Men to host The Jackrabbit September 25 through 28

After a big 2014 season, the South Dakota State women’s golf team is looking to make even bigger strides in 2015. Last year, we saw 30 different school records fall and three women (Sydney MacDonald, Megan Mingo and Hallie Getz) break the single season scoring record.

“The exciting thing for our women’s team is that they’re returning all of last year’s starters,” said Head Coach Casey Van Damme at SDSU’s Fall Media Day in early August.

 The women’s team has just one incoming freshman, Elle Carlson, who was the 2015 South Dakota state champion from Sioux Falls O’Gorman as a senior.

 The men’s team didn’t have quite the level of historic success compared to the women, but still finished the year strong as they came in third at the Summit League Championships.

 This year, the men’s team will host The Jackrabbit at the Prairie Club in Valentine, Neb. Sept. 25 througjh 28. The field there will include top-ranked Arizona State and other top power conference programs.

 “In golf, there are a lot of reciprocals, so on our men’s side we have an incredible schedule this year,” Van Damme said, “… so our men will have a chance to go against some of the best competition in the nation.”

 The gem of an incredibly strong recruiting class, at least according to credentials, is Felipe Strobach from Lima, Peru. Strobach has been ranked as highly as 703rd in the world amateur rankings and recently finished 17th at the Pan Am games, competing closely with other top collegiate golfers.

 The women’s team will open their year at the Diane Thomason Invitational in Iowa Sept. 12, while the men open up at the Ram Masters Intercollegiate at Colorado State in Fort Collins, Col. Sept. 21.