yote notes - edition 16

COMING UP: Women at NAIA National Championships, Link Hills GC (Greeneville, Tenn.), May 15-18.

LAST WEEK: Men at NAIA West Qualifier, Black Horse GC (Seaside, Calif.), (11th of 12 teams)

LADY YOTES EARN FIRST-EVER NATIONAL BERTH: The C of I women’s program achieved a program first last Friday – earning an at-large berth to the NAIA National Championships, next Tuesday through Friday in Greeneville, Tenn.  The Lady Yotes, who were ranked No. 19 in the final Top-25 poll, received one of 12 at-large berths to the event, as 28 teams and a total of 144 individuals will compete.

HISTORY AT NATIONALS: Though it marks the first time the Lady Yotes as a team have advanced to the NAIA Championships, five different times, C of I women’s golfers have advanced as individuals.  Each year from 1998-2001, Jenni Rodwell participated as an individual – including a fourth-place finish in 2001.  In 2003, two players – Sarah Gallant and Roslyn Folk, both qualified for the tournament.

SURVEYING THE FIELD: A total of 28 teams will make up the field at Link Hills Golf Club – 15 automatic qualifiers and 13 at-large teams.  All teams will play 54 holes – followed by a cut (top 17 teams and ties and top 40 players and ties will advance to a final 18 holes of competition).  The team title will be a battle between former champs British Columbia and Oklahoma City, while a bevy of teams have the ability to overtake the T-Birds and Stars.  Those qualified including champions – Avila (Mo.) (Heart of America), Bethel (Ind.) (Unaffiliated #2), British Columbia (Association of Independent Institutions), Concordia (Ore.) (Unaffiliated #1), Cumberlands (Ky.) (Unaffiliated #4), Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) (Great Plains), Grand View (Iowa) (Midwest Collegiate), Lee (Tenn.) (Southern States), Madonna (Mich.) (Wolverine-Hoosier), Milligan (Appalachian), Oklahoma City (Sooner), Rocky Mountain (Mont.) (Frontier), SCAD-Savannah (Ga.) (Sun), Southwestern (Kan.) (Unaffiliated #3), and William Woods (Mo.) (American Midwest), with at-large selections Embry-Riddle (Fla.), Northwood (Fla.), Lubbock Christian (Texas), Shorter (Ga.), Oklahoma Christian, South Carolina-Beaufort, Cal State-San Marcos, Victoria (B.C.), Wayland Baptist (Texas), Westminster (Utah), College of Idaho, Southern Nazarene (Okla.), Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.)

REPEAT OF OCTOBER?: The Lady Yotes will be looking for a repeat performance of the NAIA Fall Preview – played on the same Link Hills course in October.  The C of I finished fifth in the event – with Baylee Borchers (Boise, Idaho / Mountain View HS) earning medalist honors.

MEN STRUGGLE IN CALIFORNIA: The Coyote men saw their season come a close on Tuesday at the Unaffiliated Grouping #2 (NAIA West) Championships in Seaside, Calif.  Competing on the nearly 7,000-yard Black Horse Golf Course, the Yotes finished 11th out of the 12 teams in the event.  Playing in their final collegiate tournaments – seniors Tyler Thurston (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) and Austen Giesie (Coto de Caza, Calif. / UNLV) led the way, Thurston finishing 16th, including a final round 73, with Giesie 28th.  Point Loma Nazarene earned the automatic berth to the NAIA Championships, while Mitch Card of Simpson earned medalist honors.

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.