yote notes - edition 13

COMING UP: Women at NAIA West Grouping Qualifier, Sycuan Resort-Willow Glen Course (El Eajon, Calif.), Monday-Tuesday.

LAST WEEK: at Cascade Conference Championships, Diamond Woods Golf Course (Men 5th of 5 teams, Women 2nd of 5 teams)

CRACROFT HELPS LADY YOTES TAKE 2ND: Shooting a personal-best one-under 71 in the final round Tuesday, Jocie Cracroft (Soda Springs, Idaho / Soda Springs HS) earned medalist honors for the first time in her collegiate career – helping the Lady Yotes to a second-place finish overall at the CCC Championships.  Cracroft shot the lowest round by a women’s golfer in the tournament and helped the squad within 11 strokes of No. 13 ranked Concordia in the team race.

LADY YOTES HONORED FOR STELLAR PLAY: Following the tournament, four members of the women’s team were honored by the CCC – including head coach Garry Matlock, who was honored as Coach of the Year for the third-straight season.  Trish Gibbens (Caldwell, Idaho / Barry U.), Baylee Borchers (Boise, Idaho / Mountain View HS), and Jocie Cracroft were all selected to the All-CCC team, with Gibbens missing out of Player of the Year honors by just two strokes.

MEN GO FROM PENTHOUSE TO BASEMENT: Things were looking good for the Coyote men after Monday, as their CCC season-low score of 301 led the tournament by two strokes.  However, a final round 324 derailed any chances at a title, as the team went from first-to-last place in the final standings.  Tyler Thurston (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) had the best finish for a C of I men’s golfer, placing seventh. Austen Giesie (Coto de Caza, Calif. / UNLV) held the Day 1 lead after an opening round two-under 70, but finished in 11th.

THREE NAMED TO ALL-CCC TEAM: Despite a third-place finish in the overall season standings, the Yotes landed three players on the All-CCC team.  Tyler Thurston earned the honor for the second time and first since 2010, while both Austen Giesie and Kyle DeLorey (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS) were also honored by the league.

FOR ALL THE MARBLES IN CALIFORNIA: It all comes down to 36 holes for the Lady Yotes next week, as the squad heads to Southern California for the NAIA West Grouping Qualifier – as the five CCC schools join Point Loma Nazarene, Biola, and Simpson to determine an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championships.  Three teams in the field are ranked (Concordia, C of I, Point Loma Nazarene) and will compete on the Willow Glen Course at Sycuan Resort in El Cajon – a 6,191-yard track along the Sweetwater River.

LADY YOTES RANKED NO. 19: The Lady Yotes fell one spot to No. 19 in the third NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll of the spring, announced last Friday by the national office in Kansas City, Mo.  It marks the fourth straight polling period that the squad has been in the Top-25, with the high point at No. 17 in the preseason rankings.  The Coyotes received 171 voter points in the tabulation, joined in the poll by fellow Cascade Conference 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 and No. 22 Point Loma Nazarene, 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 – Tyler Thurston 76.3, Kyle DeLorey 76.3, Austen Giesie 76.6; Women – Trish Gibbens 76.2, Baylee Borchers 79.4, Jocie Cracroft 83.6.

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.