April 28, 2009

By Kaity Mallo
Athletic Media Relations

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Thursday marks the start of the MWC men’s golf championships in Tucson, Ariz.

The CSU team hopes to repeat as Mountain West champions this year. Last season, the Rams overcame an eight-stroke deficit entering the third round in order to claim victory with a four-stroke lead. With a win in this year’s championship, the Rams will tie BYU’s conference record of six team titles in the season.

The competition will be hosted by the Omni Tucson National Golf Course. Live hole-by-hole scoring will be provided on the Mountain West Conference Web site and Golfstat.com. For pairings and other information regarding the tournament, visit the MWC golf championship page at www.TheMWC.com.

The MWC championships follow the conclusion of the Rams’ final regular-season tournament last weekend. The Rams claimed second place on Saturday at the PING Cougar Classic in Provo, Utah, after a climb from fifth place during the second day of competition. A highlight performance was Riley Arp shooting a 65, a season- and tournament-low round that was enough to move Arp into fourth place overall.

Softball in Greeley, Albuquerque
Colorado State’s softball team played its way to a 7-4 home finale victory against San Diego State on Sunday at Ram Field. Sunday’s game was also Senior Appreciation Day for the team, with seniors Shannon Causgrove, Kim Klabough and Michelle Reynolds being honored in a pregame ceremony.

The victory Sunday was a much-needed relief after the Rams lost the previous two home games to UNLV and San Diego State over the weekend.

Competition will continue for the softball team as the Rams travel to Greeley, Colo., on Tuesday for a doubleheader against in-state rival Northern Colorado. The first game begins at 3 p.m. MDT, with the second one following shortly after. The Rams faced Northern Colorado one other time this season, when they defeated the Bears at Ram Field, 10-9.

The Rams will then travel to Albuquerque, N.M., Saturday to take on New Mexico. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. MDT and will be televised on The Mtn.

Outdoor track and field at Front Range Classic
Saturday, the Colorado State outdoor track and field team will travel across the border to Laramie, Wyo., to participate at the Front Range Classic. This is one of the two remaining meets the team has before MWC championships. The Rams hope to improve their number of regional-qualifying athletes at before the NCAA regional meet held May 29-30.

Last weekend was busy for the outdoor track and field team. The Rams added four new regional-qualifiers during their two home meets to raise the total to 13. Freshman Spenser Lynass and sophomore Jake Keyser both qualified in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Oregon Relays on Friday.

The two most recent regional qualifications were achieved during the chilly Jack Christiansen Invite on Saturday, Colorado State’s largest home track meet of the season. Junior Doug Dieker set a personal best in the pole vault and junior Tyson Williams also qualified in the shot put.