Our men's golf team began the week in Amarillo, Texas as they competed in the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invite. The GCAA Division II Coaches Poll also came out this past week with our men's golf team ranked 15th in the Nation! A huge accomplishment as they continue to move up in rankings. Our men's and women's soccer teams both competed this week as well with the women's team facing Mesa and Westminster in two away games. The men's team took on CSU-P and UCCS which followed with a loss and tie matching the same results for women's soccer. Volleyball also competed away this past week and faced opponents, Regis and UCCS. They ended up with a win against UCCS and will be back at it again this Friday and Saturday in the event center! Cross country also had an incredible weekend as they competed in the ESU Invite and Lewis Crossover. The Lewis Crossover is one of the biggest cross country meets of the year, and our men's team took second place while our women's team took 5th out of 31 teams! Matthew Storer finished first place as an individual followed by two other top ten finishes from Trent Cochran and Alex Vance.
This week, we have six home games over the weekend and both of our golf teams are competing today!
Men's Golf
10/3 AMARILLO, TX- The Cougars headed south to Texas to take part in the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invite October 2-3 hosted by West Texas A&M. After two rounds on day one and the final round on day two, Colorado Christian finished in 10th out of the 17 teams competing.
ROUND ONE
Xavier Bighaus led the team in the first round, carding a 70 on the par 71 course with five birdies. Peyton Jones followed with an even par 71 with five birdies as well. Adam Duncan posted a 73, while Bradley Mulder shot a 75. Dylan Arthur carded a 77 as the team headed into round two.
ROUND TWO
Arthur shaved six strokes in the second round, shooting a 71 on five birdies. Bighaus and Duncan each carded 71s, and Jones shot a 74. Mulder tallied a 77 to close the day.
ROUND THREE
Bighaus posted a 73 in the final round to claim a tie for 13th overall. Jones was stellar with a 71 to tie for 18th, while Duncan had a 75 to tie for 37th. Arthur shot a 76 to tie for 55th, and Mulder tallied a 77 to tie for 67th.
As a team, the Cougars shot an 873 (289, 289, 295) to claim tenth place overall.
Colorado Christian will now return to Colorado to take part in the Regis Fall Invite October 9-10 at the Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster.
10/6 LAKEWOOD, CO- The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) released their second Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Coaches Poll on Friday, and Colorado Christian checked in at #15 in the top 25 this week.
CCU started out the year at #17 on the poll and moved up several spots after a strong start to the season. They began with a victory at the Writz at Mile High before claiming second at the RJGA South Central Shootout. This season, the Cougars have lofty goals of making it to the NCAA Championships, and they certainly have the talent to do so. As the fall season progresses, look for CCU to climb even further in the rankings as they continue to improve.
Full Top 25 Rankings
Women's Soccer Recap
10/6 GRAND JUNCTION, CO- CCU headed west to take on RMAC rival Colorado Mesa on Friday night. The Mavericks built a 2-0 lead as they held on for a 2-1 victory in the end.
The Cougars nearly struck in the first minute of play as Capri Dewing hit the top woodwork on a shot that narrowly missed. Alana Lopp made a save a few minutes later, and then another in the 12th minute as CMU started to pressure offensively. The pressure continued and paid off in the 36th minute after a penalty kick was saved from Lopp, but the rebound was knocked in for a 1-0 lead for the hosts. Skylee Deladurantaye forced a save late in the half, but the two teams went to the break with the Mavericks leading 1-0.
Colorado Mesa struck again early in the half as they made it 2-0 in the 49th minute. The Mavericks continued to put shot after shot on goal, but Lopp continued to make the saves needed. In the 85th minute, Dewing set up Ava Dinverno as she slotted one home to cut the deficit to one goal. Unfortunately, that was the last shot that CCU got off as CMU held on for the 2-1 victory.
Lopp was outstanding all evening, recording an impressive 10 saves. Dinverno tallied her first goal as a Cougar as the visitors nearly rallied for the tie.
10/8 SALT LAKE CITY, UT- The Cougars continued their roadtrip on Sunday as they headed to Utah to take on Westminster University. After a hard fought 90 minutes, neither team was able to breakthrough as the match ended in a 0-0 draw.
The Griffins started on the front foot with a barrage of shots, but Alana Lopp made some strong saves to stave off the attacks. Skylee Deladurantaye and Capri Dewing took a pair of shots on goal, but both were saved. Jessica Sims then took a pair of shots on goal, but each team went to the break scoreless.
WU got off several shots, but again the tremendous play of Lopp overcame the attempts as she made the saves needed. Kiley Connery then got off a shot on goal but the Griffins keeper was up to the task. The defense set in from there as neither team really threatened and the game ended in a scoreless tie.
Lopp was stellar with 9 saves during the game, and Dewing led with four shots.
Men's Soccer Recap
10/6 LAKEWOOD, CO- The Cougars hosted their first conference competition of the season as CSU Pueblo came to town to battle it out. The #8 Thunderwolves and CCU played a hard fought match to the end, but a penalty kick granted in the last 15 seconds of the match was the difference in a 1-0 CSUP victory.
The offense got going early for CCU as Devin Najarro and Gabe Roloff got off shots quickly. Lucca Casci had a look in the 24th that missed narrowly as the game stayed scoreless. The Thunderwolves ratcheted up their pressure in the last 10 minutes of the half, forcing three saves from keeper Michel Pinoncely as the half ended with a 0-0 scoreline.
The second half was defensive as both teams sought to break through for the winner. Pinoncely made another strong save in the 69th before Roloff headed a shot on goal on a nice cross that forced a save. The teams battled to the final seconds, when CSU Pueblo was granted a penalty with 15 seconds remaining. The call was very controversial and led to a very tough 1-0 loss in the end.
Pinoncely was strong with four saves, while Roloff led with a pair of shots. The game got very physical in the second half as the teams combined for 36 fouls.
10/8 LAKEWOOD, CO- Colorado Christian took on UCCS on Sunday afternoon in an important conference matchup. The Cougars struck late in the first half, but a Mountain Lions equalizer in the second resulted in a 1-1 tie.
UCCS started on the front foot as they held a majority of the possession early on, but CCU never let any real threats on goal come through. The Cougars offense started to pressure, and in the 39th minute it paid off. A long free kick from Caiden Dixon launched into the box where it found the waiting foot of Drew Brown. Brown passed out of a crowd to the top of the 18 yard box, and Matthew Beaulieu slotted home a beautiful goal with his left foot to give his team the lead. The two teams went to the break with a 1-0 lead for the hosts.
The Mountain Lions fought hard for a goal in the second half to equalize, but Michel Pinoncely made a strong save to keep it scoreless in the 61st. However, in the 69th the visitors struck for the tie with a strong shot to the right side of the goal that snuck through. The last real look of the match came in the 78th off of a corner from the Cougars. Adrian Diaz chipped it beautifully into the box where Gabe Roloff headed it towards the goal. Unfortunately the keeper made a great save diving to his right to keep the tie alive. That was the last shot on goal for either team as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
It was a very even game with two shots on goal per team. Each keeper made a save in the 1-1 result.
Colorado Christian will be back at Trailblazer Stadium for their next game on October 13 at 11 a.m. MST against Westminster University.
Volleyball Recap
10/6 DENVER, CO- Colorado Christian headed to nearby Regis as they continued RMAC play on Friday night. The Rangers proved too much on this particular night as they won the match in straight sets over the Cougars.
CCU started out the first set even with Regis as Connelly Kilgore put down a kill early. Izzy Jones served up an ace midway through the set to make it 12 apiece as the teams grappled for an advantage. Libby Goodman slammed home a kill as the Rangers led just 21-20 late. However, the hosts were able to go on a 4-1 run to close the set out 25-21.
Regis took control of the second set early and never relinquished their grip on the set. Kristina House tied it at five with an ace early, but from there it was all Rangers. They built a commanding 19-11 lead before claiming the set 25-14.
Renee Phillips and Goodman tallied consecutive kills to start set three as the Cougars got off to a strong start. Phillips tied the set at eight with a kill as the teams battled back and forth. A Goodman ace gave CCU the lead 15-12 as they began to separate slightly. However, a six-point run from the hosts gave them the three-point edge. From there the Rangers took control and closed out the match with a final set score of 25-21.
Goodman led the offense with 10 kills while Abby Breeding and Phillips tallied eight. Izzy Jones stayed consistent with 34 assists, and House led the defense with eight digs.
10/7 COLORADO SPRINGS, CO- CCU drove south to nearby UCCS as the two teams battled for a conference win. With each team winning two straight sets, it was the Cougars who buckled down in the fifth set to win it by eight points and claim the match in five.
Colorado Christian started strong as they took a 9-6 lead on a pair of kills from Connelly Kilgore. A four-point run led by an Abby Breeding ace pushed the advantage to 15-8. Libby Goodman later made it 18-12 with a kill and CCU eventually closed out the set 25-18.
Set two saw another strong start from the Cougars as they claimed a 6-2 lead on several Mountain Lion errors. Renee Phillips made it 12-8 as she slammed one home from the middle, and the lead later sat at 20-15 after another Kilgore kill. Consecutive aces from Breeding gave the Cougars set point, and they finished it off with a 25-20 set win.
UCCS was determined to extend the match past set three, and they did just that. Controlling the set throughout, the lead sat at 17-9 before the hosts lead grew to 23-12. They eventually claimed the set 25-16 to push the match to a fourth set.
Kills from Goodman and Lilly Woods had CCU ahead 3-2 early, but the Mountain Lions went on a run from there to grab an 8-3 advantage. The Cougars could never gain the lead again in the set, as UCCS played well throughout the set to take it by a score of 25-17 and force a deciding fifth set.
Every point is vital in a 15 point set and it is important to get off to a strong start to take control. Colorado Christian did just that, scoring the sets first three points on a kill and ace from Phillips and a Woods kill. A Kilgore kill grew the lead to 6-1 as things looked to be going firmly the Cougars way. CCU never let the hosts get too close, tallying three straight kills to bring up set point at 14-6. They closed out the set and the match with a final set score of 15-7 as the thriller ended in an important conference win for the Cougars.
Goodman was effective all night offensively with 18 kills, while Kilgore and Phillips had 13 apiece. Izzy Jones remained consistent with another strong night as she tallied 43 assists. Savannah Overson had an impressive 18 digs, while Tarryn Debenedetto and Breeding had 14 each. At the net, Phillips had five blocks and Woods had four.
After a victory to close the weekend of play, CCU will now host Adams State on October 13 at 7 p.m. MST.
Cross Country Recap
10/7 ROMEOVILLE, IL- Cross country was in Illinois on Saturday morning as they took part in the Lewis Crossover amongst a plethora of talented teams. Led by some really strong late pushes, the women claimed 5th while the men took 2nd on the back of an individual victory from Matthew Storer.
The women ran first, and from the start the competition was fierce. The team was in seventh after the first split, but then they kicked it into gear. Shannon King was the top finisher as she flew to a 14th place finish with a time of 21:37.8. Molly Miller and Paige Tack came in next, placing 31st and 32nd with marks of 22:01.7 and 22:01.8 respectively. Lucy Pidek came next with a time of 22:29.7, and Michelle Burroughs rounded out the top five with a run of 22:38.8. It was a gritty fifth place finish for the ladies as they beat out the two teams behind them by two and four points to claim the spot.
The men came next, and from the start they looked determined and fast. Matthew Storer was not only the first finisher on his team, but he was the first to finish the entire race of 31 teams. The redshirt sophomore stayed connected towards the front of the pack, and then kicked into a new gear towards the end as he claimed his first victory of the season with a time of 23:46.7. Following in fourth place was Trent Cochran, who ran a time of 23:56.0 to get into the top five. Alex Vance took 9th with a run of 24:12.6. Zach Vance took 25th as he ran a 24:40.5, while Caleb Hershey rounded out his teams' top five with a run of 24:51.2.
It was a very successful meet for the Cougars as they prepare for the RMAC Championships and NCAA Regionals.
Women's Top-10: 1. Lindsay Cunningham (Winona State) 20:06.8; 2. Kaylee Beyer (Winona State) 21:02.9; 3. Klaudia O'Malley (Grand Valley St.) 21:06.2; 4. Liz Wamsley (Hillsdale) 21:06.9; 5. Kylie Anicic (Edinboro) 21:17.3; 6. Linda Weigang (Fort Lewis) 21:24.7; 7. Holly Moser (Mines) 21:26.0; 8. Hannah Smrcka (Lewis) 21:30.0; 9. Margaux Basart (Mines) 21:32.2; 10. Clare Peters (Mines) 21:32.3
Colorado Christian Women: 1. Shannon King: 21:37.8; 2. Molly Miller: 22:01.7; 3. Paige Tack: 22:01.8; 4. Lucy Pidek: 22:29.7; 5. Michelle Burroughs: 22:38.8; 6. Zanzie Demco: 22:50.9; 7. Callie Ketner: 23:03.0; 8. Alysia Wagner: 23:06.6; 9. Norah Thompson: 23:08.7; 10. Beth Pierantoni: 23:34.6
Men's Top-10: 1. Matthew Storer (Colorado Christian) 23:46.7; 2. Duncan Fuehne (Mines) 23:49.7; 3. Ransom Allen (Wayne State) 23:55.8; 4. Trent Cochran (Colorado Christian) 23:56.0; 5. Noah Fisher (Findlay) 23:57.1; 6. Andrew Kaye (Mines) 24:02.0; 7. Logan Bocovich (Mines) 24:02.8; 8. John O'Malley (Mines) 24:05.2; 9. Alex Vance (Colorado Christian) 24:12.6; 10. Cole Nash (Alaska Anchorage) 24:15.5
Colorado Christian Men: 1. Matthew Storer: 23:46.7; 2. Trent Cochran: 23:56.0; 3. Alex Vance: 24:12.6; 4. Zach Vance: 24:40.5; 5. Caleb Hershey: 24:51.2; 6. Klay Grant: 25:04.0; 7. Mateo Luna: 25:13.4; 8. Isaac Roberts: 25:20.1; 9. Ethan Wampler: 25:53.8; 10. Clayton Ackley: 26:08.4; 11. Luke Meyer: 26:12.0
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