Tournament Notes: Mountain West Championship

April 16, 2016

WEEKLY RELEASE #10 (PDF) / CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL / LIVE SCORING / ROSTER / SCHEDULE / RECORD BOOK

PREVIEWING THE MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
Colorado State closes the women's golf season at the 2016 Mountain West Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif. The three-day tournament will feature all nine MW teams, and will be played over three, 18-hole rounds, beginning Monday at 9 a.m. MT.

"We still just try to take control of what we can control; it doesn't change our approach," CSU head coach Annie Young said of playing in the Championship. "It's a fun atmosphere, though, with a lot of excitement. It's a great golf course. The goal is to jump in the lake at the end of the week."

UNLV is the favorite to win the tournament, currently ranked No. 17 in the most-recent GolfStat rankings. The Rams are predicted to finish fifth, behind San Diego State (22), New Mexico (52) and San Jose State (55), and ahead of Fresno State (76), Nevada (96), Boise State (102) and Wyoming (136). The Rams' national ranking is 68.

CSU's lineup will be: Katrina Prendergast, Elisabeth Rau, Brianna Becker, Mikayla Tatman and Sarah Archuleta.

HISTORY AT THE CHAMPIONSHIP

CSU, New Mexico, San Diego State and Wyoming are the only teams to play in all 17 Championships.
The Rams carded a 913 a year ago, a 13-stroke improvement from the prior season, jumping from eighth place in 2014 to sixth in 2015.
CSU was one of four schools to have two golfers finish in the top 11 in 2015. Current Ram Mikayla Tatman posted an 8-over 224 (T-11th). This will be her fourth time playing in the Championship.
As a freshman in 2014, Elisabeth Rau finished in 17th place with a 14-over 230.
The Rams have had plenty of success in the tournament's history, including third-place finishes in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2005, and a second-place finish in 2001.
In 2002, freshman Lynette Duran was the conference's individual champion, totaling a 3-over 216.

A CUT ABOVE
This season, CSU has already set school records for single-round and tournament scores, but the team is also on pace to shatter the previous best team scoring average. The Rams' current team scoring average is 296.76. The current best of 301.73 was set in 2008-09. Contributing to the low figure is the fact that four of CSU's seven golfers hold individual stroke averages that would rank among the current top 10 in school history, including freshman Katrina Prendergast, whose 73.76 would be a school record. She was named the Mountain West Women's Golfer of the Week on March 22.

MOVIN' ON UP
CSU began the season ranked 102nd nationally, but after strong performances throughout the season has jumped all the way to No. 68 in this week's GolfStat rankings. The Rams rose 29 spots in one week alone following the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational and Ron Moore Women's Intercollegiate, and have been ranked as high as No. 62 after they finished ahead of then-No. 25 BYU at The Gold Rush in late February.

SHATTERING RECORDS

CSU had a record-breaking performance at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown (Oct. 25-27), setting school records for a single round and tournament, in addition to several other highlights:
Team score of 15-under 849 was a school record, shattering the previous best by 14 strokes (863 on Sept. 14, 2010).
CSU shot under par during all three rounds, including a school-record 279 (9-under) during Round 2. The Rams also shot a 283 (fourth) and 287 (T-10th).
All five golfers shot under par at least one round during the tournament.
Freshman Katrina Prendergast's three-round total of 210 (6-under) marked the third-best score in school history. During Round 2, she tied a program record with a 5-under 67.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH YOUNG
(more on the MW Championship)
"We're going to have to play some seriously good golf, but whoever wins the tournament is going to be playing good golf. It's a challenging course, but we know it well, which is nice."

"For us as coaches, we believe we have the ability to win the tournament. You have to go about doing the little things right, but you've seen what we're capable of. A lot of times after the first rounds of tournaments we're in a pretty good spot. We just have to put in three good rounds."

(on playing one round each day instead of two on the first day)
"I like it, and think the girls will like it. Golf is meant to be played 18 holes at a time. It's a lot more comfortable for everybody. With it being so hot it's especially going to be nice."

(on senior Mikayla Tatman)
"Mikayla has come every day ready to work, and that's all you can ask for as a coach. She maybe hasn't played as well as she would like to at times, but every day she's come ready to go and with an excitement every day. I can't believe how much she's matured from when I got here to where she is now. It's a totally different person. She played very well at the Championship last year, so hopefully she can go out on a high note."

(on freshman Katrina Prendergast)
"She's really good and she's been very consistent. She's been working hard, she still has room to improve; she knows that. But you can't ask for better results your freshman year. It's been fun to see. We're young and we have great recruits coming in, so the future is bright for us."

(on what she likes most about her team)
"I think they battle. There are times where we get frustrated with where their scores end up, and they're frustrated with where their scores end up, but I can't say they quit; they never do. They fight until the end and have big goals and try to meet them. We obviously have things to improve upon, but they're battling and getting better."

(on who has improved the most this season)
"I think Katrina (Prendergast), coming in as a freshman, has been really impressive. Sara (Archuleta) has really stepped up. She's had a good attitude this semester, has worked hard and has been consistent for us."

(on how the team has grown since the start of the fall season)
"We've made huge strides from our home tournament clear back in September. If you put us back in the last day of that tournament when it was windy, I think we would handle it better now because of the training we've done. Last month, we had 30 mile-per-hour winds, but we went out and played and not one person complained about it. That's a huge difference from where we've been. There's still frustration; golf's tough, but we've made strides. We've seen glimpses of what we can be, and I think those moments have opened their eyes to what they're capable of."

SEASON REWIND
Red Raider Invitational - Closed the regular season with a ninth-place finish out of 14 teams, carding a 37-over 901. Katrina Prendergast totaled a 6-over 222 for a tie for 13th place, her fifth consecutive top-20 performance. She was ranked fifth through two rounds, while junior Elisabeth Rau was in 18th. Junior Brianna Becker finished the tournament in 27th (9-over 225).

MountainView Collegiate - Freshman Katrina Prendergast continued her torrid play with a fifth-place finish, including a school-record-tying 67 (5-under) in Round 1. Her 2-under 214 for the tournament was the 11th-best performance in CSU history, helping CSU to a 24-over 888 and ninth-place finish out of 15 teams. CSU was in second place at the end of the first round. Prendergast was named the Mountain West Women's Golfer of the Week.

Bay Area Intercollegiate - First round was rained out, limiting teams to two rounds for the tournament. CSU struggled with the conditions and never rebounded, finishing 12th out of 13 teams (31-over 607), despite an 11-stroke improvement during Day 2. Katrina Prendergast tied for 14th with Washington's Charlotte Thomas (31st nationally) with a 3-over 147, her third top-20 finish in a row.

The Gold Rush - Finished in fourth place out of 15 teams (28-over 892), including ahead of No. 25 BYU. Two Rams posted top-20 finishes, including the first top-10 performance of Katrina Prendergast's career. She carded a 4-over 220 (T-9th) while Allie Andersen shot an 8-over 224 (T-18th).

Dual vs. BYU - Opened the spring season with a loss to No. 28 BYU, 878-861, in Phoenix, Ariz. CSU's three-round score of 878 was the eighth-best in school history, giving the team its third top-10 all-time finish of the season. CSU junior Elisabeth Rau led all Rams golfers with a 4-over 217 (fourth), including a career-low-tying 70 (1-under) in Round 1.

Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown - Set school records for a tournament (15-under 849) and single-round (9-under 279), with all five golfers setting or tying career bests for a round and tournament. Overall, the Rams placed 11th out of 19 teams, with Katrina Prendergast (6-under 210) and Allie Andersen (3-under 213) carding the third- and 10th-best individual scores in CSU history.

Ron Moore Women's Intercollegiate - Finished in fourth place out of 18 teams (8-over -872), finishing with the program's lowest score and best finish - at the time - since 2009 (fourth-best in school history at the time). CSU improved every day, shooting the field's second-best score during the final round (1-over 289). Three Rams finished in the top 20, led by sophomore Allie Andersen (T-5th; 1-under 215).

Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational - Finished ninth out of 13 teams (55-over 919), despite being ranked behind 11 of them entering the competition. CSU totaled the fourth-best Round-3 score in the field, moving up several spots on the final day. Elisabeth Rau paced CSU with her fourth career top-20 finish (T-12th; 9-over 225).

Rose City Collegiate - The Rams rebounded from a 35-over on Day 1 to finish sixth out of 15 teams (42-over 906). Mikayla Tatman carded a 1-over 73 in Round 3, helping her tie for 23rd place out of 84 competitors (10-over 226). Katrina Prendergast shot par in the first and third rounds, tying for 21st overall (9-over 225).

Ptarmigan Ram Classic - CSU opened the fall season with a seventh-place finish out of 17 teams in its home tournament, led by top-20 performances from Sarah Archuleta (T-8th; 4-over 220), Elisabeth Rau (T-15th; 6-over 222) and Mikayla Tatman (T-15th; 6-over 222). The Rams entered the final round tied for second and Rau was just one stroke off the lead.

YOUNG APPOINTED TO NCAA COMMITTEE
In September, CSU head women's golf coach Annie Young was named to the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Committee. The four-year appointment extends through the 2018-19 academic year. As part of the committee, Young makes monthly conference calls, selects teams for regionals and evaluates potential rules changes, in addition to other tasks. Later this spring, she will travel to regionals and the NCAA Championship, representing the NCAA.

"I'm honored that I get to play a role in the progression of women's golf," Young said. "I'm most excited to learn how everything works. It will be neat to be part of the selection process, and to learn more about the most-efficient way of scheduling."

SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM
Five of CSU's six golfers from 2014-15 earned Mountain West Academic All-Conference honors for holding a cumulative grade-point average above 3.0, with four of them on the Rams' 2016 roster. Additionally, Mikayla Tatman was named an All-American Scholar by the Women's Golf Coaches Association. The national honor is Tatman's second (also in 2013), and dating back to 2004, at least one Rams golfer has been a recipient. In the classroom, Tatman is pursuing a degree in human development and family studies and holds a 3.64 GPA.

LABARBERA JOINS YOUNG'S STAFF
Former Rams standout Jessa LaBarbera wrapped up her playing career last spring, but she didn't have to wait long - or go far - for her next golf opportunity. CSU head coach Annie Young announced the addition of LaBarbera in July, joining Young's staff as assistant coach. LaBarbera, a native of Allen, Texas, began her collegiate career at CSU in 2011. In total, she competed in 32 tournaments, including 21 of 22 over her final two seasons. In 2014-15, she tied a career best with a score of 72 in the Silverado Showdown, and at the Gold Rush Invitational, finished a career-best 16th place (228).

NEXT ON THE TEE
Katrina Prendergast, who is having one of the best seasons in CSU history, is in contention to qualify for NCAA Regionals as an individual, which would take place at one of four sites May 5-7.

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