STOCKTON,CA- The Cougars headed to California to take part in the NCAA West Regional May 2-4. In an incredible team performance, Colorado Christian took home second place out of the top 12 teams in the region, and Faith Kilgore won the individual title by an astounding three strokes. The second-place finish qualifies the Cougars for the NCAA Championships in Gainesville, Georgia May 10-14. It will be the first time in program history that Colorado Christian will head to the Championships.
ROUND ONE
Kilgore started her incredible title run with a 68 for four under par in a round that included three birdies and an eagle on hole 18. Courtney Andersson posted a 74 and Emily Donaldson netted a 75 in her initial round. Kiersten Bryant posted a 79 followed by Emily Doeden with an 84.
ROUND TWO
Kilgore continued her strong play with a 69 on day two, putting in four birdies on the round. Donaldson played excellent, posting a 70 with four birdies of her own to climb up the leaderboard heading into the final day. Andersson shot a 75 and Bryant netted a 74 to shave five strokes off her previous round. Doeden closed with a 90.
"Cannot describe to you the amount of skill it took to put down the round they put the second day. The wind was blowing 30 and it was just brutal. For them to throw down a even par team round, program record in those conditions on this hard of a course is just insane," Head Coach Philip Nelson said. "One of the most impressive team rounds I've watched in a long time."
ROUND THREE
On the final day of competition, Kilgore remained locked in, shooting a 70 including a birdie on hole 10 as she claimed the individual title amongst 66 golfers. Donaldson had a special day, shooting three under par for a 69 with a trio of birdies to take fifth place overall.
Andersson shot a 73 that placed her in 19th overall while Bryant posted a 77 to claim 42nd. Doeden did not compete in the final round due to an illness.
"Really proud of the girls. We were the 11th seed out of 12 teams and to finish 2nd in that field and do it in a final group today paired with DBU who's the number one team in the nation andjust went toe to toe with them was just impressive," said Nelson.
As a team, the Cougars shot a total of 873, taking second place overall behind only the defending national champions and current number one ranked Dallas Baptist. The Cougars took down eight teams ranked higher than them in the national rankings in an incredible display. This was the best placing at a regional in program history as the 2021-22 squad continues to make history.
UP NEXT- The Cougars will close their season at the NCAA Championships hosted by North Georgia at the Chattahoochee Golf Club in Gainesville, Georgia May 10-14.
