The Fort Lewis College women's and men’s golf teams wrapped up their seasons at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship, played Sunday through Tuesday at the Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Arizona. The FLC men, led by three top-10 finishes, placed fifth in the team race while the women finished ninth.
The Skyhawks finished +3 after 54-holes. CSU Pueblo took home the men’s championship crown after going -19, UCCS came in second place at -9, followed by Colorado Christian (857), Westminster (860), the Skyhawks (867), Colorado Mesa (869), Regis (901), Colorado School of Mines (911) and South Dakota Mines (921).
Samuel Salisbury led FLC with a fourth-place finish after going -7. Darren Edwards and Nicholas Krantz rounded out the top-10 performers in a tie for ninth (-2).
The Skyhawks made a statement on Day 1, going -1 to rank second overall through 18 holes. Edwards was the team's leader with a -3 outing to sit tied for third. The senior picked it up in the back nine, sinking a trio of birdies. Krantz wasn't far behind with a -2 day which was good for sixth. Krantz carded four birdies in his final nine holes. Salisbury was tied for ninth after Day 1, starting the round with a pair of birdies to set the senior up for an even round.
Salisbury went -5 in the second round with an onslaught of birdies. Three of those birdies came via five par holes. Edwards was +1. Both Ronald Kildall III and Krantz went +3 for the round. Krantz notched two double bogeys but rebounded with birdies on his final two holes. Kildall III shot three birdies for the round.
Krantz led the team on Day 3 with a -3, recording the group's lone eagle of the championship on a 337-yard par four. He suffered a late double bogey but pulled out a birdie on his 18th hole. Salisbury followed with a -2 round with three birdies on the back nine. Edwards who was -2 through nine holes, but had two bogeys on the final nine holes to finish even. Rottschafer was +7 for the round with three birdies.
Brooke Sturtevant led the FLC women with a 24th-place finish after going +21 through three rounds. Emma Tornroos followed in 40th place overall at +31. Kendal Gutierrez and Molly Schwartz rounded out the top four for Fort Lewis with 42nd and 43rd place rounds, respectively.
On Day 1, Emilia Manntz and Schwartz each went +10 in the opening round to pace the team. Manntz carded a birdie to go along with nine pars en route to the finish while Schwartz had a +4 back nine with six pars. Tornroos and Sturtevant were even as well, going +11 through 18 holes in the opening round. Sturtevant shot +2 back nine after struggling early. Tornroos has a similar outing, going +4 with a birdie through the final nine holes.
Sturtevant had her best round of the championship on Day 2, going +3 with 15 pars. Three Skyhawks that went +13 for round two. Tornroos notched seven pars along the way while Manntz and Gutierrez totaled 15 pars and one birdie for the round.
The Skyhawks played their best round of the championship on Day 3, shooting a +30 for a 318 score. Gutierrez led the way, going +6 with 12 pars. Sturtevant and Tornroos followed at +7 with Sturtevant carding the team's lone birdie for the day. Schwartz was the final competitor for Fort Lewis, rounding out her showing with a +10 finish.
CCU won the women’s team title (882), followed by UCCS (890), Regis (923), Colorado Mesa (925), CSU Pueblo (931), MSU Denver (935), Westminster (945), Chadron (957), FLC (984), Black Hills State (1099) and Adams State (1109).
Rio Newcombe of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs claimed the RMAC men’s individual championship with a -10, while CCU’s Faith Kilgore earned the women’s individual title with a -3.
