CBU Women's Golf Aims to Win Conference Crown

MORENO VALLEY >> It is one of the quickest turnarounds from season's end to beginning for California Baptist University women's golf. The Lancers will be excited to take on 2016-17, though, with the opportunity to advance to its fourth-straight NCAA Division II playoffs and three-peat as PacWest Champions. There are a few changes coming to CBU's 2016-17 schedule. It upped its tournament total from nine to 10, and will also compete in three events it did not last year: Nova Southeastern's Guy Harvey Invitational, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's Lady Mustang Tournament and Cal State Monterey Bay's Otter Invitational. First-year head coach Marc Machado is there to help lead the Lancers through these changes. Machado, an assistant with the program since 2011-12, was promoted to the head job earlier this month. Machado stands to return four of the team's five starting golfers from last season, including two-time All-American and PacWest Player of the Year Marvi Monsalve; reigning PacWest champion, Freshman of the Year and national qualifier Erica Wang; 2015 PacWest Scholar Athlete of the Year Natalie Park and 2015 All-West selection Laura Scrivner. Like last year, CBU plays out of state a lot early on. It will have an opportunity to defend its three 2015-16 championship performances at the Western New Mexico Fall Intercollegiate, CBU Invitational and PacWest Championships, as well. The Lancers open the new year in Arizona at the WNMU Fall Intercollegiate on Sept. 19-20 - where they set four new records to win the event for the second season in a row in 2015. From there, CBU returns to the Dixie State Invitational in Utah on Oct. 3-4 before attending the Guy Harvey Invitational in Florida (Oct. 10-11). It is the team's second trip to Guy Harvey in three years after a one-season hiatus. The Lancers conclude the fall portion of the season and debut in California with another new addition, the Lady Mustang (Oct. 22-23) in Arroyo Grande. Point Loma's Super San Diego Championship welcomes back CBU from the break on Feb. 6-7. The Lancers will look to win the tournament for the third time in four years after taking second last season. Per usual, CBU will host its invitational near the end of February (20-21) at the Eagle Glen golf Club in Corona, looking to defend its home course for the second-straight campaign. For just the second time in program history, the Lancers will head to Cal State East Bay's Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout (March 6-7). Another CCAA tournament, Cal State Monterey Bay's Otter Invitational, is the next stop for CBU (March 20-21). There is one final postseason tune up for the Lancers, as they go back to Goodyear, Ariz., for the second time in the year for the Mustang Intercollegiate (April 10-11). From there, CBU will look to win its third-straight conference crown at the PacWest Championships. This time, the Lancers will have to do it on the islands, as the conference tournament returns to Oahu, Hawaii (last PacWest Championship in Hawaii was in 2014). CBU has dominated the conference tournament two years running, winning the 2016 and 2015 titles by a combined 74 strokes. If the Lancers replicate their form, they will find themselves back in the NCAA Division II postseason for the fourth year in a row since CBU became a D-II member in 2014. The NCAA Division II regional rounds are set to take place at a site yet to be determined from May 1-3. The D-II Championships will be hosted by the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio from May 17-20.