CSU-Pueblo men advance to quarterfinals at NCAA Division II nationals; DU falls just short of making DI finals
By Gary Baines – 5/18/2022
No Colorado-based men’s golf teams — or individuals with strong local ties — will be advancing to the NCAA Division I national golf championship, though the University of Denver gave it the old college try.
However, the Colorado State University-Pueblo men’s squad is still going strong at the NCAA DII nationals as the Thunderwolves made the quarterfinals of the event in Dearborn, Mich. Specifically, the regional champions from the Pueblo Country Club site finished tied for second out of 20 teams on Wednesday as the 54-hole stroke-play part of the event concluded with the T-wolves at 29 over par for three days.
The top eight team finishers after the first three rounds will take part in the head-to-head medal-play portion of the championship, which starts on Thursday.
Liam Duncan was the top CSU-Pueblo individual finisher on Wednesday, tying for 15thplace at 6 over par.
Colorado Mesa placed 18th in the field — at 60 over par — and saw its season end on Wednesday. Coloradan Kyle Pearson closed with a 67 to lead the way overall for CMU as he placed 29th.
Meanwhile, in the Division I regionals, teams needed to finish in the top five to advance to the national championship. DU missed the mark by three strokes, finishing seventh at the Stockton, Calif., Regional. Liberty gained the fifth spot at 18 under par, while DU ended up at 15 under, with LSU in between at 16 under. DU came into the event coming off a Summit League team title, but had been seeded 12th out of the 14 teams in Stockton.
Coloradan Jackson Solem and Carson Griggs, the latter of whom shared the individual lead going into the final round, led the way for DU by tying for 17th place at 4 under par.
Colorado State finished 10th in the Bryan, Texas Regional, checking in at 24 over par. Christoph Bleier led the Rams individually with a 19th-placing showing (1 over par).
MEN’S DIVISION I REGIONALS MAY 16-18
Stockton, Calif.
7. Denver 282-275-286—849
17. Jackson Solem 73-68-71–212
17. Carson Griggs 69-68-75–212
27. Esteban Missura 71-73-70–214
39. John Sand 71-72-73–216
50. Jun Ho Won 71-76-72—219
Bryan, Texas
10. Colorado State 293-303-292–888
19. Christoph Bleier 71-72-74–217
24. Davis Bryant 75-73-71—219
39. Connor Jones 71-80-71—222
62. Gavin Hagstrom 76-78-78–232
Jay Pabin DNP-80-76
Norman, Okla.
40. CU freshman Justin Biwer 72-73-77—222
Coloradan Walker Franklin, Louisville 75-DNP-71
Columbus, Ohio
60. Coloradan Griffin Barela, Wisconsin 73-76-75—224
For all the scores from the DI regionals, CLICK HERE.
MEN’S DIVISION II NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
May 16-18 in Dearborn, Mich.
2. CSU-Pueblo 295-297-303—893
15. Liam Duncan 74-74-74—222
19. Matt Millar 73-75-76–224
24. Andrew Ni 78-71-76—225
24. Jamie Roberts 73-77-75—225
51. Jeff Nelson 75-77-78–230
18. Colorado Mesa 311-309-304—924
29. Kyle Pearson 80-79-67–226
61. Peter Grossenbacher 76-76-79–231
81. Timmy Cavarno 76-75-85–236
87. Dakota Gillman 82-79-77–238
92. Yael Chahin 79-80-81–240
For all the scores from the DII nationals, 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)
Colorado Golf Journal 