University of Colorado Colorado Springs claims the top spot on the 2022-23 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women’s Golf Preseason Poll, the league announced Wednesday. The Mountain Lions lead the way in preseason voting with 110 points and a trio of first-place votes. The RMAC Women’s Golf Preseason Poll is voted on by the league’s 12 head coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their program.
UCCS narrowly holds the top spot in the league’s preseason coaches’ poll after claiming second place at last season’s 2022 RMAC Women’s Golf Championship. The Mountain Lions return Emily Shimkus and Samantha Saile, whom each placed among the top 20 finishers at last year’s RMAC Championship. Shimkus carded a 220 for fourth place at the conference championship, while Saile closed the tournament tied for 18th place. The Mountain Lions claimed two first-place team finishes last season and five top-five finishes.
Colorado Christian claims the second-place position, right on the heels of the Mountain Lions, with 109 points and a league-best seven first-place votes. The Cougars are under new leadership this season as Ashlyn Kennedy, a former member of the CCU program (2014-17), takes the helm for a program that made history last season. In the 2022 postseason, Colorado Christian claimed the RMAC Championship before taking second at the NCAA West Regional and tying for 12th at the NCAA Championship in Gainesville, Ga. The Cougars return a trio of all-conference selections from last season in Emily Donaldson (first team), Courtney Andersson (first team) and Kiersten Bryant (second team).
Colorado State University Pueblo resides in third place with 91 points and one first-place vote. The ThunderWolves return a 2021-22 RMAC All-Conference First Team selection in Kylie Severin. Severin enters her junior after placing 12th individually to push the Pack to a fifth-place team finish at last season’s RMAC Championship. Zoey Rodriguez also returns for the ThunderWolves after tying for 24th individually at last season’s conference tournament.
Colorado Mesa claims the league’s final first-place vote, along with 83 points, to secure the fourth-place position in preseason voting. Metropolitan State University of Denver stands fifth overall with 78 points, followed by Regis in sixth place with 73 points. Westminster earns 71 points for seventh place, just ahead of Chadron State in eighth place with 64 points.
Fort Lewis occupies ninth place with 41 points, while South Dakota Mines (28 points), Black Hills State (26 points) and Adams State (18 points) round out the preseason poll.
The 2023 RMAC Women’s Golf Championship is scheduled for April 23-25, at Boulder Creek Golf Club Las Vegas, Nev.