Colorado University Athletics
Friday, January 30
Guadalajara, Mexico
All Day
Colorado
vs
First Day (27 Holes)
Carolyn Fuller and head coach Madeleine Sheils
Spring Season Opens In Guadalajara For Buffs
January 28, 2026 | Women's Golf
BOULDER — Determined to build off a record-breaking fall season, the No. 43-ranked Colorado women's golf team is set to begin the spring half of its schedule at the Collegiate Invitational at Guadalajara Country Club, Jan. 30-31 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Colorado had a memorable fall, to say the least. The Buffaloes set a school record for fall season stroke average at 73.29, won the Ram Classic in Fort Collins in September and had a second-place showing at Denver's Ron Moore Intercollegiate in October. Colorado finished off the fall, tying for sixth at the Nanea Invitational in Hawai'i in October.
After nearly three months off, the Buffaloes officially got back to work on Jan. 15, two weeks ahead of the spring opener.
"It's really good for our team to start competing right away," Colorado head coach Madeleine Sheils said. "It sharpens our focus in practice and makes us make the absolute best out of every winter practice session, knowing we have a tournament coming up quickly. Certainly, this time of year, for every team across the country, most players have taken a really long break from competitive golf, so there's rust everywhere. But we're excited to knock it off early and start competing right away."
Colorado added to that urgency, with three days in Arizona for a weekend of high-level training. First, the Buffaloes spent two days at Grand Canyon's golf facility in Tempe, practicing in the mornings and then playing in the afternoons, highlighted by an unofficial scrimmage against the host Lopes.
On their final day in the desert, the Buffaloes were hosted by CU Athletic Hall of Famers Gary Barnett (football coach) and Bruce Gamble (skiing) at the Whisper Rock Golf Club in Scottsdale, soaking in the "PGA Tour" atmosphere while getting in a qualifying round.
"It was a productive weekend, and we feel really grateful we had the opportunity to do that and make sure we're getting ready for competition in the best way," Sheils said.
Colorado is one of 12 teams competing at the Collegiate Invitational, hosted by Virginia. The tournament features seven teams ranked in the top 50 in the country. Five Big 12 Conference teams are in the field, including No. 19 Oklahoma State, the top-ranked team at the invite.
Colorado's lineup at Guadalajara will consist of Carolyn Fuller, Brenna Higgins, Ellen O'Shaughnessy, Maya McVey and Vanessa Ngo. All five golfers had notable successes in the fall, with each recording at least one top 20 finish, multiple rounds under par and at least one round in the 60s.
Fuller led Colorado in the fall with a 72.14 stroke average and was the Buffaloes low 54-hole golfer for the final two events. Ngo was right behind Fuller with a solid 72.45 average and counted toward the team score at a team-best 90.9 percent rate in the fall (10 of 11 rounds). McVey and O'Shaughnessy were separated by just two strokes over the course of 14 rounds in the fall.
The Guadalajara Country Club will play at a maximum of 6,210 yards for the par 72 course. The Collegiate Invitational has a unique setup: while still playing 54 holes, the tournament will be split into two days of 27 holes each. Teams will play the first round, and the front nine of the second round on Friday and on Saturday teams will play the back nine of the second round before finishing with third round action.
"We need to have a really great plan for attacking the golf course, because it's quite narrow and difficult around the greens," Sheils said. "We need to go in with a smart plan and be committed to executing it throughout the weekend. And we also need to be patient with ourselves. The first tournament back, a lot of times, what is rusty is your decision-making and your ability to stay focused for a long day on the course. We've been working a lot on our attention and our commitment when we're playing, and I think that continued focus will be a big key to our success."
Colorado will pair up with No. 28 Florida State and No. 32 Houston for the first 27 holes, with those groupings beginning off the No. 1 tee on Friday at 7:45 a.m. MT.
Colorado had a memorable fall, to say the least. The Buffaloes set a school record for fall season stroke average at 73.29, won the Ram Classic in Fort Collins in September and had a second-place showing at Denver's Ron Moore Intercollegiate in October. Colorado finished off the fall, tying for sixth at the Nanea Invitational in Hawai'i in October.
After nearly three months off, the Buffaloes officially got back to work on Jan. 15, two weeks ahead of the spring opener.
"It's really good for our team to start competing right away," Colorado head coach Madeleine Sheils said. "It sharpens our focus in practice and makes us make the absolute best out of every winter practice session, knowing we have a tournament coming up quickly. Certainly, this time of year, for every team across the country, most players have taken a really long break from competitive golf, so there's rust everywhere. But we're excited to knock it off early and start competing right away."
Colorado added to that urgency, with three days in Arizona for a weekend of high-level training. First, the Buffaloes spent two days at Grand Canyon's golf facility in Tempe, practicing in the mornings and then playing in the afternoons, highlighted by an unofficial scrimmage against the host Lopes.
On their final day in the desert, the Buffaloes were hosted by CU Athletic Hall of Famers Gary Barnett (football coach) and Bruce Gamble (skiing) at the Whisper Rock Golf Club in Scottsdale, soaking in the "PGA Tour" atmosphere while getting in a qualifying round.
"It was a productive weekend, and we feel really grateful we had the opportunity to do that and make sure we're getting ready for competition in the best way," Sheils said.
Colorado is one of 12 teams competing at the Collegiate Invitational, hosted by Virginia. The tournament features seven teams ranked in the top 50 in the country. Five Big 12 Conference teams are in the field, including No. 19 Oklahoma State, the top-ranked team at the invite.
Colorado's lineup at Guadalajara will consist of Carolyn Fuller, Brenna Higgins, Ellen O'Shaughnessy, Maya McVey and Vanessa Ngo. All five golfers had notable successes in the fall, with each recording at least one top 20 finish, multiple rounds under par and at least one round in the 60s.
Fuller led Colorado in the fall with a 72.14 stroke average and was the Buffaloes low 54-hole golfer for the final two events. Ngo was right behind Fuller with a solid 72.45 average and counted toward the team score at a team-best 90.9 percent rate in the fall (10 of 11 rounds). McVey and O'Shaughnessy were separated by just two strokes over the course of 14 rounds in the fall.
The Guadalajara Country Club will play at a maximum of 6,210 yards for the par 72 course. The Collegiate Invitational has a unique setup: while still playing 54 holes, the tournament will be split into two days of 27 holes each. Teams will play the first round, and the front nine of the second round on Friday and on Saturday teams will play the back nine of the second round before finishing with third round action.
"We need to have a really great plan for attacking the golf course, because it's quite narrow and difficult around the greens," Sheils said. "We need to go in with a smart plan and be committed to executing it throughout the weekend. And we also need to be patient with ourselves. The first tournament back, a lot of times, what is rusty is your decision-making and your ability to stay focused for a long day on the course. We've been working a lot on our attention and our commitment when we're playing, and I think that continued focus will be a big key to our success."
Colorado will pair up with No. 28 Florida State and No. 32 Houston for the first 27 holes, with those groupings beginning off the No. 1 tee on Friday at 7:45 a.m. MT.
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