Sophomore Chadron native Alpine Hickstein won a challenging, 36-hole day of golf on Sunday, setting new school records for individual round and tournament scores at the El Cheapo Classic on Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo. Chadron State College finished 5th of 14 teams, including eight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference platoons.

“It wasn’t an ideal day of golf,” said CSC Head Golf Coach John Ritzen. “The wind and the cold temperatures made it tough, but the ladies had a positive mindset and played great. It was different playing all 36 holes in one day, but they handled it well.

“Alpine had an impressive first round. She didn’t make many mistakes, and she putted really well. When her putter is going well, she is hard to beat.”

The tournament was scheduled to be played over Sunday and Monday, however, the weather forecast for the Pueblo area favored Sunday play, so the format was altered to a one-day, 36-hole event.

Hickstein carded a 2-under-par 70 in the first 18 holes, searing the former school record by three strokes. The former record, also set in Pueblo, was held by teammate Brooke Kramer in round one at Pueblo Country Club in the fall of 2019.

The new record-holder parred 15 of 18 first-round holes, missing only one par and shooting a birdie and one of only three eagles in the tourney. For the day, she led all players at the meet by three total pars, scoring even on 26 of 36 holes.

Hickstein defeated 76 other golfers, including defending 2019 RMAC Golfer of the Year Julia Baroth of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, who tied for second at 152, as well as the returning 2019 Freshman of the Year Faith Kilgore of Colorado Christian University, who shot a 161 for 17th.

The individual champ Hickstein’s final card showed 70-80-150, for a two-stroke improvement over her Pueblo Country Club showing last October, which in turn bested Ally Malzahn’s 13-year-old mark of 153.

Freshman Kinsey Smith tied for second in the meet with five total birdies, and she was fifth in par-five scoring at one-under-par. She finished tied for 20th at 83-79-162.

The other three CSC golfers entered for the team averaged in the middle 80s and finished in the middle of the pack individually.

Chadron State totaled 323-328-651, for the program’s seventh-best tournament score and two of its top 20 rounds all-time. CSC finished 31 strokes behind tourney champ Colorado Mesa University, which was 15 strokes ahead of runner-up Western New Mexico University.

The Eagles have added a tournament on April 2-3, called the RJGA Palm Valley Classic, in Goodyear, Arizona at the Palm Valley Golf Club, heading into the West Texas A&M Desert Invitational in Tucson April 5-6.

CSC individual scores:
1, Alpine Hickstein, 70-80-150; T20, Kinsey Smith, 83-79-162; T33, Brooke Kramer, 85-83-168; T41, Kenzey Kanno, 85-86-171; T44, Allison Acosta, 86-87-173; T55, Jordan Grasis, 88-90-178.

Team Scores:
1, Colorado Mesa, 312-308-620; 2, Western New Mexico, 325-310-635; 3, UCCS, 320-318-638; 4, Regis, 321-319-640; 5, Chadron State, 323-328-651; 6, Western Washington, 327-327-658; 7, MSU Denver, 334-333-667; 8, MSU-Billings, 334-336-670; 9, S.D. Mines, 349-338-687; 10, Minot State, 354-346-700; 11, 348- 356-704; 12, Black Hills State, 357-354-711; 13, Southwestern Christian, 363-366-729; 14, Adams State, 377-381-758.

Segelke leads Chadron State to team title at Gillette Rodeo

Chadron State College senior Quincy Segelke, originally from Brush, Colo., and now of Rozet, Wyo., placed in all three of the women’s events and was the all-around cowgirl at the Gillette College rodeo this past weekend.

Segelke was second in both breakaway roping in 2.6 seconds and goat tying in 7.6 seconds and also tied for fifth in barrel racing in 14.14 seconds while racking up 311.5 points in the all-around standings.

Another Chadron State senior, Brianna Williams of Buffalo, S.D., was the breakaway winner in 2.5 seconds. Her quick time, combined with Segelke’s outstanding performances, led the CSC women to the rodeo’s team title with 460.5 points, some 320 more than the second place team posted.

The CSC cowgirls are now second among the 12 teams in the Central Rocky Mountain Region standings for the year.

Two Chadron State cowboys also placed high at the Gillette rodeo.  Graduate student Rowdy Moon of Sargent tied for second and third in bareback riding with 71 points and Carson Good, a junior from Long Valley, S.D., was third in steer wrestling in 5.0 seconds.

Four more CSC steer wrestlers also finished among the top 10, placing seventh through tenth.

They and their times are Seth Shorb of Hermosa, S.D., 6.2; Tanner McInerney of Hulett, Wyo., 6.9; Tate Petrak of Martin, S.D., 7.0; and Parker Johnston of Maywood, Neb., 7.3.

McInerney also shared seventh and eighth in tie down roping in 10.9 seconds.

Johnston, who is a Chadron State freshman, was the steer wrestling winner during the Sheridan College rodeo that was a part of the long weekend of action in the Gillette arena. His time was 4.6 seconds.

Petrak also was fifth in steer wrestling at the Sheridan rodeo with a 6.5-second run. 

In addition, Segelke was third in goat tying and in 7.2 seconds and Phannette Gray of Ridgeview, S.D., was third in breakaway roping in 2.7 seconds.

Eastern Wyoming College at Torrington will have its rodeo this Friday and Saturday.