Women's Golf | 10/3/2024 12:39:00 PM

After a two-week hiatus, Utah Tech women's golf heads to the "Windy City" this upcoming Monday and Tuesday to play at the Loyola Chicago Parkinson Family Invitational. The two day, 54-hole event will be played at the par-72, 6,009-yard Merit Club in Libertyville, Ill.

The 13-team tournament field will include the Trailblazers along with fellow WAC member California Baptist, Ball State, Bowling Green, Butler, Creighton, Dayton, Illinois-Chicago, Illinois State, Omaha, South Dakota State, St. Thomas, and the host Ramblers. 

The five player lineup for the Trailblazers will feature juniors Jenna Anderson and Jane Olson, sophomores Mia Cesarek and Samantha Phelan, and freshman Maria Purroy Galan.

HEAD COACH LINDSEY STUCKI: Lindsey Stucki (Utah Tech, 2007) is in her ninth season as head coach of the Trailblazer women's golf program. 
        Last season, Coach Stucki led the Trailblazers to eight top-10 showings in 10 team events, highlighted by a fifth-place finish as hosts of its Utah Tech Trailblazer Invitational in February, and a seventh-place showing at the Western Athletic Conference Championships.
        In addition, all seven of her players went on to earn 2023-24 Academic All-WAC, and WGCA Academic All-America Scholars honors, while three others were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team.  
        During her tenure as Utah Tech head coach, Stucki has guided the Blazers to a runner-up Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference team finish in 2019, and to consecutive fifth-place finishes at the Pacific West Conference Championships in 2017 and 2018. 
        Prior to her arrival at Utah Tech, she served as assistant golf professional at the Sand Hollow Golf Resort, and as an LPGA assistant teaching professional for the City of St. George. Stucki also spent two seasons on the coaching staff of the Hurricane High School girl's golf program, including a one-year stint as the Tigers' head coach in the 2010-11 season. 
        Coach Stucki, who is an apprentice member of the LPGA T&CP, played collegiately at the University of Central Arkansas, where she helped lead the Bears to six-consecutive team tournament wins and a Gulf South Conference championship.
        Coach Stucki is joined on her staff this season by first-year assistant coach Caylyn Ponich, who just completed her four-year collegiate playing career at Utah Valley.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech continued its solid start to the 2024-25 fall season with a third-place finish at the rain-shortened Weber State Kelsey Chugg Invitational, which was played back on Sept. 16-17, at the Wolf Creek Resort Golf Course in Eden, Utah.
        The Trailblazers stood in second place after their opening 18 holes on Monday morning after shooting a combined 19-over par 307, which was four shots off the pace set by fellow WAC member California Baptist (+15, 303).
        Utah Tech was nine shots better in its afternoon loop with a 10-over 298 to close day one at plus-29 605 overall. 
        However heavy rain from overnight thunderstorms pounded the Ogden Valley, which led to the golf course being deemed unplayable and forced the cancellation of the Invitational's final round.
        Purroy Galan continued the torrid pace to her collegiate career with her second top-five showing in as many events, finishing in a three-way tie for second overall at plus-1 145. The freshman rolled in three birdies as part of an opening 2-over 74, then came back with two more birdies and 15 pars to card a 1-under 71 in round two.
        Phelan also came away with her second top-five finish of the young season, tying three others for fifth place at plus-6 150. Phelan co-led the team with six total birdies over her two rounds en route to a combined plus-10 154. After opening with a 5-over 77, Phelan bounced back with a 1-over 73 on her second loop to vault from a tie for 16^th into the top-five overall.
        Anderson (76-78-154) also rolled in six total birdies over her two loops, three in each round, to finish in a four-way tie for 17^th at plus-10 154. Meanwhile Cesarek (80-77) and junior Jane Olson (80-77) both carded matching plus-13 157 scores to tie with four others for 29^th-overall.

TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE: Through two events this fall season, Purroy Galan leads the team with a 71.60 stroke average through five rounds with a team-best three par or better rounds, while Phelan is second 72.60 with two par or better rounds over her first five rounds overall. 
Cesarek is third in stroke average at 75.60 through five rounds, followed by Anderson in fourth at 76.40, and Olson in fifth at 77.40 after two tourneys.

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: The Trailblazers will enjoy another two week break before hopping on over to the Islands for the Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine Invitational. The three-day, 54-hole event will be played on Oct. 21-23 at the Kapolei Golf Club.