Pirates preparing for Women's Golf State Chamionships
COSTA MESA -- For the Orange Coast College women's golf team, a season's worth of practice greens, driving range balls and head-to-head competition has culminated into this weekend's California Community College Athletic Association Women's Golf State Championships, set for Sunday (11:30 a.m.) and Monday (10 a.m.) at Cypress Ridge Golf Course.
The Pirates, who finished runner-up in the Orange Empire Conference and SoCal Regional Championships to Saddleback College, join the eight-team statewide field and will compete for a state championship for the first time 1999. That year, head coach Gordie Fitzel's Pirates finished third in the state against the best of the best. Coast had back-to-back OEC titles (1998-1999) and two top-three finishes during that same two-year span.
Following 1999, it's been a rough run for the women's golf program, a program that even saw it's elimination for period of time (2004-2014) before returning to OCC back in 2014.
But with the guidance of longtime OCC head coach Sean Collins and the emergence of six standout players -- Stephanie Tran, Meah Collins, Katherine Crinella, April Garcia, Emma Ashcraft and Michelle Manzo -- the Pirates have returned to elite status in the sport for 2021.
"It's been an incredible season for these ladies and I'm so proud of them," Sean Collins said. "They've had to not only stay focused on golf and competing at a high level, but they've also dealt with the COVID pandemic -- like everyone has -- and they've really kept their focus throughout the season. Win or lose, I hope they have a weekend they'll never forget."
Collins, who led the Pirates with a two-round score of 155 (80-75), will be joined closely near the top of the leaderboard by Tran, who carded a 157 (77-80) at Regionals last weekend. Crinella and Ashcraft each were close behind with scores of 167 each, with Garcia (183) and Manzo (201) each earning the trip to State for their consistent play throughout the season.
While eight teams will head to Arroyo Grande for this weekend's two-round championship, according to the 2021 results, it appears to be a four-team battle royale for the title. Joining OCC from the south are the aforementioned Bobcats, College of the Desert and Antelope Valley.
The Bobcats, champions of the OEC and SoCal, went unbeaten throughout 2021 before finishing second at the OEC Finals to OCC. Saddleback shrugged off that hiccup and topped the Pirates (657) by 27 shots at the SoCal Regionals with a team score of 630.
Saddleback's 1-4 depth was on full display at the SoCal Regionals as the foursome of Amber Davalos (79-73-152), Sabrina Ladd (76-80-156), Nikki Whipple (75-82-157) and Mari Mak (81-79-160) all finished within eight shots of each other and all four would be No. 1 golfers on any squad in this weekend's field of teams.
COD finished a distant third behind OCC with a team score of 723, while AVC placed fourth at 768. Desert's Lehapi Taungahihifo was the medalist of the SoCal Regionals after shooting a two-round total of 145, including a 3-under-par 69 in the opening round at Bakersfield's Sundale Golf Club.
The same discrepancy can be found up north, with two teams -- Reedley College and Modesto College -- clearing the rest of the pack with room to spare at the Northern California Regional Championships.
The Reedley Tigers jumped out early and cruised to victory with a team score of 654 at Yolo Fliers Golf Club, with Modesto 28 shots behind at 682. Sierra College finished a distant third with a team score of 729, eight shots clear of fourth-place San Joaquin Delta (737).
Low golfers to keep an eye on out of the north include Reedley's Avery Foster, who carded a 146 at NorCals (74-72) and Mya Chao (78-83-161) as well as Modesto's Madison Blanc (84-82-166).
Cypress Ridge is a Peter Jacobsen designed course, located in the city of Arroyo Grande in California's Central Coast. With water in play on only three of the 18 holes, players will look to be aggressive, but accurate with their shots throughout the two-day event.
"Like any golf tournament, it comes down to who can minimize the damage," Sean Collins said. "Every golfer will have holes like that ... the good golfers and teams know how to turn those holes into bogeys instead of triple bogeys or worse. Who can make the key putts, who is better around the greens ... that will be the difference out there."
