Colorado

THAT TIME OF YEAR – Colorado Golf Association

Published

3 months ago

April 11, 2024

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

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Colorado

How to prepare for a wildfire evacuation in Colorado

Published

5 hours ago

July 5, 2024

Press Room

How to prepare for a wildfire evacuation in Colorado

Preparing to evacuate because of a wildfire is now a year-round reality in Colorado, with destructive, deadly wildfires possible every month of the year, according to state officials.

Colorado’s “core wildfire season” is now 78 days longer than it was 50 years ago, according to the state Division of Fire Prevention & Control, and state forest service experts estimate nearly half of all Coloradans are at risk from wildfires.

Residents can prepare for a possible wildfire evacuation or a pre-evacuation warning by gathering important supplies and documents and making their home as fire-resistant as possible through these guidelines from the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Colorado State Forest Service and Colorado Springs Fire Department.

Supplies for wildfire emergency kit or go-bag

Three-day supply of water (1 gallon per person per day) and non-perishable food
First aid kit and sanitation supplies, including toilet paper and baby wipes
Flashlight, battery-powered radio such as a NOAA Weather Radio and extra batteries
Extra set of car keys, credit cards and cash
Extra eyeglasses, contacts, prescriptions and a week’s supply of necessary medications
Important documents and phone numbers, including insurance information
Printed map with evacuation routes marked in case your phone dies
Valuables or irreplaceable items you can easily carry
Personal electronic devices and chargers
A pair of old shoes and flashlight in case of a sudden evacuation at night
Other items needed by your family, such as baby supplies, games and activities for children, pet supplies, two-way radios and a manual can opener

What to do during a wildfire pre-evacuation warning

Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice and monitor local news for updates.
Listen to your instincts. If you think you should evacuate even if you haven’t received an official notice, evacuate now.
Back your car into the garage or park it facing the direction of escape.
Put your emergency kit, important items and valuable papers inside your car.
Wear protective clothing outside, such as sturdy shoes, cotton or wool clothing, long pants and a shirt, gloves and a handkerchief over your face.
Put your pets in one room so you can find them easily if you need to evacuate.
Set up temporary housing at a friend or family member’s home outside of the evacuation area.
Close outside doors, windows and vents but leave them unlocked.
Close inside doors to prevent drafts.
Shut off natural gas or propane at the source.
Connect garden hoses to outside faucets and fill any pools, hot tubs, tubs, garbage cans or large containers with water.
Remove flammable drapes and curtains and close all shutters and blinds.
Move flammable furniture to the center of your home, away from windows and sliding glass doors.
Move flammable items outside your home, like patio furniture, children’s toys or firewood, as far from the house as possible.
Leave interior and exterior lights on so firefighters can see in smoky conditions.
Shut off the air conditioning and sprinkler system.
Disconnect automatic garage door openers so they can still be opened if the power goes out, but leave them closed.
Check on your neighbors to make sure they’re preparing to leave.

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Colorado

Fourth of July celebrations take place all over Colorado Springs

Published

13 hours ago

July 5, 2024

Press Room

Fourth of July celebrations take place all over Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – People across Colorado Springs say they love to celebrate for several reasons, some tell me they enjoy being with friends and family. Others say every fourth to them means a little bit more after their decades of service.

“I’m obviously a 20-year veteran so yes that’s why,” Colorado Springs resident Darrell Glover said. “My son and I are going to spend a little time eating and hanging out.”

Crowds of people swarmed the grounds of Vista Park in the Banning Lewis Ranch neighborhood. Celebrating Independence Day some going to the inflatable slides, some playing volleyball while others grabbed freshly made burgers.

Across town, thousands bought tickets to see the Switchbacks play and stay afterward for one of the largest fireworks shows in Colorado springs at Wiedner Field.

“It’s the best show in town and we have a wonderful time,” Annie Coffman said. “We have a wonderful country and we want to make sure that everybody knows it.”

Earlier in the day people lined the streets for an annual Fourth of July parade in monument, dressed in red white and blue waving the American flag. For some people in the springs, the Fourth of July means more than just grilling, watching fireworks and having a drink.

“I think it’s good to be around the people you love it’s just like that’s something that’s really special is a day out of the work week usually reach me around the family that you love and the country that we all care for,” Ryan Walker said.

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Colorado

Human case of plague surfaces in Colorado

Published

20 hours ago

July 4, 2024

Press Room

Human case of plague surfaces in Colorado

A human case of the plague has turned up in Colorado, health officials say.

There were no immediate details about the victim — including age, gender or condition — or how they contracted the potentially deadly infection.

It was reported in Pueblo County south of Colorado Springs, officials said.

A resident died from the plague in Archuleta County in southwest Colorado last fall — although cases are typically rare in the US, usually numbering fewer than 17 annually, health officials said.

A worrisome human case of the plague has turned up in Pueblo, Colo. Getty Images

Pueblo’s Department of Health notes that the plague was dubbed the “Black Death” during the Middle Ages. PDPHE

“In the Middle Ages, plague was labeled ‘Black Death’ as it swept through Europe killing millions of people,’’ Pueblo County’s Department of Health says on its website, referring to how the horror left many of its victims with black rotting splotches on their bodies.

“Today, improved sanitation practices and rodent control has reduced the threat,” the DOH said.

The infamous bacterial infection is frequently transferred from rodents and their fleas to humans.

Symptoms can include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes and headaches.

The disease can be successfully treated with antibiotics if caught early enough, authorities said.

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