Women’s golf
The UCCS Mountain Lions women’s golf team wrapped up their 2022 campaign with a strong finish in the RMAC Conference Championship tournament, earning second place and the runner-up position in the finals.
Three Mountain Lions found themselves in the top five, with redshirt senior Julia Baroth, sophomore Emily Shimkus and senior Dakotah Kreil finishing strong in their tournament runs.
After holding the individual lead for the first two rounds of the tournament, Baroth fell back to second after posting a three-round score of 214. Her final round was scored as a 74, which was higher than their previous two at 71 and 69, despite nailing three birdies on the front nine to begin the round.
Baroth’s score was highlighted by 36 pars and 10 birdies, a terrific finish for the redshirt senior in a close match.
Shimkus, on the other hand, was able to garner an even-par of 72 on the final day, keeping her score clean and simple at 220. The sophomore golfer sunk an eagle on hole eight, a par 4 for the course. She was one of just five golfers to shoot an eagle during the entire tournament. During a string of three consecutive birdies for Shimkus, she held a span of shooting four-under par on the back nine.
Finally, Kreil found herself within the top five of all finishers after an impressive six birdie round on the final day, keeping her solidified at the top of the standings.
Baroth, Shimkus and Kreil all posted career-high finishes for the RMAC tournament.
Outside of the top five, the Mountain Lions were still able to compete lower in the ranks, with two other golfers within the top-40: sophomores Samantha Saile and Jordyn Allen. Saile recorded a 75 on the final day, which was her lowest of the tournament. Allen’s 81 gave her a final score of 244, good enough for 36th place in the competition.
The Mountain Lions were in second place for every single day of the RMAC tournament, staying close behind Colorado Christian University and, unfortunately, not cutting their lead short enough to overtake them.
CCU had both the highest combined and individual score over the course of the tournament, netting an 882, edging out UCCS by just eight strokes.
The Mountain Lions’ score of 890 was their highest since the RMAC expanded the golf format to three rounds in 2017-2018.
Men’s golf
UCCS men’s golf made program history in the RMAC tournament, as freshman golfer Rio Newcombe claimed the top spot among the conference and was crowned the 2022 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference individual champion.
Newcombe, a first-year golfer from Arizona, finished ten strokes under par over the course of the tournament. Per usual for Mountain Lions golfers this season, Newcombe played extremely well over the final two rounds, netting a four-under par 68 after sinking six birdies. Three of his six birdies came in the final five holes of the match,
Newcombe became the first Mountain Lion to win the individual championship since Colin Prate in 2017.
The Mountain Lions as a team also found their place in the record books following their performance, claiming their best finish in seven years. Their combined score of 855 was also their lowest tournament score of the season.
Outside of Newcombe, the Mountain Lions were the best overall team on holes that were par-3, scoring a +4 during the championships.
Redshirt junior Barrett Jones and redshirt sophomore Brandon Bervig also had impressive days for themselves, coming within the top 20 after combined scores of 215 and 218 respectively.
Brady Haake, a sophomore golfer also from Arizona, had the best performance on par-5 holes, standing alone at nine-under par in that category. Haake’s finish was a combined 221, just missing out on the top-20.
UCCS registered the most birdies of any team, with Newcombe leading the way with 16, as Bervig, Haake and redshirt junior Travis Bossio were knotted up with one another at 13.
Bassio finished just a single stroke behind Bervig with 2019, good enough to place eighteenth in the tournament.
Women’s lacrosse
UCCS women’s lacrosse, just three games out of the RMAC tournament, find themselves in a good position to make a run.
The Mountain Lions currently hold a record of 9-5, good enough for third place in the RMAC standings, trailing only Colorado Mesa and the undefeated Regis Raiders.
Recently, the Mountain Lions have excelled, winning nine of their last 11 games after a three-game losing streak to open up the season.
Sophomore midfielder Julia Patrick and junior attacker Hannah Mill highlight the offensive part of the game, with each being in the top ten in goals per game and points per game, two vital stats for attacking players.
Audrey Napp and Annalise Carr, senior and freshman midfielders, respectively, place within the top ten of assists per game, moving the ball across the field well.
UCCS is one of the best teams in the league when it comes to passing the ball. They have the most assists per game of any team with 8.42 a match.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Mountain Lions have allowed 123 goals over the course of the season, placing right in the middle of the seven qualified RMAC teams.
With this in mind, though, UCCS is also one of only three teams to have a positive point differential on the ball, holding a 3.9-point margin of victory of their games.
The Mountain Lions will have three more games left in their season before moving on to the RMAC tournament beginning May 6, where they hope to punch their ticket to the NCAA Division II Tournament.