Men's Golf | 05.13.2020

LEWISTON, Idaho – After a successful fall season, the 2019-20 Warrior Golf season ended just one tournament into the spring. Though the season was cut short, both teams made great strides ahead of their first season in the Cascade Conference. Both finished second in the Frontier Conference with numerous All-Frontier Conference accolades awarded.
 
"Even though our season was cut short, I think the Warriors ended it on a high note," Head Coach Kyla Lien said. "Both the men and women had so many accomplishments. The men finished the shortened season with about a 295 average and placed second in the conference. On the women's side we had the most all-conference and academic all-conference selections in the Frontier. They finished up the fall with a 315 average and one stroke back of first place."
 
Under second-year head coach Lien, both Warrior teams placed second at the first tournament of the year. Each squad had a player finish third, with Carlos Davila leading the men and Alexandra Schmidt doing the same for the women. The men finished one stroke off the top spot at the Argo Invitational.
 
"The first tournament of the year is always one of my favorites," Lien said. "The players get to see all of their hard work be put into action. Both teams showed who they were and what they were capable of. Lauren and Alex set the tone for the women's side, and Justin and Carlos did so for the men. We also saw that everyone traveling had a role at tournaments. The teams saw that the top five players were going to rotate a lot, which would make for a competitive season. As a coach it was a great feeling because I knew we would have a deep roster and that would enable us to always have our best five in each tournament."
 
The strong play continued into the second tournament, with the Warrior women leading the way. Madilyn Brown captured the first tournament win of her career and helped LC State to a team title at the Carroll College Fighting Saints Classic. She added a two-over, 74 to her opening 75 for a five-over, 149 to win medalist honors. Schmidt placed second with a 153, and Lauren Hamm rounded out the top three with154. Freshmen Deana Caruso and Tatyana Carlson tied for fifth (160). Brown was named the Frontier Conference Golfer of the Week for her efforts.
 
The men of Warrior Golf earned their second straight second-place team finish, led by a seventh-place performance by Devon Caruso (nine-over, 222). Zach Rawls and Justin Cox tied for ninth with 224 each.
 
"Madi had a great tournament and really stepped into her role," Lien recalled. She had a lot of fun and it showed in her scores. She reached a major goal of winning her first tournament in the Frontier, and also led the women to a team win. The team played very well and each person stuck to their game plan for the course. They set some good process goals going into the tournament, which helped them have fun and stay in the moment."
 
It was the men's turn to shine in the final conference tournament of the season. The Warriors hosted the Warrior Fall Invitational at the Lewiston Golf and Country Club and Davila did not disappoint the home fans.
 
Davila blew away the competition with an 11-under, 205 to win the tournament and lead the Warriors to the team title. He finished 11 strokes ahead of the runner-up. He was backed by Rawls in eighth (222), Cox tied for 10^th (223), Caruso tied for 26^th (232) and Elias Theodossopoulos in 35^th (236). Davila was named the Frontier Conference Player of the Week.
 
The LC women fielded two teams for the home tournament and both finished the tournament in third. Carlson turned in the best performance with a 156 to finish in a tie for fifth, while Brown tied for seventh at 159. Hamm and Megan Gibson tied for ninth at 156.
 
"Carlos was on another level! He made some important changes leading up to the tournament and it really showed," Lien explained. "You always love the moments as a coach when a player reaches their goal and has little to no regrets when they are done playing. I could tell Carlos was going to play well just based off his mentality going into the tournament. He played so freely and relaxed. Every time I saw him he was having fun and smiling.
 
"We also saw Zach Rawls and Just step into their roles as seniors to help lead the team to a win," Lien continued. "Devon and Elias also played a role by stepping up and giving us a good score each round when we needed it."
 
The Warriors capped the fall season at the Lilac Invitational in Spokane, Wash. Both women's teams placed in the top three, while the men finished fifth. Brown and Hamm tied for third with 148 to lead the women, and Davila finished tied for eighth with 146.
 
LC State Golf was able to get one tournament in during the spring season at the Oregon Tech Invitational. The women placed third and the men were sixth. Schmidt led the Warrior women with a fourth-place finish (157), and Rawls, playing as an individual on the men's side, placed fourth (228).
 
The season was called just before the Warrior Spring Invitational.
 
"Emotions were pretty high, especially for the seniors," Lien recalled. "There was a lot of uncertainty. When it was announced that our season was canceled everyone was at a loss for words. As a coach it was very disappointing, but I was so sad for my players and for my seniors. We were in the middle of our season and gearing up for a successful spring. For everything to come to a halt is tough to handle mentally.
 
"The new was especially tough because everyone knew that we had a really good chance to capture the Frontier Conference Championships," she continued. "There were a lot of players who were setting great process goals and preparing for a successful spring season. I know all of the seniors were excited and prepared to leave a great legacy and footprints for other players to follow. I think we closed up a good season for what we got."
 
The Warriors earned nine All-Frontier Conference selections, headlined by Davila being voted the Frontier Conference Golfer of the Year. He was also named to the first team, while teammates Rawls and Cox both earned Second-Team All-Frontier Conference honors.
 
"Carlos stepped up big this year as a sophomore. He finished the fall season with a 72 tournament average and would have likely continued that into the spring," Lien said. "He had a really good shot at winning the conference championship in April. Carlos continues to succeed academically. He finished the season as the only player on the men's team to receive both all-conference and academic all-conference.
 
"Zach Rawls stepped up as a leader this year," Lien continued. "He finished the fall season with a 74.9 tournament average. He started the spring off well with a fourth-place finish in a tough field at the OIT Spring Invite, and he will return next year with his extra year of eligibility granted by the NAIA. My favorite thing about Zach is that he always has a smile on his face. He really pays attention to his body language and how it affects him and his teammates.
 
"Justin Cox continued to play an important role," Lien said. "He was also a senior and will return next year. He finished the fall season with a 73.7 tournament average. Justin is very driven and works hard on the golf course. Many of the players on the team look to him for advice on their swings and mental work."
 
Six Warrior women were named all-conference. Brown, Schmidt and Hamm all earned first-team recognition, while Gibson, Caruso and Carlson were named Second Team.
 
"Madi finished the season with a 77.5 average. She won a tournament in the fall and had a really good chance to secure the conference championship. Madi always found a way to have fun on the course and liked to keep things easy and simple. She will sadly not return next year and will pursue a career. She worked so hard on the golf course, and just as hard in her classes," Lien said.
 
"Lauren stepped up big again this year and finished the season as a solid player," Lien recalled. "She finished with a 77.9 average. She was a top five player for every tournament, and also stepped up as a leader and gave us a good score when we needed it. She worked hard at practice and it really leaked to the rest of the team. She was all-conference and academic all-conference.
 
"Alex had a rough spring last year, but she came back strong and determined. She showed this right away in our first tournament by placing third and low score for the team," Lien said. "She continued her success through the fall and finished with a 78.8 average. She was off to a good start in the spring and would have played an important role at the conference championship I think.
 
"Megan really blossomed this year," Lien said of the senior. "She continued her success from the spring and really got a feel for who she was as one of the top players on our team. She finished the season with an 80 tournament average. She was a great player to have in the top five because she was consistent and gave us good rounds when we really needed them. She also secured all-conference and academic all-conference awards. She will return next year to fulfill her extra year as well.
 
"Deana and Tatyana came in big as freshman. Tatyana finished with an 80 average and Deana with an 82.9. Freshman year is tough with transitioning and getting used to a hectic schedule, so the fact that they traveled and played well most rounds really says a lot. Both received all-conference, which is something to be very proud of as a freshman," Lien said.
 
Eight Warriors earned Academic All-Frontier Conference nods, with the women leading the conference with six selections.
 
The Warriors return nearly their entire rosters from both teams in 2020-21. They will look to make a splash in the first season as a member of the Cascade Conference.
 
"I am very excited for next year with the transfers and freshmen we have added, and also returning both seniors on the men's side and four of the five on the women's side," Lien said. "Our coaching staff and student-athletes are very excited for our move to the Cascade Conference. We have played in Cascade tournaments before and look forward to the competition. We will be adding two new faces to the men's team and four to the women's team. I think we will see our key players and leaders continue to step up. I also see our top five being very competitive and rotating every tournament. I know both teams are looking forward to next year and are working hard in their extended off season!"