2005 Golf Wrap Up
BILLINGS, MT – The Montana
State-Billings golf teams earned their frequent flyer
miles during the 2004-2005 season. The men’s team
traveled to Washington once and California five times.
The Lady Jackets made trips to Washington, California,
Texas, Arizona, and Colorado. And both squads finished
the year at the PacWest Conference Championships in Hilo,
Hawaii.
The pinnacle of the season for both
teams was the conference championships in Hilo. After
neither team finished in the top half of the team
standings at any tournament throughout the regular season,
the Yellowjacket men and women placed second and third
respectively at the PacWest Championships.
The men’s team edged out Western New
Mexico for the second spot, losing only to host
Hawaii-Hilo, which went on to qualify for the NCAA II
National Championships. Three Yellowjackets earned
all-conference honors, led by first team All-PacWest
finisher Chris McConnell.
McConnell, a junior from Lewistown,
Mont., shot a 4-under par 209 over the three rounds to
place third in the tournament’s individual standings.
Along with becoming the first all-conference player in the
program’s three years, McConnell’s 4-under marked the
first time a Yellowjacket has finished below par in a
three round tourney.
Zach Abels and Chris Haas each earned
second team All-PacWest honors for finishing in the top
10. Abels, a freshman from Twin Falls, Idaho, placed
seventh at the PacWest Championships with a 4-over par
217. Haas, a junior from Bozeman, Mont., finished in
tenth place with a 5-over 218. Haas shot the low round of
the tournament in the second round with a school record
64.
Based on regular season scoring
averages, Nicholas Larson qualified for the NCAA West
Regional, the first golfer to do so in school history.
Larson, a freshman from Riverton, Wyo., had a 75.06
combined scoring average for the fall and spring seasons.
He placed 30th at the West Regional with rounds
of 84, 74, and 80.
Larson garnered two team awards for
his outstanding freshman season. He was named the
Yellowjackets’ Newcomer of the Year and also the Most
Valuable Player. With his play at the PacWest
Championships, McConnell overtook Larson in the final week
to win the team’s Top Scoring Average award. Senior
captain Bryan Barthelmess of Condon, Mont., was awarded
the Paul Allen Award.
The Lady Yellowjackets also finished
the season with their best tournament of the year at the
PacWest Championships. Leading the way to the third place
finish was freshman Halley Montalban. The former Billings
Senior HS standout placed second individually with an
18-over par 231, earning All-PacWest first team honors.
Montalban was steady from beginning to end of the
tournament, shooting rounds of 76, 78, and 77. Amanda
Rabenberg, a junior from Livingston, Mont., also earned
all-conference honors, making the All-PacWest second team
with a tenth place finish.
Following her outstanding freshman
campaign, Montalban received the first Katy Christiansen
Memorial Scholarship this May. Nels Christiansen started
the scholarship fund in memory of his late wife Katy, who
was a longtime supporter of youth golf in Montana.
Montalban will receive the $1,000 scholarship from the
Christiansen family for next year.
Rabenberg and Julie Clifford were
each named to the PacWest All-Academic team. Rabenberg
had the second highest cumulative grade point average of
any golfer in the conference with a 3.72 in Business.
Clifford, a junior from Forsyth, Mont., made the team with
a 3.54 GPA in Chemistry.
Just as Larson did with the men,
Montalban took home two Yellowjacket team awards. She was
selected as the Most Valuable Player and also won the Top
Scoring Average award. Rabenberg took home the Paul Allen
Award for the women, and Nicole Salsbery was named the
Newcomer of the Year. Salsbery is a freshman from Malta,
Mont. |
