The Cowboy golf team finished eighth this past weekend at the Mountain West Championships held in Tucson, Ariz.
“We were close,” said head coach Joe Jensen. “It was a solid tournament. I am proud of the kids and I am proud of how hard they played.”
Freshman Ryan Wallen led the way for the Cowboys with his career-best score of 218 (+5). He saved his best round for last as he shot a closing round 70 on Sunday. His tie for 18th was his first top-20 finish of the season.
“I was very appreciative of the way he played,” said Jensen of Wallen. “I give him a lot of credit.”
The team as a whole recorded a score of 884, the third best team score for Wyoming at the Mountain West Championships.
“It was a good start after day one,” said Jensen. “We slipped a little bit on the second day with the bad weather and we hung in there on the third day.”
Sophomore Kamrin Allen placed second for the Cowboys with a score of 220 (+7), which put him tied for 22nd. Allen started the championships off with an opening round 69, but struggled the next two days, shooting a 76 on Saturday and a 75 on Sunday.
Senior Eddie Stewart carded a 223 (+10), which was good enough for third for the Cowboys and a tie for 33rd overall. Stewart closed the championships with a 71, his best round of the weekend after battling a sickness the entire tournament.
Senior Brent Baylon placed fourth for the Cowboys with a score of 224 (+11), good enough for a tie for 36th. Baylon showed consistency with scores of 74, 75 and 75.
Rounding out the Cowboys was senior Eric Parish who placed 52nd with a score of 234 (+21).
New Mexico won the championship with a team score 846 (-6). San Diego State placed second with a team score of 849 (-3) and UNLV rounded out the top three with a score of 851 (-1).
There was tie atop the individual scoring as New Mexico’s Gavin Green, junior, and San Diego State’s Riccardo Michelini, sophomore, shared the crown with scores of 209 (-4) each.
This concluded the season for the Cowboy golf team. They now turn their focus to academics.
“We have another season left,” said Jensen. “Our goal is to win the National Championships in academics.”
The future is very bright for Cowboy golf as head coach Joe Jensen is bringing in some big-time recruits.
“I am bringing in arguably a top-3 kid from Colorado, a top-3 kid from Washington, and this past year I redshirted arguably the best player out of South Dakota,” Jensen said. “Our goal is to be a top-75 team in the country and we are real close.”
