Freshman recruit Sabrina Naccarato pitches the ball onto the green during the women’s golf tryouts Aug. 27. Photo by pposton1@msudenver.edu

By: Angelita Foster

The newly formed Metro women’s golf team finished 12th Sept. 8 at the Colorado State University-Pueblo Open, a historical first for the university. The team shot 710 for the two-day tournament, exceeding head coach Ben Portie’s expectations.

“There were 15 teams there, and we competed against some schools that have had programs for a long time, and we at least stayed competitive with those,” Portie said. “I know this being our first year we have some learning to do, so we are just going to keep trying to improve and keep getting better.”

The Roadrunners are a small team, only five players – two juniors and one sophomore transfer, a sophomore who hasn’t played at the college level, and a freshman – but Portie can work with that.

“I’m liking what they are doing in practice and they are only going to get better,” Portie said. “We have five and this is what we are playing with. Getting this team better, that’s my job.”

Junior Jazmine Roland shot a two-day total 167, tying for 29th place. Sophomore Valerie Cruz shot 168 for 32nd, junior Dani Look shot 174 placing 40th, walk-on player Lauren Barrett placed 70th shooting 205, and freshman Sabrina Naccarato shot 217 for 73rd.