The Fort Lewis College women’s golf team placed 13th at the Pack Classic, hosted by CSU Pueblo at the Walking Stick Golf Course on Sunday and Monday.
Emma Tornoos led the Skyhawks, finishing tied for 39th win a round-one score of 80 and a total of 161. Brooke Sturtevant finished in 43rd place. Sturtevant carded an 82 on round one and an 80 in round two for a total of 162. Molly Schwartz followed in 57th place outing, going 81 for round one and 86 for round two, for a total of 167. Kendal Guiterrez and Emilia Manntz followed in 64th and 73rd place, respectively.
Fort Lewis finished with a team score of 659, finishing ahead of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponents South Dakota Mines, 688, and Black Hills State, 798. Nebraska Kearney won the team title (607). Colorado Christian's Faith Kilgore took home the individual crown after carding a 36-hole total of 142.
Fort Lewis will next compete April 1-2 at the RJGA Palm Valley Shootout in Goodyear, Arizona.
The Fort Lewis College women’s outdoor track team opened the first season under head coach Shawn Jakubowski on Friday and Saturday at the Dr. Dan Caprioglio Early Bird, hosted by CSU Pueblo.
“Overall, this was a great opening day for our women's track program,” Jakubowski said. “The goal coming in was to put ourselves in position to compete well and work on race tactics, and that's exactly what the women did today. Many of them ran events outside their comfort zone, and they did a fantastic job executing the race plan today. Anytime you leave the first meet of the year with personal bests it’s a good day at the track.”
Brandy Ray led the group in the 5,000 meters, finishing 16th in 20:18.29. Katherine Gaughn was hot on her heels, crossing 18th in 23:10. Adams State’s Brianna Robles won in 17:33.28.
In the 1,500 meters, Angel Curley finished 11th in 5:00.08. Esther Beck came in 24th in 5:20.48, followed by a 25th-place outing for Celine Nez (5:20.88).
Saylor Sargent and Katie Fankhouser made their debuts in the 800, finishing seventh and 11th, respectively, in personal records of 2:17.87 and 2:21.21.
In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Carmella Wright (fifth, 12:28.09) and Peyton Burnside (seventh, 13:35.20) competed for FLC. The Skyhawks also ran in the 4x400 relay: Krista Benze, Sargent, Curley and Fankhouser placed fourth in 4:14.08.
The FLC men had a handful of competitors in the 5,000, led by Steven Nez’s seventh-place finish in 15:20.81. Ethan Bartlett (12th, 15:26.31), Ricardo Trejo (17th, 15:47.30), Henry Barth (23rd, 16:03.64), Preston Graul (24th, 16:07.55) and Cody Speece (26th, 16:10.80) also ran for the Skyhawks. Western Colorado’s Gabriel Sams won the race in 14:50.12.
A handful of Skyhawks clocked times in the 800, led by Aaron Busche, who finished 21st in 1:59.83. Brady Burrough came in 26th place (2:03.26), followed by Javier Victorino (33rd, 2:06.40).
“This was a decent opener for us,” said men’s track and field head coach Joshua Coon. “We’ve had a lot of guys getting over sickness and some athletes getting over small injuries, so we were more cautious this meet.”
The Skyhawks will be back in action April 1 at the Maverick Multi & Open in Grand Junction.
“Overall, we are aiming for mid- to late-April to be in peak form,” Coon said. “The guys are trending well, and I’m excited to see where we go from here.”
