Colorado State University Athletics
Preview: Rams begin spring season with match play vs. BYU
2/9/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
WEEKLY RELEASE #6 (PDF) / ROSTER / SCHEDULE / RECORD BOOK Match Play (CSU vs. BYU, Idaho vs. Iowa)
Saturday, Feb. 11
Gilbert, Ariz. / Trilogy at Power Ranch RETURNING TO THE COURSE
After more than three months off, the CSU women's golf team returns to the course this weekend for a pair of duel matches. Playing at Trilogy at Power Ranch in Gilbert, Ariz., CSU will begin the day by facing BYU. Concurrently, Idaho and Iowa will face each other, with the two winning teams and two losing teams competing against each other, respectively, in the afternoon.
The scoring system will be match play, with each player earning a point for her team by besting the opponent she is matched up against. Prior to Saturday, teams will match up their lineups using a snake draft.
The late addition to the schedule is due to the fact that the Rams had a round rained out in the fall, while at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown. CSU is using the competition to prepare itself for its spring tournaments, which will begin Feb. 27.
"We thought this would be good competition and a good opportunity," head coach Annie Young said. "We knew we wanted to take advantage of the missed day in Las Vegas, and this gives us the chance to get some strokes in prior to our spring season"
BYU is ranked No. 29 nationally in the latest GolfStat rankings. Idaho is ranked 66th and Iowa is 71st.
ALUMNI COMPETITON
Prior to its duel matches on Saturday, the Rams will get to have a friendly competition against some of its alumni on Thursday. Several former Rams play professionally and live in the Arizona area, and are planning on supporting their school over the weekend. The Rams are hosting a competition against their alumni, including Betsy Kelly, Emily Roering and current assistant coach Jessa LaBarbera.
YOUNG RAMS CHARGING
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. A week later, at the Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational, Secor was again the Rams' top golfer, tying for ninth place. She is one of three newcomers to compete for the Rams this season, joining fellow freshman Jessica Sloot and sophomore transfer Caroline Reiners. In addition to the newcomers, sophomore Katrina Prendergast also posted a top-20 finish at the Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational and finished in fourth place at the Ron Moore Women's Intercollegiate, building off of her dynamic freshman season that included an NCAA Regional berth and a runner-up finish at the Mountain West Championship.
TOURNAMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown - CSU capped its fall season with a 14th-place finish out of 19 teams... The tournament was shortened to two rounds due to weather... The Rams finished 1-over in Round 3, with a trio of golfers finishing par or better... Katrina Prendergast led all Rams with a 2-under 142, to tie for 28th place.
Greenville (N.C.) Regional Preview - Following its best result of the fall season, CSU struggled in North Carolina, but did improve each round... Finished 15th out of 16 teams with a 99-over 963.... Was led by freshman Ellen Secor (20-over 236; T-39th).
Ron Moore Women's Intercollegiate - The Rams finished fifth out of 18 teams, led by an under-par final round... Three Rams earned top-20 finishes, led by Katrina Prendergast (T-4th)... Just three strokes behind Prendergast was senior Brianna Becker and freshman Ellen Secor... They both tallied 1-over 217s, tied for 12th out of 102 golfers... Secor had a 3-under 69 during Round 3, while Becker carded a 2-under 70... Prendergast shot a 4-under 68 during Round 1 and 3-under 69-during Round 3 to total the sixth-best tournament score in school history and third-best single-round score.
Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational - CSU had two top-20 finishers, led by Ellen Secor (T-9th) and Katrina Prendergast (18th)... Prendergast carded a tournament-best 5-under 67 during Round 2, tied for the best single-round score in school history... As a team, the Rams finished eighth out of 11 teams.
Ptarmigan Ram Classic - Opened the season with a home tournament, finishing 12th out of 15 teams... CSU was led by freshman Ellen Secor, who carded a 1-under 215 (fifth place) in her collegiate debut... Secor was competing as an individual and would have moved the Rams up four places... Caroline Reiners and Jessica Sloot also made their CSU debuts.
SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM
CSU's women's golf team posted a team GPA of 3.78 this past fall, the highest among all CSU teams in 2016. Looking back further, 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.
MAJORITY BACK
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 returned 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 returned to the course, CSU added three talented student-athletes, a group that is already making an impact on the team.
- Caroline Reiners - A transfer from University of Aachen, in Germany, Reiners came 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 was 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 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, plus a trio of conference championships. She competed with Secor in the 2016 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball.
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 in October 2015, 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.
GREB TO JOIN RAMS' PROGRAM
In November, prep star Haley Greb signed her National Letter of Intent to play for the Rams, beginning this fall. Greb, from Pendleton High School in Oregon, earned four all-state honors and won the 2016 Oregon Junior Amateur.
YOUNG APPOINTED TO NCAA COMMITTEE
In September 2015, 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."
