PAC-12 Championship predictions

Three CU teams are headed to the Pac-12 Championships this weekend and we’ll address how we think the tennis and golf teams will do.

The tennis team (7-14, 0-10) goes into the Pac-12 Tournament as the 11th seed. The Buffs begin singles and doubles play on Thursday in Ojai, Calif.

(CU Independent/Jpsh Shettler)

The women’s tennis team was winless in the Pac-12 this season, so their chances aren’t great for the tournament. However, the fact that there isn’t a team tournament, and the competition is just singles- and doubles-based, means they might be able to win a few games.

Fresh off winning back-to-back tournaments for the first time in school history, the women’s golf team was ranked No. 11/12 by Golfweek on March 25 and by GolfWorld/NCGA and Golfstat on March 28. They had six top-5 finishes this season, making it their most successful season yet.

The Buffs will have to face some tough competition: the Pac-12 features seven other top-25 women’s golf teams, according to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings. Those include UCLA at No.1 and the University of Southern California at No.3. Arizona State University and the University of California are also in the top 10.

The women’s golfers made it into the NCAA field for only the second time in school history last year. Led by coach Anne Kelly and senior Emily Talley, this year’s Buffs hope to beat out those top-ranked schools at the upcoming Pac-12 Championships in Pullman, Wash., and make it into the NCAA West Regional from May 10-12.

While the men’s golf team’s record is not as impressive as the women’s, the team has still improved over the course of the season and hopes to perform well this weekend. CU finished 2nd at the 10th Annual Wyoming Cowboy Classic on April 10, marking their highest finish thus far this season. The Buffs’ 12-under 828 total during that tournament was their second-best total score in a 54-hole tournament in school history. CU’s first-round score of 270 (10-under) was a school record of its own, marking the best team score in a single round on a par-70 layout.

Junior Beau Schoolcraft, CUBuffs.com’s current Athlete of the Week, played an impressive game at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic, coming in third overall and besting a school record for the best 54-hole gross score in school history (9-under 201). Schoolcraft will lead the Buffs this weekend as they face five of the top eight schools in the country (according to the latest national rankings) at the Pac-12 Championship in Corvallis, Ore.

Contact CU Independent Sports Editors Marlee Horn and Caryn Maconi at Marlee.horn@colorado.edu and Caryn.maconi@colorado.edu.