Women Golfers Tied For Fifth At Spring Break Classic

KAPALUA, Hawaii – With senior Jenny Coleman once again leading the way, the University of Colorado women's golf team has begun the Anuenue Spring Break Classic tied for fifth in the 15-team field. The Buffaloes shot 13-over par 301 in the first day of action at the par-72, 6,022-yard The Bay Course at Kapalua.

“It was a tough day, the winds were blowing pretty much 25 miles per hour or more today, so it made it very challenging.” CU head coach Anne Kelly said. “Jenny (Coleman) and Natalie (Vivaldi) played well … We're hanging in there. I'm not satisfied with how we did today, but I'm not disappointed either. I think we'll continue to make progress. We look forward to playing tomorrow and seeing what we can do.”

All five teams ranked in the Golfstat top 50 sit in the top five of the tournament. No. 15 Pepperdine and No. 10 Washington hold solid leads with 2-over par 290s. San Jose State is in third with an 8-over par 296 scorecard. No. 37 UC Davis is 10-over par for fourth place, while the No. 49 Buffs and Santa Clara are tied for fifth with 13-over par 301 performances.

Jenny Coleman is just two strokes off the lead, shooting an even par 72 in Monday's first round. Despite bogeys on the Nos. 8 and 18, Coleman shot par of better on 16 holes. She especially shined on the par-4, 423-yard No. 9 and the par-3, 144-yard No. 17, making birdies on each. The birdies were her program-best 300th and 301st.

“Jenny really hit some great shots today,” Kelly said. “She almost made a hole-in-one on No. 17 and lipped out for eagle on No. 9. She was really hitting the ball well and hitting it right on the pins today.”

Natalie Vivaldi continues to improve and impress in her freshman season. The newcomer is tied for 12th with a 2-over par 74 scorecard. Vivaldi began the day with a birdie on her fourth hole, the 530-yard No. 18. Vivaldi ended her front nine and began the back under par, going 2-under par with her third birdie of the day on the par-5 No. 6. She faced some bigger challenges to close the day, making four birdies on her final eight holes.

“Natalie started out well, got herself under par and stayed there for a while and finished up 2-over par, which is really not a bad round, especially for a freshman playing in this type of wind for the first time,” Kelly said.

Sophomore Jamie Oleksiew is tied for 35th after shooting 5-over par 77. Oleksiew hit a rough patch in the middle of her front nine, making a bogey and then a double bogey on holes 2 and 3, but she began to make her way back, going par or better on seven of her final nine holes. With a 6-over par 78, senior Kristin Coleman is tied for 45th. Coleman went over par on three of her front nine holes, but ended the day with six straight pars.

“Jamie and Kristin I think are really close to breaking through and shooting some good scores,” Kelly said.

Sophomore Alexis Keating is tied for 68th at 10-over par 82. Battling though an illness, Keating shot over par on three of her first four, but still managed 10 pars on the day.

“Unfortunately, Alexis, who has been one of our strong players this spring, has some sort of stomach bug,” Kelly said. “She gutted it out, but she just didn't feel well at all today. Hopefully she'll feel better tomorrow and can get in there and help us again.”

Competing as an individual, sophomore Allie Zech is tied for 45th. Zech shot 6-over par 78, shooting par or better on 12 holes.

Golfstat's No. 27 ranked individual, Pepperdine's Grace Na, leads the way, along with Washington's Ying Luo and UC Davis' Betty Chen. Each shot 2-under par 70 on the first day of the tournament. Megan Osland, of San Jose State, and Seshia Lei Telles, of Oregon State, are both tied for fourth with 1-under par 71 performances.

The Buffs have two more rounds of play at the Spring Break Classic before they co-host the Silverado Showdown in Napa, Calif. on April 14 and 15.

BUFFALOES INDIVIDUALS
t-6.	Jenny Coleman	72
t-12.	Natalie Vivaldi	74
t-35.	Jamie Oleksiew	77
t-45.	Kristin Coleman	78
t-68.	Alexis Keating	82
TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS
t-1.	Grace Na, Pepperdine	70
t-1.	Ying Luo, Washington	70
t-1.	Betty Chen, UC Davis	70
t-4.	Megan Oslan, San Jose State	71
t-4.	Seshia Lei Telles, Oregon State	71
TEAM STANDINGS
t-1.	Pepperdine	290
t-1.	Washington	290
3.	San Jose State	296
4.	UC Davis	298
t-5.	Colorado	301
t-5.	Santa Clara	301
7.	Mississippi	303
t-8.	Oregon State	307
t-8.	Hawaii	307
10.	Fresno State	308
11.	Long Beach State	309
12.	UC Riverside	316
13.	Cal Poly	317
14.	Seattle	318
15.	Nevada	320

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Players Mentioned

Jenny Coleman

Kristin Coleman

Alexis Keating

Jamie Oleksiew

Natalie Vivaldi

Allie Zech

Colorado University Athletics