We were excited to get out and compete in the first tournament of the season. Both the men’s and women’s teams have been working hard, so we were ready for a tournament.”

Coach Zach Smith

Up Next

The Lancers and Lady Lancers host the EWC Invite in Torrington and Gering on Thursday and Friday, September 12-13. Both teams tee off at Cottonwood Country Club in Torrington on Friday at 9 a.m.

RIVERTON – Opening the 2024-2025 season on top, the Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) Lancer men’s golf team captured gold at the Central Wyoming College tournament in Riverton on September 5-6.

EWC advanced to first place on the leaderboard with a two-day score of 577 strokes. The men shot consistently at 288 on Thursday and 289 on Friday.

Central Wyoming came in second place at 599, followed by Otero College in third (608), Northeastern Junior College fourth (619), Lamar Community College fifth (635) and McCook Community College sixth (654).

The Lady Lancers commenced their inaugural season taking third place as a team with 721 strokes. EWC’s women golfers improved from 367 strokes in the first round to 354 in the second.

“We were excited to get out and compete in the first tournament of the season,” coach Zach Smith said. “Both the men’s and women’s teams have been working hard, so we were ready for a tournament.”

Sophomore Taiki Sugawara secured second place in the men’s division, shooting six under par to post 138 strokes on the leaderboard. The sophomore from Japan trailed Central Wyoming’s Tyler Ewell by a single stroke with Ewell placing first at 137. Sugawara shot 68 on Thursday and 70 on Friday.

Three other Lancer golfers broke into the top 10 at Riverton. Sophomore Tytan Birchall came in fourth place with a two-day score of 143. Birchall tallied 73 strokes in the first round, improving to 70 in the second.

Fellow sophomore Mathis Fortin finished fifth on the leaderboard at 144. Fortin progressed from shooting 73 on Thursday to 71 on Friday.

Joshua Chapman, also a sophomore, tied for eighth place with a combined score of 149 strokes. Chapman shot 72 in the first round and 77 in the second.

“The guys played great both days to earn a big first win of the season,” Smith said. “Taiki continues his solid play from last year by shooting six under par for the tournament. All the guys played solid this first week and it was a good start to the season.”

In the women’s division, Elliann Irick led the Lady Lancers pack with a fifth-place finish at 176 strokes. Irick shot 32 over par with 91 strokes in the first round and 85 in the second.

Jessica Applegarth clinched seventh place with a two-day score of 178. Applegarth shot 88 on Thursday and 90 on Friday.

Bailey Watson also broke into the top 10 with an eighth-place finish at 185 strokes. Tallying 95 in the first round, Watson improved to 90 in the second.

Shayla Clayton finished ninth with a combined score of 186. Clayton progressed from 97 strokes on Thursday to 89 on Friday.

“The girls played great for our first ever women’s tournament,” Smith remarked. “After about 30 minutes watching them compete against the other Region IX teams, I knew we could compete with the teams in our region. We can and need to get better, but I’m also proud of the girls’ will to compete.”

The Lancers and Lady Lancers host the EWC Invitational in Torrington and Gering on Thursday and Friday, September 12-13. Golfers teed off in Gering on Thursday and play at Cottonwood Country Club in Torrington at 9 a.m. on Friday.

“I can’t wait to see what we can do moving into the rest of the season,” Smith said. “Overall, it was as great first tournament for Lancer golf and we look forward to the EWC Invite this week.”

Additional menís results

12 – Braylon Bingham – 150 (78-72)

20 – Coltin Powell – 157 (75-82)

Additional womenís results

11 – Georgie Lou Paterakis – 193 (93-100)

18 – Halle Allen – 216 (114-102)