Women's Golf | 2/8/2024 10:53:00 AM
Utah Tech will kick off its 2024 spring slate as hosts of the Second-Annual Utah Tech Trailblazer Invitational, which will be played this Sunday-through-Tuesday, Feb. 11-13.
The tournament will played at the par-72, 6,038-yard Green Spring Golf Course in Washington City, with the 18-hole rounds starting at 11 a.m. (subject to change).
The nine-team tournament field will include the Trailblazers and fellow WAC members Southern Utah and Utah Valley, along with CSUN, Eastern Washington, Gonzaga, Idaho State, UC Irvine and Western Michigan.
The five player lineup for the Trailblazers will feature senior
Grace Williams, sophomores
Jane Olson and
Brooke Gelinas, and freshmen
Mia Cesarek and
Samantha Phelan. In addition, sophomores
Jenna Anderson and
Corinne Lillywhite will play as individuals.
HEAD COACH LINDSEY STUCKI: Lindsey Stucki (Utah Tech, 2007) is in her eighth season as head coach of the Trailblazer women's golf program. Last season, Stucki led the Trailblazers to six top-10 team finishes, highlighted by a third-place showing at their own UT Invitational along with a seventh-place showing in their WAC Championships team debut.
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.
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.
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech closed out the 2023 fall season with a seventh-place finish at the Charlotte Invitational, which was played this past Oct. 16-17, at the Cabarrus Country Club in Concord, N.C.
The Trailblazers found themselves in eighth place after day one, opening with a 24-over par 312 in the morning round, before carding a 21-over 309 on their second loop. Utah Tech managed to pare off two more strokes in their final round, posting a 19-over 307 en route to a team total of plus-64 928.
Williams continued her strong fall season, recording her first top-10 finish as a Trailblazer as she tied with two others for ninth place at plus-8 224. After posting rounds of 3-over 75 and a 5-over 77 on day one, Williams fired Utah Tech's low round of the event, an even par 72, to vault six spots up the leaderboard.
Meanwhile Phelan played her way to her first collegiate top-15 individual showing. Phelan matched Williams' two scores on day one before carding a final round 4-over 76, which moved her up one spot into a tie for 14
th at plus-12 228.
Anderson opened with a pair of 7-over 79s and followed that up with an 8-over 80 on Tuesday to finish t-35
that plus-22 238, while Olson (83-77-79) wound up one shot back in solo 38
th at plus-23 239, and Gelinas (83-78-85) placed 45
th at plus-30 246.
TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE: Through four events this fall season, Williams leads the team with a 73.50 stroke average through 12 rounds with a team-best six par or better rounds, while Phelan is second 75.44 through here first nine collegiate rounds with two par or better rounds. Olson is third in stroke average at 76.17, followed by Anderson in fourth (76.67), Cesarek in fifth (77.00), Gelinas in sixth (77.33) and Lillywhite is seventh (81.33).
2024 SPRING SCHEDULE: The Trailblazers will play in five regular season events this spring, and including two events in their backyard. Including this week's Invitational, Utah Tech will play in the SUU Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird Invite at Sunbrook Golf Course next month (March 7-9).
Utah Tech will also play a pair of events in Arizona, starting with the Western Michigan-hosted Rio Verde Invitational (Feb. 23-25) at Rio Verde CC, and the Montana State Bobcat Desert Classic (April 8-10) at The Golf Club of Estrella in Goodyear. The Blazers will also head back east for the Georgia State Inv'l at Rivermont Golf Club in Johns Creek, Ga.
The 2024 WAC Women's Golf Championships will be played on April 18-21, at The Rim Golf Club in Payson, Ariz.
