yote notes - edition 10

COMING UP: Idle until College of Idaho Invitational, April 9-10, River Bend G.C.

LAST WEEK: at Concordia Invitational - Men (5th of 9 teams), Women (3rd of 7 teams)

TOP-3 COYOTES PLAY WELL: The second half of the Cascade Conference season opened earlier this week with the Concordia Invitational at Camas Meadows Golf Club in Camas, Wash.  The Coyote men finished fifth overall (third among CCC teams) – thanks to the play of the top-three golfers, each of whom tied for tenth in the tournament.  Tyler Thurston (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) continued his stellar play in 2012, recording scores of 75-76-77, while Austen Giesie (Coto de Caza, Calif. / UNLV) had the lowest opening round by a Coyote, carding a 74, en route to his 228.  Kyle DeLorey (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS) also shot 228, including the lowest round by a Coyote in the tournament, a second-round 73.

GIBBENS LEADS LADY YOTES: It was not a banner tournament for the Lady Yotes, as the squad struggled with the cold and wet conditions to post three rounds nearly 20 strokes above their seasonal average.  Trish Gibbens (Caldwell, Idaho / Barry U.) battled her way through the adverse conditions to place fourth overall, shooting a three-round total of 238, nine strokes behind the medalist.  A pair of 79s from Gibbens were the only sub-80 rounds by a Lady Yote.

USING CARTS?: The opening round of the tournament was delayed by snow on the course, which forced teams to utilize golf carts to complete 54 holes during the two-day event.

HAVING TO PLAY CATCH-UP WITH 108 HOLES TO GO: With just two tournaments remaining in the regular season, both Coyote teams have some ground to make up in the CCC standings.  Concordia leads both team events – on the men’s side by 63 strokes over Corban and by 96 strokes over the Yotes.  The Lady Yotes trail CU by 77 strokes with six rounds to go.

LADY YOTES RANKED NO. 18: The Lady Yotes were ranked No. 18 in the first NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll of the spring, announced Monday by the national office in Kansas City, Mo. It marks the highest regular-season ranking for the team, who were ranked No. 20 last season. The C of I was No. 17 in the preseason balloting, released in November.  The Coyotes received 163 voter points in the tabulation, joined in the poll by fellow CCC rival Concordia, who was ranked No. 13. No. 2 Lee, No. 5 Northwood, No. 6 William Woods, No. 7 USC-Beaufort - who all finished above the Yotes at the NAIA Fall Preview, were in the poll, along with No. 13 Cumberlands and No. 17 Bethel - whom The C of I finished ahead of in the tournament

STROKE AVERAGE LEADERS: Men – Kyle DeLorey 76.6, Tyler Thurston 76.6, Austen Giesie 77.0; Women – Trish Gibbens 76.5, Baylee Borchers (Boise, Idaho / Mountain View HS) 78.9, Jocie Cracroft (Soda Springs, Idaho / Soda Springs HS) 85.6.

ABOUT THE COACH: Garry Matlock is in his 12th season as head coach of The C of I men's and women's golf programs. Matlock had also served as the top assistant with The C of I men's basketball team for six years, before stepping down after the 2005-06 season. Last season, he led the Coyote men to a fourth-place finish and the Lady Yotes to a second-place finish in the CCC - earning CCC Coach of the Year honors in on the women’s side for the second-straight year. Matlock came to The C of I in 2000 after 16 years as a head basketball coach at Northwest Nazarene University and Rocky Mountain College, compiling a 232-242 career record. Matlock also served as an assistant coach at Boise State for one season. His coaching background, which dates back to 1966, includes serving as head basketball coach at Homedale High School (1971-82). He also coached at Buhl High School and Milwaukie (Ore.) High School. Matlock began his collegiate career at The C of I, where he played baseball and football, is a graduate of NNU, where he played baseball and basketball and is in their Athletic Hall of Fame.  He is married to wife Pamela, and the two live in Caldwell.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on The C of I golf programs, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes, http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/golf.htm.