The first half of the Colorado Mesa University (CMU) has come to an end. However, the group looks forward
to another postseason opportunity after their first tournament win in over eight years.
Historically, the men’s golf program has put together some good matches, but haven’t been able to put together a complete tournament win. After the hiring of head coach Scott Sullivan in 2018, the program has improved dramatically. The Mavericks have qualified for post-season tournaments in three out of the four seasons Sullivan has been at the helm, and they are fresh off their first tournament win.
For each tournament, five golfers are selected to represent the school. Then, in the tournament, four of the best five scores are totaled for the team’s final score. The process in selecting the players is settled during practice tournaments throughout the course of the season. In the Mavericks’ most recent tournament, they traveled to El Paso, Texas to compete in the Ruidoso Junior Golf Association South Central Shootout. The golfers representing CMU were redshirt juniors Peter Grossenbacher and Ethan Bishop, junior Yael Chahin, redshirt sophomore Dakota Gillmam and sophomore Cole Beyer.
In the tournament, CMU placed first as a team with an impressive comeback on the second day of the tournament to secure the victory. The tournament win was the first under Coach Sullivan, and the first for the program since 2014.
“On the first day, the weather was cold, and it was raining and it was windy, but everyone had to play in it. Coach [Sullivan] told us to ‘embrace the suck’ and that’s what we tried to do,” Chahin said.
After the first day of action, the team placed ninth overall, shooting 28 over as a team. After the disappointing first day, the Mavericks rallied back for an incredible day two performance.
Beyer led the Mavericks comeback on the final day, shooting four under par and a score of 68, giving him a total of +3 in the tournament. Chahin and Gillman both shot under par on the final day as well, completing the team comeback, and brought the Maverick total to +20.
“It was so special to get the win and we all felt a lot of emotion. We worked so hard together, and it was so great to see everything come together in a tournament win,” Chahin said.
With the tournament win, the Mavericks may have momentum to qualify for the NCAA regional tournaments in the second half of this season.
