-Five Team Finishes — Won Golfweek Conference Challenge, won Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate, fourth.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Sophie Newlove (fourth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 20th (Golfstat).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 56. Lauren Whyte (Golfstat), 72. Sophie Newlove (Golfstat), 112. Mary Weinstein (Golfstat).

Spring Multi-Team Opener — Feb. 18-20, Allstate Sugar Bowl Invitational, New Orleans.

UNC Men

Top-Five Team Finishes — None.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Joshua Matz (fifth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 129th (Golfstat).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.

Spring Opener — Feb. 15-17, John Burns Intercollegiate, Lihiu, Hawaii.

UNC Women

Top-Five Team Finishes — None.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — None.

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 155th (Golfstat).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.

Spring Opener — Feb. 12-13, Battle at Boulder Creek, Boulder City, Nev.

Air Force Academy Men

Top-Five Team Finishes — None.

Top-Five Individual Finishes — Bryant Falconello (fourth), Joseph Crisostomo (fifth).

Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 186th (Golfstat).

Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.

Spring Opener — Feb. 25-26, Loyola Intercollegiate, Goodyear, Ariz.
 

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.
 

After finishing third in 2014 and fourth last year, the Pioneers placed second out of 18 teams Friday at Red Sky.

DU posted a 10-over-par 874 total, which left the Pios eight strokes behind champion San Diego State, which also won the team title last year.

Denver, coached by Lindsay Kuhle (pictured), put three players in the top 20 individually: freshman Camille Enright (1-over-par 217, 10th place), senior Mariell Bruun (219, 14th) and senior Jessica Carty (220, 19th).

Malene Krolboll Hansen of Coastal Carolina earned the individual championship at 9-under-par 207.

Golfweek Women’s Conference Challenge
Sept. 26-28, 2016 (final) at Red Sky GC in Wolcott
2. (out of 18 teams) Denver 298-286-290–874
10. Camille Enright 73-72-72–217
14. Mariell Bruun 74-71-74–219
19. Jessica Carty 77-70-73–220
26. Lauren Whyte 74-73-75–222
63. Jessica Dreesbeimdieke 78-82-71–231