Colorado State University Athletics
Preview: Rams jump back into competition at Bryan National Collegiate
3/29/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
WEEKLY RELEASE #10 (PDF) / ROSTER / SCHEDULE / RECORD BOOK
Bryan National Collegiate / March 31-April 2
Browns Summit, N.C. / Mountain View Golf Club
Live Scoring
THE FINAL STRETCH
After competing in three tournaments over a 14-day period to begin the spring season, the Rams finally got a break, most-recently competing March 12 in Arizona. The time away from competition was a chance for the team to work on consistency, a season-long battle for the group. CSU has shown signs of success and potential, but hasn't been able to fully use that talent over an entire tournament.
The Rams hope they can put it all together this weekend in North Carolina, where they will partake in the Bryan National Collegiate. The three-day tournament begins Friday at 6:30 a.m. MT and extends through Sunday.
Teams competing include: Alabama, Baylor, Central Florida, Charleston, CSU, Georgetown, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, North Carolina-Greensboro, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Virginia and Wake Forest. UNCG and Wake Forest are co-hosting the tournament, which will be played at Bryan Park Champions Course (Par 72, 6,386 yardage).
Following this weekend's action, CSU will compete in the Dale McNamara Invitational (April 10-11) before traveling to the Mountain West Championship (April 17-19).
DANGEROUS DUO
Freshman Ellen Secor and sophomore Katrina Prendergast earned top-20 performances at the MountainView Collegiate (March 10-12), placing in 14th and 16th place, respectively.
It marked the third time this season that at least two Rams have placed in the top 20 of a tournament, with each one featuring Secor and Prendergast.
Prendergast jumped onto the scene a year ago as a freshman, setting a single-season school record for stroke average and finishing runner-up at the Mountain West Championship and qualifying for NCAA Regionals. As a sophomore, she has five top-20 finishes (two top-10), including all three tournaments during the spring season.
Secor followed in Prendergast's footsteps as a successful freshman, finishing fifth as an individual at the Ptarmigan Ram Classic, her first collegiate competition. She followed that performance up with top-12 placing the next two tournaments, plus the 14th-place finish earlier this month.
Their season stroke averages of 74.43 (Prendergast) and 74.47 (Secor) are on pace to finish third and fourth, respectively, in school history.
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.
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.
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."
Players Mentioned
