Colorado State University Athletics
Preview: CSU travels to California for 2nd tournament
9/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
WEEKLY RELEASE #2 (PDF) / ROSTER / SCHEDULE / RECORD BOOK
JULI INKSTER SPARTAN INVITATIONAL
Sept. 19-20, 2016 | 10 a.m. MT start both days
San Jose, Calif. | Almaden Golf and Country Club
Live Scoring
CSU TRAVELS TO SAN JOSE FOR 2ND TOURNAMENT
The Rams travel to San Jose, Calif., for their second tournament of the season. CSU is one of 11 teams competing in the two-day tournament: BYU, Cal Poly, Colorado, Gonzaga, Long Beach State, Nevada, San Francisco, San Jose State, Santa Clara and UC Irvine. The field will play at the Almaden Golf and Country Club, a par-72 course with a yardage of 6,190.
CSU's lineup includes: Katrina Prendergast (No. 1), Ellen Secor (No. 2), Elisabeth Rau (No. 3), Brianna Becker (No. 4) and Jessica Sloot (No. 5).
SECOR EARNS TOP-5 FINISH IN COLLEGIATE DEBUT
CSU freshman golfer Ellen Secor earned a top-five finish at the Colonel Wollenberg Ptarmigan Ram Classic, carding a 1-under 215 in her first collegiate competition.
Secor's score was impressive, but unfortunately for the Rams, she was competing as an individual and did not count toward the Rams' score. If she did, it would have accounted for a 17-stroke difference and moved the Rams from 12th to eighth place in the standings.
"She stepped up great," head coach Annie Young said of Secor's performance. "She proved that she belongs in the lineup, and the intensity she comes with is going to be a huge asset for us when she's in the lineup."
Secor posted a team-best 2-over 74 on Tuesday, while sophomore Katrina Prendergast and senior Elisabeth Rau tallied 3-over 75s during Round 3. Overall, Prendergast was the Rams' top scorer, finishing with a 14-over 230. Rau and junior Sarah Archuleta tallied 16-over 234s, freshman Jessica Sloot had a 19-over 235 and sophomore Caroline Reiners totaled a 24-over 240. Senior Brianna Becker, also competing as an individual, had the Rams' third-best score overall of 231 (15-over).
"We're going to be fine, but we need to take an honest assessment of where we're at and where we need to be," Young said.
MAJORITY RETURNING
CSU had its best season in recent memory in 2015-16, and this year, the fourth season under head coach Annie Young, the Rams are poised to take another step in the right direction. CSU returns the majority of its production from its record-breaking season a year ago, including its top finisher in all but one tournament. In total, the Rams brought back four of five letterwinners and 72 percent of their total lineups from last year.
NEW FACES
While the majority of the Rams' lineup from last season return to the course, CSU added three talented student-athletes, who are each expected to make an impact on the team.
- Caroline Reiners - A transfer from University of Aachen, in Germany, Reiners comes to CSU with three years of eligibility. In high school overseas, she competed for Golfclub Schloss Myllendonk and was a four-time junior club champion, also winning the adult title twice. She twice finished top 10 at the state championship and has 30 individual titles to her name.
- Ellen Secor - A native of Portland, Ore., Secor is a four-time All-Metro League selection at Sunset High School. At the 2015 Oregon Class 6A state championship, she set a high school state record by shooting a 66 in the first round, on her way to a fourth-place finish. She has qualified for several national tournaments over the past year, including last year's U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball.
- Jessica Sloot - A native of Fruit Heights, Utah, Sloot won the 2015 5A state title and finished in the top four all four years of her prep career. In addition to her individual accomplishments, she led Davis High School to two state titles and four top-three finishes, in addition to a trio of conference championships. She competed with Secor in the 2016 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball.
PRECISE PRENDERGAST
Katrina Prendergast had one of the top freshman seasons in CSU history last year. She qualified for NCAA Regionals as an individual, finishing in the top-third of the West Regional in Stanford, Calif. Her fantastic freshman season also included a second-place finish at the Mountain West Championship in April and a spot on the All-Mountain West second team. Her season stroke average of 73.69 is a school record. She also tied a school record with a 5-under 67 during the first round of the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown in October, and finished the tournament with a 6-under 210, the third-best tournament score in school history. She posted top-20 finishes in each of her final six tournaments, and seven times overall, and led the Rams in seven of 10 tournaments this season.
A CUT ABOVE
The Rams' 2015-16 team scoring average of 297.72 set a school record by more than four strokes. The previous high of 301.73 was set in 2008-09. Contributing to the low figure is the fact that three of CSU's seven golfers held individual stroke averages that rank among the top 10 in school history, including freshman Katrina Prendergast, whose 73.69 was a school record.
SHATTERING RECORDS
CSU had a record-breaking performance at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown last fall, 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.
YOUNG APPOINTED TO NCAA COMMITTEE
Last 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. During the spring, she traveled 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 at the time. "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
Four of CSU's six golfers from 2015-16 earned Mountain West Academic All-Conference honors for holding a cumulative grade-point average above 3.0, with three of them on the Rams' 2016-17 roster. Additionally, Brianna Becker and CSU graduate Mikayla Tatman were named All-American Scholars by the Women's Golf Coaches Association. Dating back to 2004, at least one Rams golfer has been a recipient.
Players Mentioned
