Bobcats Open Spring Season Thursday
3/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Montana State opens its spring season this week with a pair of tourneys in Phoenix, Western Michigan’s Rio Verde Classic and MSU’s own Bobcat Desert Classic. The trip to Phoenix represents 40% of MSU’s spring season.
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Last Fall
Montana State played four fall tournaments, and without projected starter Kristina Kurcinka showed promise tempered with inconsistency. Veteran Kylie Anderson and freshmen Kelly Gillum and Stephanie Simmons led the team.
Rio Verde Invitational
MSU faces a midwestern flavored field in Western Michigan’s spring-opening invite. The ‘Cats meet the likes of Bowling Green, Minnesota and North Texas on the 6,074-yard, par 71 White Wing course at the Rio Verde CC. The teams play 18 holes each day starting at 1 pm Thursday (3/5) and Friday (3/6), and at 8 am Saturday.
Bobcat Desert Classic
MSU will host all Big Sky schools except Portland State, along with a dozen other teams from the west and midwest. Play begins with daily shotgun starts at 7:30 am Monday (3/8), Tuesday (3/9), and Wednesday (3/10). Western Michigan and Boise State tied for first last year, while UC Riverside’s Lindsay Snowden took medalist honors with a two-round 146.
Results
Results for both tournaments will be posted on www.golfstat.com.
NOTING THE ‘CATS
Team Notes
Montana State opens its spring season the same way as last season, with tournaments hosted by Western Michigan and MSU in the Phoenix area... last year, MSU finished 14th of 17 at Rio Verde, and 14th of 18 at MSU’s spring tourney in Goodyear... the ‘Cats are looking for their first finish in the top three-quarters of a field this season.
Individual Notes
A pair of freshmen had outstanding fall seasons for the Bobcats... Kelly Gillum was MSU’s low scorer in three of the team’s four tournaments, and her scoring average of 76.9 led the team... Stephanie Simmons was in MSU’s top three in three of the four tournaments, and finished third on the team in scoring average (81.1)... Erica Leslie, the team’s only senior, averaged 84.2 in the fall, fourth-best on the team... Kylie Anderson was the only Bobcat to lead the team in scoring other than Gillum.
BOBCAT COACHING STAFF
BRITTANY BASYE
HEAD COACH
Brittany Basye, a former state champion at Billings Central and WAC Champion at New Mexico, is in her first season as MSU head coach. She was Dan Davies’ assistant for three seasons. Basye was WAC Player of the Year in ‘94, was ranked 17th nationally at one point, and qualified for ‘95 U.S. Open.
FROM BRITTANY BASYE
“We are ready to get down to Arizona and play. We’ve been working the last two months at Cottonwood and Gallatin Valley Golf and have had some quality practice time. Kristina Kurcinka is back (from student teaching in New Zealand last fall), and we’re welcoming her back with open arms. She’ll really add experience and consistency to the lineup. The team is working well together and enjoying competing with each other. That is important, and I really encourage that. We had some success individually last fall, now we need to come together and play as a team with consistency this spring. I’m looking forward to a lot of success this semester.”
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Last Fall
Montana State played four fall tournaments, and without projected starter Kristina Kurcinka showed promise tempered with inconsistency. Veteran Kylie Anderson and freshmen Kelly Gillum and Stephanie Simmons led the team.
Rio Verde Invitational
MSU faces a midwestern flavored field in Western Michigan’s spring-opening invite. The ‘Cats meet the likes of Bowling Green, Minnesota and North Texas on the 6,074-yard, par 71 White Wing course at the Rio Verde CC. The teams play 18 holes each day starting at 1 pm Thursday (3/5) and Friday (3/6), and at 8 am Saturday.
Bobcat Desert Classic
MSU will host all Big Sky schools except Portland State, along with a dozen other teams from the west and midwest. Play begins with daily shotgun starts at 7:30 am Monday (3/8), Tuesday (3/9), and Wednesday (3/10). Western Michigan and Boise State tied for first last year, while UC Riverside’s Lindsay Snowden took medalist honors with a two-round 146.
Results
Results for both tournaments will be posted on www.golfstat.com.
NOTING THE ‘CATS
Team Notes
Montana State opens its spring season the same way as last season, with tournaments hosted by Western Michigan and MSU in the Phoenix area... last year, MSU finished 14th of 17 at Rio Verde, and 14th of 18 at MSU’s spring tourney in Goodyear... the ‘Cats are looking for their first finish in the top three-quarters of a field this season.
Individual Notes
A pair of freshmen had outstanding fall seasons for the Bobcats... Kelly Gillum was MSU’s low scorer in three of the team’s four tournaments, and her scoring average of 76.9 led the team... Stephanie Simmons was in MSU’s top three in three of the four tournaments, and finished third on the team in scoring average (81.1)... Erica Leslie, the team’s only senior, averaged 84.2 in the fall, fourth-best on the team... Kylie Anderson was the only Bobcat to lead the team in scoring other than Gillum.
BOBCAT COACHING STAFF
BRITTANY BASYE
HEAD COACH
Brittany Basye, a former state champion at Billings Central and WAC Champion at New Mexico, is in her first season as MSU head coach. She was Dan Davies’ assistant for three seasons. Basye was WAC Player of the Year in ‘94, was ranked 17th nationally at one point, and qualified for ‘95 U.S. Open.
FROM BRITTANY BASYE
“We are ready to get down to Arizona and play. We’ve been working the last two months at Cottonwood and Gallatin Valley Golf and have had some quality practice time. Kristina Kurcinka is back (from student teaching in New Zealand last fall), and we’re welcoming her back with open arms. She’ll really add experience and consistency to the lineup. The team is working well together and enjoying competing with each other. That is important, and I really encourage that. We had some success individually last fall, now we need to come together and play as a team with consistency this spring. I’m looking forward to a lot of success this semester.”
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
