Coach Rickel Excited About Start To Women's Golf Season
9/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Sept. 12, 2010
SPOKANE, Wash. - There's an air of excitement when talking to Gonzaga University head women's golf coach Brad Rickel on the eve of the 2010 season opener.
The Bulldogs are hosting the Circling Raven Collegiate Invitational at Circling Raven Golf Course in Worley, Idaho. The format calls for 36 holes Monday and 18 holes Tuesday with a shotgun start slated for 8 a.m. both days.
"I'm excited about the year," said the fourth-year head coach. "I think this is the first time since I've been back at Gonzaga (he was here for one season in 1998-99 in the dual role of men's and women's coach) that we have a team that has to play its best to earn a spot in tournaments. They'll experience the pressure in practice. We've had a great four days of practice this week and they've worked hard."
And there's a youth movement making its mark on the Bulldogs as the top three spots in the Bulldog lineup Monday and Tuesday will be held by sophomores or freshmen. Sophomores Genavive 'Genna' Dodge and Victoria Fallgren have earned the top two spots, respectively, heading into the tournament opener, with freshman Tai Jade 'TJ' Kliebphipat checking in at No. 3. A pair of veterans - juniors Jessica Howe and Stephanie Corey - will play in the No. 4 and No. 5 spots, respectively, to round out the Gonzaga lineup. Seniors Rachel Sibbitt and Sage Suffecool will play as individuals.
"The play of the young players didn't surprise me," Rickel said. "Victoria and Genna have grown and I think we have great young players. But we have great veterans, too, and it's going to be great to see who gets to play every week. The fourth and fifth spots this week could have gone a number of ways. There is going to be competition every week among the team to see who gets to travel, and that's what we've needed. We have seven good players who have to play well if they want to travel."
Corey finished 13th in last year's West Coast Conference Championship, Suffecool tied for 14th, Fallgren tied for 16th and Howe tied for 19th. Corey and Suffecool earned WCC honorable mention.
Fallgren and Dodge also had the experience of playing in the Women's Amateur Public Links Championship this past summer at the University of Notre Dame. Fallgren advanced to match play where she lost in the second round.
Fallgren also had quite a start to her collegiate career a year ago in the Bulldog and Eagle Invitational at Hangman Valley Golf Course, the precursor to this year's Circling Raven Collegiate Invitational. Fallgren shattered the school record with a final-round 67 to capture medalist honors. The score came one day after Suffecool had tied the school record with a 70. Fallgren's 54-hole score of 217 set the school mark for the lowest 54-hole score.
Kliebphipat, from Panorama City, Calif., brings an impressive junior resume with her as she launches her collegiate career.
A 4-year letterwinner for coach Nancy Poll at Van Nuys High, she was a two-time All-City Team Sectional Champion and led the team to the CIF Regional Championship three times. She carries a 73 stroke average and was a both a three-time Valley I League champion and MVP. Kliebphipat also received the 2009 Presidential Outstanding Academic Achievement Award, carrying a 3.67 GPA.
Rickel is also excited about the Circling Raven layout.
"This course is great. It's as good a course as we ever play in college. The entire setting is unbelievable. This is a beautiful course to host a big-time collegiate tournament," Rickel said.
Northern Arizona, which won the Big Sky Conference title in 2009, is the defending champion of this tournament. The Lumberjacks shot a 900 a year ago with Montana second at 906 and the Bulldogs third at 913.
But Rickel said picking a favorite is impossible.
"It's hard to know in the first tournament because you don't really know what teams lost or who they have brought in. But San Francisco, Brigham Young, Oregon State and Washington State should all be strong," Rickel said.
BYU is joining the West Coast Conference ranks next year so Gonzaga, USF, the University of Portland and Santa Clara University will get a chance to go head-to-head with the Cougars in this tournament and get a sneak preview of what to expect from BYU down the road.
