yote notes - edition 12

COMING UP: at Cascade Conference Championships, Diamond Woods G.C. (Monroe, Ore.) Monday-Tuesday.

LAST WEEK: Host College of Idaho Invitational (Men 6th of 7 teams; Women 2nd of 5 teams)

TOP THREE SOLID AT C OF I INVITE: Though the Coyote men as a team did not crack the Top-5 in their own C of I Invitational at River Bend Golf Course, the squad shot a trio of consistent rounds in the low 300s – thanks to the play of their top three players.  Austen Giesie (Coto de Caza, Calif. / UNLV) finished in a three-way tie for sixth-place with a five-over 221, while both Tyler Thurston (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) and Kyle DeLorey (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS) each shot seven-over 223s – with Thurston carding the low round by a Coyote with a final-round 71.  All three players are in the Top-10 in the CCC scoring race, vying for a spot on the All-CCC team.

LADY YOTES SHOOT RECORD ROUND: The Lady Yotes had a record-setting performance on Tuesday, carding their lowest team round in program history to close the C of I Invite.  Thanks to a pair of 74s from Trish Gibbens (Caldwell, Idaho / Barry U.) and Melissa Clausen (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS), the team shot the low round of the day, a 308 – two strokes better than the 310 they carded in a head-to-head dual vs. Boise State in September.

TOURNEY RECAP: Concordia claimed the team and individual titles – the men using a final round 287 to defeat North Idaho College, while the women defeated the Lady Yotes by 32 strokes.  The C of I women had four players in the Top-10, including Trish Gibbens, who finished tied for second, just one stroke off the pace with a five-over 221.  Baylee Borchers (Boise, Idaho / Mountain View HS) took seventh, Jocie Cracroft (Soda Springs, Idaho / Soda Springs HS) placed eighth, with Melissa Clausen in tenth.

OFF TO OREGON: The CCC titles will be up for grabs next Monday and Tuesday at Diamond Woods Golf Course, as the CCC Championship will be hosted.  Though the winner of the tournament will get bragging rights, the league championship will be determined by the cumulative score of the five CCC tournaments held this season.

LADY YOTES RANKED NO. 18: The Lady Yotes remained at No. 18 in the second NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll of the spring, announced March 30 by the national office in Kansas City, Mo.  It equals the highest regular-season ranking for the tem, who were ranked No. 20 last season. The C of I was No. 17 in the preseason balloting, released in November.  The Coyotes received 188 voter points in the tabulation, joined in the poll by fellow CCC rival Concordia, who was ranked No. 13. No. 2 Lee, No. 4 William Woods, No. 6 Northwood, No. 10 USC-Beaufort - who all finished above the Yotes at the NAIA Fall Preview, were in the poll, along with No. 15 Bethel, No. 22 Point Loma Nazarene, and No. 25 William Penn, whom the Lady Yotes defeated at the event. Also in the poll is No. 14 Victoria, who defeated the Lady Yotes at the recent Concordia invite.

STROKE AVERAGE LEADERS: Men – Kyle DeLorey 76.6, Tyler Thurston 76.6, Austen Giesie 77.0; Women – Trish Gibbens 76.5, Baylee Borchers 78.9, Jocie Cracroft 85.6.

AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS: Trish Gibbens ranks among the Top-10 in the NAIA in five different statistical categories – leading the NAIA in Par-3 scoring, ranking No. 4 in scoring vs. par, No. 5 in Par-4 scoring, No. 7 in overall scoring average, and No. 8 in Par-5 scoring.

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.