The No. 43-ranked men’s and No. 46 women’s golf teams competed in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) from April 23 through April 25. After three days of competition in Boulder City, Nevada, the men’s team took fourth place, which was their best finish over the past three seasons. The women finished third, which was their highest placing since 2018.
Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) men’s squad thrived off strong showings from junior Pablo Diaz, redshirt junior Peter Grossenbacher and junior Yael Chahin, who have served as the team’s top performers during the Spring 2023 season.
Diaz led the way for the men’s team, recording a 212 (-4) fourth-place finish. Grossenbacher was the Mavericks’ second-highest placer, finishing sixth with a total score of 213 (-3). Chahin was close behind with a 214 score (-2), which was the eighth-best score.
“I didn’t play many tournaments in the fall. In golf, our season goes throughout the whole year. When we came back from winter break, though, [head] coach [Scott Sullivan] gave me an opportunity to play again. I started doing pretty well after March, and that [carried over] into the RMAC Championship, where I got fourth place,” Diaz said.
Meanwhile, junior Ethan Bishop accrued a +8 mark and sophomore Cole Beyer concluded his tournament play as the fifth highest placing Maverick at 32nd (+12). For Bayer, although he did not play his best golf last weekend, Beyer won RMAC golfer of the week earlier this month.
“I think we’ve done well. I think we’ve met a lot of goals. But, I think we can always play better,” Beyer said.
The season was a success for the men’s team, winning their first tournament in eight years and proving themselves as RMAC contenders. This comes off the heels of last season, where the Mavericks finished 18th during the program’s first-ever NCAA Championship Tournament appearance.
“I really appreciate how hard the guys work. We put a lot of emphasis on the weight room. they’ve been very committed [there] and in practice, just getting to be better as players, and as young men,” Sullivan said.
CMU’s men’s team was picked for their third straight NCAA South Central/West Super Regional bid. They will go into the tournament from May 11-13 as the sixth seed and must finish in the top five to go to their second-ever NCAA Tournament, which will be held on May 22-26.
The women’s season most likely ended after the RMAC Championships, but the team will know for sure after the selection show on May 1. Despite finishing third the Maverick women were not named in the last regional rankings poll.
At RMAC’s, Redshirt junior Elly Walters led the way with a fifth-place finish (+10), and sophomore Cassidy Phelan finished ninth (+14).
The women’s team had a stellar season this year and finished in second or third place in six of their nine tournaments. Their best showing may have been at the Warrior Invitational Tournament in March, where the team placed second, off the heels of sophomore Cassidy Phelan’s tournament win.
Phelan and redshirt senior Elly Walters were the women’s best golfers this year. Outside of the first-place showing, Phelan earned second place at two other tournaments, while redshirt senior Elly Walters recorded two second-place finishes herself.
Another player who had a great season is sophomore Brittlynn O’Dell, who finished 25th (+26) at the RMAC Tournament.
“This has definitely been my biggest improvement season. I struggled a little my freshman year and even last semester, but my scores started to improve this semester, so I feel like it was much better,” O’Dell said.
Over the course of the three days, Brittlyn O’Dell tied her teammate, redshirt junior Crystle Querol, for 25th place overall. Redshirt sophomore Sadie Kelley finished tied for 29th place, shooting a solid 245 (+29).
“I think we really improved this season. We started placing higher in tournaments and I think we’ve really come together better and started playing the best golf we can as a team. I feel like the team, dynamic-wise, plus scoring-wise [have] really come together and really just showed what we’re capable of,” O’Dell said.
