Host CSU-Pueblo claims DII regional team title at Pueblo CC, while Colorado Mesa also advances to men’s DII nationals
By Gary Baines – 5/7/2022
Two Colorado-based men’s teams took advantage of their home-state advantage to reach college golf’s promised land on Saturday — which is to say, the national championship tournament.
Host Colorado State University-Pueblo and Colorado Mesa University, based in Grand Junction, finished 1-2 out of a 20-team field Saturday in the NCAA Division II West/South Central Regional at Pueblo Country Club.
The top four finishers in the three-round event earned berths into the DII nationals, set for May 16-20 at TPC Michigan in Detroit. Joining CSU-Pueblo and Colorado Mesa in advancing from Pueblo were Midwestern State of Wichita Falls, Texas (tied for second with CMU) and Oklahoma Christian (fourth).
CSU-Pueblo finished at 7 under par for 54 holes, while CMU and Midwestern State each checked in at 6 under and Oklahoma Christian at 4 under.State each checked in at 6 under and Oklahoma Christian at 4 under.
CSU-Pueblo, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champion for the past two years, came into the meet ranked No. 26 in the nation. CMU, meanwhile, was not ranked nationally, but likewise came up big at the regional tournament.
Representing CSU-Pueblo this week — and scoring the program’s first regional title — were Jamie Roberts, Jeff Nelson, Andrew Ni, Liam Duncan and Matt Millar.
Making the grade for CMU — which will be headed to nationals for the first time — were Peter Grossenbacher, Dakota Gillman, Timmy Cavarno, Kyle Pearson and Yael Chahin.
Grossenbacher (Eaton) and Pearson (Highlands Ranch) are Colorado residents, with Grossenbacher placing 11th individually on Saturday and Pearson 68th. Scott Sullivan, four times a qualifier for the U.S. Senior Amateur, is the had coach at Colorado Mesa.
Meanwhile, CSU-Pueblo’s Nelson, who tied for 11th on Saturday, comes from Commerce City. Josh Koschke is the director of golf for the men’s and women’s CSU-Pueblo programs.
“Conditions were brutal, bogeys were good enough, and the boys found a way to pull out the win,” Koschke said.
Tying for first place individually at Pueblo Country Club were Garrett Leek of Midwestern State and Matthew Pennington of Cal State San Marcos (each 9 under par). Posting top 10s for local schools were Roberts (fourth place, 6 under) and Grossenbacher (eighth place, 4 under).
For all the scores from the regional at Pueblo CC, CLICK HERE.
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)
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