More of the Same

DU women continue their remarkable success in conference championships as they sweep Summit League team and individual titles

By Gary Baines – 4/26/2022

The University of Denver women swept the team and individual titles on Tuesday at the Summit League Championship in Newton, Kan., earning an automatic berth into the NCAA Div. I Regionals, set for May 9-11.

The Pioneers have now captured 17 league championships in the last 18 times the tournaments have been contested. (The 2020 Summit meet was canceled due to Covid-19 safety concerns.) DU has now won seven times in the Summit League, once in the WAC and nine times in the Sunbelt.

Claiming the individual title for DU was Anna Zanusso, who finished ninth in the 2021 NCAA national championships. She set a tournament record by going 68-69-76 for a 3-under-par 213 total, prevailing by five over teammate Anna Krekling (72-72-74). Also placing in the top four individually for Denver were Alyson Bean (fourth, 77-73-72) and Clara Gestsdottir (fourth, 75-71-76).

The team race was never close as the Pioneers prevailed by 21 strokes over runner-up Oral Roberts. DU finished at 7 over par as a team, a record for the event. For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

Elsewhere in local conference championships:

— The University of Northern Colorado men vaulted into third place in the seven-team Big Sky tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Bears trail leader Weber State by just three strokes. Two UNC players are in the top 10 individually going into Wednesday’s final round — Blake Danni (seventh, 76-69) and Jack Castiglia (ninth, 76-70). SCORES. 

— The University of Colorado remained in 12th place in the 12-team Pac-12 men’s championships. The Buffs are 48 over par going into Wednesday’s fourth and final round in Sammamish, Wash. Freshman Justin Biwer posted a third-round 67 to move up to 12th place individually for CU, at 1 over par. SCORES.

About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. He was voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2021. Email: ColoradoGolfJournal@mac.com)