Colorado
THAT TIME OF YEAR – Colorado Golf Association
Stretch run of college golf season set to begin for Colorado-based teams, with conference tournaments preceding NCAA regionals and nationals
By Gary Baines – 4/11/2024
The college golf season — at least the first portion of it — began more than seven months ago. But now it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty.
In other words, the postseason is nearly upon us. First up, there’s conference/league tournaments, followed by NCAA Regionals (for those teams and individuals that qualify), then by the national championship (again, for schools/individuals that advance).
Fields for the NCAA Regionals will be revealed on various dates in the coming weeks: April 24 for women’s Division I, April 26 for men’s Division II, April 29 for women’s DII and May 1 for men’s DI.
But today we’re focused on the conference/league tournaments for the college programs based in Colorado. Things start with the University of Northern Colorado women at the Big Sky tournament April 15-17 and ends with the University of Denver men at the Summit League shindig April 28-30.
Here are some of the essentials from those tournaments — for both NCAA Division I and II programs in the Centennial State.
BIG SKY CONFERENCE WOMEN
Dates: April 15-17
Site: The Wigwam in Litchfield Park, Ariz.
Colorado-Based Team Competing: University of Northern Colorado.
UNC National Ranking: 185th
UNC Players Ranked in Top 200 Nationally: None.
UNC Team Victories This Season: None
Notable: UNC finished fifth out of 10 teams at last year’s Big Sky meet.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE WOMEN
Dates: April 16-18
Site: Mission Hills CC in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Colorado-Based Team Competing: Colorado State University.
CSU National Ranking: 49th.
CSU Players Ranked in Top 200 Nationally: Andrea Bergsdottir 59th.
CSU Team Victories This Season: 3.
Notable: Even before the postseason, the Rams have set their single-season program record with three team victories, including two during the spring portion of the schedule. … CSU placed third out of nine teams in last year’s MWC meet. … Bergsdottir has posted top-10 finishes in her last seven college starts. … Lauren Lehigh of New Mexico, a two-time Colorado 5A state high school individual champion, will play in her final MWC tournament. She’s ranked 80th nationally in Division I.
SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN
Dates: April 21-23
Site: Firekeeper GC in Mayetta, Kan.
Colorado-Based Team Competing: University of Denver.
DU National Ranking: 44th
DU Players Ranked in Top 200 Nationally: Anna Zanusso 121st, Clara Gestsdottir 183rd.
DU Team Victories This Season: none.
Notable: DU won last year’s Summit League team title, marking the Pioneers’ 18th league championship in the last 19 times the tournaments have been contested. DU’s Anna Krekling captured the 2023 individual title. … The Pioneers haven’t won a tournament this season, but have finished second twice.
PAC-12 CONFERENCE WOMEN
Dates: April 21-23
Site: Palouse Ridge GC in Pullman, Wash.
Colorado-Based Team Competing: University of Colorado.
CU National Ranking: 68th
CU Players Ranked in Top 200 Nationally: Morgan Miller 140th; Sabrina Iqbal 176th.
CU Team Victories This Season: none.
Notable: This will mark the final Pac-12 Conference tournament. For its part, CU is headed to the Big 12 in 2024-25. … Anne Kelly, CU’s head coach since 1997, will conclude her college coaching career this spring as she announced her impending retirement last fall. Current CU associate head coach Madeleine Sheils will succeed Kelly at the Buffs’ helm. … The Buffs finished 11th out of 11 teams in last year’s conference meet.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEN
Dates: April 21-23
Site: Boulder Creek GC in Boulder City, Nev.
Colorado-Based Teams Competing: CSU-Pueblo, Colorado Christian, Colorado Mesa, Colorado School of Mines, Fort Lewis, Regis.
Top-100 National Rankings (Div. II) for Colorado Teams: Colorado Christian 8th; CSU-Pueblo 14th; Colorado School of Mines 22nd; Colorado Mesa 27th; Fort Lewis 75th.
Colorado-Based Players Ranked in Top 100 Nationally in Division II: Adam Duncan, Colorado Christian 6th; Jamie Roberts, CSU-Pueblo 29th; Xavier Bighaus, Colorado Christian 32nd; Lucas Taggart, Colorado School of Mines 40th; Colt Tenpenny, CSU-Pueblo 56th.
Notable: CSU-Pueblo prevailed in a playoff over Colorado Christian for the league team title last year, giving the ThunderWolves their third straight RMAC championship. … Colorado Christian’s Bighaus claimed the individual title in 2023.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WOMEN
Dates: April 21-23
Site: Boulder Creek GC in Boulder City, Nev.
Colorado-Based Teams Competing: CSU-Pueblo, Colorado Christian, Colorado Mesa, Regis, MSU Denver, Fort Lewis, Adams State.
Top-100 National Rankings (Div. II) for Colorado Teams: CSU-Pueblo 42nd; Regis 79th; Colorado Christian 81st; Colorado Mesa 82nd; Metro State 91st.
Colorado-Based Player Ranked in Top 100 Nationally in Division II: Kylie Severin, CSU-Pueblo 32nd
Notable: CSU-Pueblo took home the title in the 2023 RMAC tournament, with CSUP’s Severin and Zoey Rodriguez sharing the individual crown.
BIG SKY CONFERENCE MEN
Dates: April 22-24
Site: Wigwam GC in Litchfield Park, Ariz.
Colorado-Based Team Competing: UNC
UNC National Ranking: 175th
UNC Players Ranked in Top 200 Nationally: none.
UNC Team Victories This Season: none.
Notable: UNC won the Big Sky team title last year, earning an NCAA Regionals berth. The Bears put three players in the top four individually — Jack Castiglia (2), Yuze Zhang (3) and TJ Shehee (4).
PAC-12 CONFERENCE MEN
Date: April 26-28
Site: Desert Forest GC in Carefree, Ariz.
Colorado-Based Team Competing: CU
CU National Ranking: 66th
CU Players Ranked in Top 200 Nationally: none.
CU Team Victories This Season: one.
Notable: CU, bound for the Big 12 next season, will play in its final Pac-12 tournament. … The Pac-12 meet is very unusual by college golf standards in that it’s a 72-hole affair — as opposed to 54 holes for most events. … In February, the Buffs won their first large-field tournament since 2019.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEN
Date: April 26-28
Site: Emerald Valley GC in Creswell, Ore.
Colorado-Based Teams Competing: CSU and Air Force.
CSU National Ranking: 64th.
Air Force National Ranking: 253rd.
CSU/Air Force Players Ranked in Top 200 Nationally: Connor Jones, CSU 81st.
CSU/Air Force Team Victories This Season: one (CSU).
Notable: CSU placed fourth out of 11 teams at last year’s MWC meet, while Air Force was 11th. CSU’s Christoph Bleier tied for the top spot individually in regulation, but lost in a playoff. … Jones, a resident of Westminster and the 2022 CGA Player of the Year, will wrap up his college career this spring.
SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN
Date: April 28-30
Site: Covered Bridge GC in Sellersburg, Ind.
Colorado-Based Team Competing: DU
DU National Ranking: 218th.
DU Players Ranked in Top 200 Nationally: none.
DU Team Victories This Season: none.
Notable: DU finished runner-up out of 10 teams at the Summit League meet last year.
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. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com
Colorado
Avalanche vs. Kings Game 2: Key takeaways as Colorado wins OT thriller, takes 2-0 series lead
DENVER — When getting good looks but failing to finish against a locked-in goalie, it’s not easy to stick to a game plan. But instead of pressing, Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar’s group showed maturity, even after the Los Angeles Kings’ Artemi Panarin scored what could’ve been a back-breaking first goal of Game 2 late in the third period.
Captain Gabriel Landeskog buried a perfect pass from Martin Nečas three minutes after Panarin scored. Then Nicolas Roy scored the game-winner, giving Colorado a 2-1 win and 2-0 series lead.
“I liked our mentality again tonight,” Bednar said, adding that he was pleased with his team’s defensive effort. “That’s how we have to win. It’s good practice. It’s something we’ve been talking about all year, the importance of defending, and I’m happy with the commitment that we’re getting from our guys.”
The Avalanche led the league in goals scored this season, but they also were stingy defensively, allowing fewer goals than any other team. Through two games, they’ve shown a willingness to play tight-checking, low-scoring games and get the results they need.
“We have absolutely no problem playing this way,” said Landeskog, who scored from the slot after Nečas caught the previously-impenetrable Anton Forsberg out of position and set his captain up for an open look. “If you get a little impatient with it, you start forcing plays. And I thought tonight, we just kind of kept it going. Kept trusting our forecheck, and finally, we ended up getting rewarded for it.”
Colorado has controlled the series at five-on-five. The Kings’ only two goals have come on power plays, and Colorado had 79.05 percent of the expected goal share at five-on-five Tuesday, per Natural Stat Trick.
It was an odd night that included a broken glass delay, a choppy first period and a waved-off goal after a puck got lodged in the side of the net. Let’s dig into all of it.
Roy plays hero
With goalie Patrick Roy and forward Peter Forsberg’s retired numbers hanging in the Ball Arena rafters, it was probably a bit disorienting seeing a Roy score on a Forsberg in overtime. But that’s what happened when trade deadline addition Nic Roy backhanded a loose puck past Anton Forsberg’s left pad, punched the air and jumped into the glass in celebration.
The goal was Roy’s second overtime goal in his career. He scored the Game 4 winner for the Vegas Golden Knights in their 2021 conference final series against Montreal. That goal also came at the net-front.
“I like to be in (that) area, and a lot of those (overtime) goals are scored there,” Roy said. “So I try to be there as much as I can.”
“He’s a really smart player,” Nathan MacKinnon said. “It might not be everyone’s first pick (to score), but it takes a full team to win in the playoffs.”
Josh Manson fired a shot from the point to create chaos around the net ahead of Roy’s goal, and Bednar also credited Nazem Kadri with making a slick play to get the puck to his defenseman.
Physicality and a penalty parade define the first
D.J. Smith didn’t quite get his exact wish of his players hitting Colorado’s defensemen more in the first half of the first period, but he did get big hits. Shortly after Colorado’s Josh Manson laid a massive body check on Scott Laughton, Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson hit Martin Nečas in the neutral zone, seemingly catching him in the head.
Nečas went down, bloodied, and chaos ensued. Brett Kulak went after Anderson. Scrums broke out next to the Kings net. Sam Malinski brought down Quinton Byfield, and Mathieu Joseph did the same to Artturi Lehkonen. Anderson did not get a penalty for the hit, though he and Kulak were handed matching roughing minors. Kulak got an extra penalty for a cross check. (Nečas briefly left the game, presumably because he was pulled by a concussion spotter, but returned.)
“There were big hits,” Bednar said. “We gave some. We took some too, but it’s all right. That’s what’s going to happen this time of the year. You’re playing a big, strong, physical team, and sometimes I like it. Can wake some guys up if they’re not going, and you can ramp up your competitive spirit.”
It was the most dramatic stretch of a rugged first period that included seven minor penalties. The string of infractions slowed some of the momentum Colorado gathered from a furious start. The Avalanche led 9-0 in shots through the first 6:04. The period ended with Colorado leading 14-6 in shots.
After Anderson’s hit, scrums broke out after seemingly every whistle. At one point Jeff Malott caught Cale Makar with an elbow. Nečas also took a chance to hit Anderson toward the end of the period.
“There were a bunch of melees on the ice today,” Bednar said. “It felt like playoff hockey, which is the way you want it to feel. It tests your team, and it’s why it’s the most fun time of the year to play in the playoffs.”
In total, the period took around 45 minutes. The Kings got big saves from Anton Forsberg, allowing them to stay in the game and shift it into a rugged style that favored them, at least temporarily. It wasn’t enough in the end.
“To a man, this team’s playing hard,” Kings coach D.J. Smith added. “We have to find a way to win, though.”
Goalies continue strong start to the series
Darcy Kuemper started the year as Kings starter, but Anton Forsberg became their go-to goalie during their late-season playoff push. He has continued his strong play into the first round. In Game 1, he made 30 saves on 32 shots. He was sharp again Tuesday, helping the Kings withstand Colorado’s early onslaught of shots. Colorado gave him a tough look early in the second. Kadri fed Landeskog on the slot, and Forsberg managed to parry it away. Late in the second, he got in front of turnaround shots from both Lehkonen and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche eventually beat him in the third when he overcommitted to Nečas, who instead passed to Landeskog in the slot.
He finished the night with 34 saves. He wasn’t quite able to make a 35th, giving up the game-winner to Roy.
“We’re right there, playing well,” Forsberg said. “We’re fighting hard. We just have to stick with it and turn this around.”
Across the ice, Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves. Panarin beat him with a dangerous shot from the slot for the lone goal he allowed in regulation, but overall he continued to give Colorado the dependable goaltending expected of him. His highlight came when he stopped Quinton Byfield on a penalty shot. He robbed Byfield again in overtime, making a glove save on a shot off the rush.
A penalty, a penalty shot and a long wait
Jeff Malott took an ill-advised boarding penalty on Artturi Lehkonen in one of many instances of the Kings’ fourth line toeing the line of too much physicality. The Avalanche were in position to gain the lead — or at least some momentum — but Cale Makar mishandled a puck at the blue line, leading to a Quinton Byfield breakaway. Makar got called for a hook as he raced back to catch the forward, and the referees awarded a penalty shot.
Byfield tried to beat Wedgewood glove side, but the goalie made the save. The crowd erupted in excitement, but that came with an unexpected drawback. Fans banged on the glass behind the Kings’ bench, and a pane of it shattered. Kings coach D.J. Smith got smothered with shards. It caused a 19-minute stoppage for clean up.
If the Wedgewood save was going to serve as momentum for the Avalanche power play, the delay stopped that. Nathan MacKinnon got called for interference on Alex Laferriere shortly after play resumed.
“I think the flow would kind of come and go a little bit,” MacKinnon said. “Not ideal with the glass, but it was the same for both teams.”
“They just handled it better coming out of that,” Bednar added.
MacKinnon and Bednar both felt the Avalanche were able to push the pace more in the second half of the second period.
Another waved-off goal
Sam Malinski fired a shot toward the net to start the third period. It got caught in the side of the net, but not on the inside. Malinski thought he scored, and the goal horn went off. After review, though, it was clear the puck was lodged on the side of the cage.
It was the second Avalanche goal waved off in as many games. Logan O’Connor had a goal waved off for goaltender interference last game.
Panarin shows why Kings traded for him
The Kings acquired Artemi Panarin from the Rangers to bring a gamebreaking offensive talent into a lineup that lacked it. He validated their trust late in the third period. He played his normal shift with the top power-play unit, then stayed on with the second grouping. Trevor Moore found him with a pass in the slot, and he buried it.
Colorado’s top skilled players had more chances than Los Angeles’, but Panarin came through when he got his best look of the night. He also scored the Kings’ only goal of Game 1.
Colorado
Southern Colorado farmers’ market season is here
(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Spring brings the first fresh produce, which means it will soon be time for farmers’ markets to kick off around the area.
For those in Southern Colorado who want to buy their products from local vendors and growers, check out the list below.
North Colorado Springs
Western Museum of Mining and Industry
- 225 North Gate Boulevard, near the I-25 exit
- Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Runs from May through September
Briargate Farmers Market
- 7610 North Union Boulevard, near Briargate Boulevard
- Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Runs from May 27 through Sept. 30
Cordera
- 11894 Grandlawn Circle, near Briargate Parkway and North Union Boulevard
- Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Runs from May 24 through Sept. 6
Colorado Farm and Art Market
- 7350 Pine Creek Road, near East Woodmen Road and I-25
- Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Runs from June 20 through Oct. 17
Banning Lewis Ranch at Vista Park
- 8833 Vista Del Pico Boulevard, near Dublin Boulevard and Marksheffel Road
- Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Runs from May 28 through Aug. 27
Backyard Market in Black Forest
- 6845 Shoup Road, near Black Forest Road
- Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Runs from May 23 through Oct. 17
South Colorado Springs
Colorado Farm and Art Market
- 132 West Cimarron Street, at the corner of Sierra Madre Street, Downtown
- Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Runs from June 17 through Oct. 21
Old Colorado City Farmers Market
- Bancroft Park at West Colorado Avenue and South 24th Street in Old Colorado City
- Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Runs from June 6 through Oct. 17
Colorado Springs Sunday Market
- Acacia Park 115 East Platte Avenue, Downtown
- Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Runs from May 10 through Oct. 25
Southeast Farmer’s Market
- 2050 Jet Wing Drive, near Chelton Road
- Sundays from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m.
- Runs from June 14 through Oct. 11
Fountain
Fountain Community Market
- Metcalfe Park, 618 East Ohio Avenue, near Fountain Mesa Road
- Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Runs from May 30 through Sept. 26
Woodland Park
Woodland Park Farmers Market
- At Memorial Park, 117 Center Avenue, near East Lake Avenue
- Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Runs from June through September
Pueblo
Pueblo Farmers Market
- Mineral Palace Park, 1604 North Santa Fe Avenue, at West 15th Street
- Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to noon
- Runs from May 2 through Oct. 31
Colorado
Thornton marks 70 years: Exhibit traces Colorado city’s roots from developer’s dream to thriving suburb
Seventy years ago, a housing developer looked at an empty stretch of land north of Denver and saw the future. What Sam Hoffman built there became the city of Thornton — and a free public exhibit is now telling that story for the first time in a generation.
CBS Colorado is excited to shine the spotlight on Thornton, as Colorado marks 150 years as a state.
“The history of Thornton is really the history of suburbia,” said Lance Jones, the historian and curator of the city’s 70th anniversary exhibit. “Thornton was planned. Thornton was intentionally created as a city.”
Hoffman, Jones explained, recognized an opportunity in the postwar boom. “He realized the Denver Metro area was going to really explode and he wanted in on the ground floor,” Jones said. To sell his 5,000 planned homes, Hoffman turned to an unlikely marketing asset — Hollywood.
Three of his employees happened to be the brothers of Jane Russell, one of the biggest film stars in America at the time. “She was an A-list actress. I mean, she was really top of the game,” Jones said. Hoffman asked the brothers if their sister might make an appearance, and she agreed.
“One day in 1954, his grand opening celebration, she came out. And a lot of people came out to see her — big, big crowd,” Jones said. “Thousands of people showed up to see her, to get a glimpse, to take a picture.” Russell would return to Thornton more than three decades later, appearing at the opening of the Thornton Parkway interchange in 1986.
The homes Russell helped promote were advertised at $9,950, with a down payment for GI’s of $532.30 and a monthly mortgage of $65. Jones noted those were not trivial sums for working families of the era. “That represented a big chunk of the average person’s paycheck. People would have to save up for that,” Jones said.
A Denver Post clipping from Jan. 31, 1954, on display at the exhibit, documents the arrival of the city’s first residents. “This is one of the first families in Thornton moving in,” Jones said. “This was a unique thing. They created the city. It just sprang from nothing.”
By 1956, residents had established enough civic infrastructure to pursue formal incorporation. “There were a lot of civic organizations, a lot of clubs, a lot of veterans organizations — it was a big joiner kind of town,” Jones said. “And, eventually, in 1956, they were able to get incorporated.”
That civic spirit, Jones argued, never left. “The culture here in Thornton kind of developed from that. It’s still a city with a lot of civic involvement, a lot of events, a lot of cohesion.”
The exhibit highlights several residents whose stories reflect the city’s early character. Among the artifacts is a cheerleading uniform that belonged to Loretta Garcia — the first baby born in Thornton after its incorporation. She and the city share the same milestone birthday. “Thornton is 70, and so is she,” Jones said. Garcia was delivered at home on Rowena Street because the trip to a Denver hospital was considered too far. “The doctor came up here and delivered her at home.”
Another featured resident is Norma Ellman, a Thornton High School teacher, who in 1956 traveled to California to compete on a CBS game show called “High Finance.” She won the equivalent of what Jones estimates would be more than $1 million today. The victory was significant enough that the mayor authorized Ellman to present the show’s host with a key to the city of Thornton.
Jones said the exhibit is designed to connect newer residents with the people who built the community, noting that from its earliest days Thornton had a strong Hispanic presence that continues today alongside a growing diversity of other ethnicities.
“The younger people really do need to hear from the folks who made Thornton, Thornton,” Jones said. “You have to know where we came from to know where we’re going.”
The 70th anniversary exhibit is free and open to the public at the Thornton Arts and Culture Annex. Visit this page for days and hours.
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