Big week for CSUMB golf

Both the men's and women's golf teams at CSU Monterey Bay took steps forward this week.

The Otter men recorded their second consecutive tournament championship on Tuesday, earning a four-shot victory in UC San Diego's SoCal Intercollegiate at Carlton Oaks Country Club. It was a team effort as CSUMB had four golfers in the top 10. Ray Richards led the way for the Otters with a fourth-place finish, just two shots behind co-medalists Adam Stone (CSU East Bay) and Dalen Yamauchi (Hawaii Hilo).

CSUMB's Brandon Hortt finished tied for fifth, just two shots behind Richards. Carr Vernon took seventh place, ending a shot behind Hortt, and Fredrik Jullum took eighth for the Otters.

"We have a lot of good players that are learning to score even when they don't hit their best," CSUMB coach Jason Owen said in a statement.

The last time the Otters won two tournaments in a row was 2013 when CSUMB won the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship and the NCAA regional. The Otters ended up reaching the NCAA match play quarterfinals that year.

The Otters won the Notre Dame de Namur Argo Invitational at Poppy Ridge two weeks ago. The CSUMB men's golf team will try and make it three in a row next week in CSU East Bay's Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout at Hiddenbrooke Golf Club in Vallejo.

While the women's golf team at CSUMB wasn't able to match the men with a victory, the team took huge strides in its Otter Invitational tournament that concluded at Bayonet Golf Course on Tuesday. The Otters led their tournament after one round, but finished things up in third place.

"It was a great tournament for us," CSUMB coach Darcy Milligan said in a statement. "I know the players are disappointed that they couldn't hold on to their first-round lead, but we're very young and learning how to finish is part of the growing process. We're going to be a better team with the experience we gained this week."

The result was the best for the Otters since their own tournament last year when they took second. Arielle Swan-Smith led CSUMB by taking fourth place, three behind medalist Mailen Domec Chantry of Nova Southeastern. Trinity Christian alumna Katrina Mendez matched Swan-Smith for the best round by an Otter on Tuesday with an 80.

The Otters return to action April 3 in the Mustang Intercollegiate at Palm Valley Golf Club in Goodyear, Arizona.