The college golf season is set to go into winter hibernation, but before the fall schedule becomes a distant memory, it’s worth revisiting some of the more notable feats of the last two months from a Colorado perspective.
All of the Colorado-based Division I teams have wrapped up the fall portion of their season, and they won’t resume action until February. Though the spring schedule is certainly more important, some local schools and Colorado athletes competing outside of the state already have made their mark this season.
An in-state Division II men’s team pulled off a monumental upset by winning a Division I tournament. A University of Colorado women’s player won her first college event less than 24 hours after being involved in a car accident that also included four of her teammates. And a Coloradan claimed his third major college tournament title in the last seven months.
Here’s a rundown on those and other highlights of the fall season for Colorado-based teams and other college players from the state:
“¢The men’s team from CU-Colorado Springs has long been a power in the Division II ranks, as its current No. 12 standing in the national coaches’ poll attests. But that didn’t diminish the impact of the Mountain Lions’ team victory in the Air Force Academy’s Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at Eisenhower Golf Club in September. UCCS beat all of the major college teams in Colorado — including Colorado State, CU, Air Force, Denver and Northern Colorado — along with nationally ranked San Diego.
“Talent-wise, there’s absolutely zero difference from our team compared to a D-I school; the results show that,” said UCCS senior Riley Andrews, a former Division I player at CU-Boulder.
UCCS’ success didn’t stop with the Miranda Invite. The Mountain Lions won three of their five fall tournaments and were second in the other two. Three UCCS players — Brian Morfeld, Andrews and Chris Shoop — averaged under 73 in the fall.
“¢The CU women’s team won twice in the fall, marking the Buffs’ first two-tournament-victory season in program history. One of those wins came in CU’s own Heather Farr Memorial Invitational, just a day after five Buffalo players were involved in a three-car accident just outside of Colorado National Golf Club in Erie. Despite three players withdrawing following the wreck, the Buffs won the tournament by 16 strokes with a four-player team.
After the accident, junior transfer Jessica Wallace didn’t know if she’d be able to play in the final round. But she not only competed, she won her first college individual title.
Led by Wallace — who posted four top-five finishes overall — and Big 12 September Player of the Month Emily Talley, CU moved into the national top 25 rankings. Depending on the poll, the Buffs stand anywhere from 19th to 25th in the country. They didn’t finish worse than fourth place in any fall tournament.
“This is a special group,” coach Anne Kelly said.
“¢Gunner Wiebe of Aurora (pictured) recently was named the CGA Player of the Year after winning the CGA Match Play title and finishing second at the HealthOne Colorado Open. But it’s at the University of San Diego where Wiebe has enjoyed the most success.
Since the beginning of April, Wiebe has won three college tournaments, a feat few players in the country have matched. His latest win came late last month in the Kauai Collegiate in Hawaii. He previously captured titles late last season in the Wyoming Cowboy Classic and the West Coast Conference Championship.
Wiebe and the Toreros still have one tournament left in the fall season.
“¢Two other Coloradans playing for out-of-state schools also won Division I tournaments in the fall. Mark Hubbard of Denver notched his first college win and, appropriately enough, the victory came in Colorado. Hubbard claimed the title by two strokes in the inaugural Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational in Erie. The San Jose State senior also posted a sixth-place finish this fall.
Likewise earning a tourney title was Jamie Marshall of Castle Rock. The Arkansas senior won the Cabo Collegiate in Mexico in early October, marking his second individual college victory. Marshall recorded three top-10 performances overall in the fall.
“¢Ryan Peterson of Colorado State continues to build off his Mountain West Conference Championship victory in the spring. The senior won the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational and finished fifth at the Mark Simpson tournament. He leads the MWC in stroke average this fall with a 70.83 norm. Teammate Kory Harrell ranks four in the conference at 72.0.
After having lost arguably its top three players to graduation in the spring, CSU notched two top-three team finishes in the fall.
“¢Although the University of Denver women are going through a rebuilding season by their standards, freshman Tonje Daffinrud from Norway won her first college tournament earlier this week.
“¢Other notable local performances in the fall: Becca Huffer of Denver, who plays for Notre Dame, posted two top-10 showings. “¦ Alex Gutesha has made inroads at Kansas and finished as high as third in a fall tournament. “¦ The Air Force men beat their fellow academies to win the Service Academy Golf Classic for the 14th straight time. “¦ After undergoing two hip surgeries in the previous 14 months, CU senior Luke Symons posted his first top-10 college finish in more than two years, placing seventh in the Mark Simpson tournament. “¦ CSU junior Brianna Espinoza ranks second among Mountain West Conference individuals in stroke average (73.53) after three top-eight finishes in the fall.
