Completed Event: Women's Golf at Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational on September 29, 2025 , , T-8th of 15
W Golf
at Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational
T-8th of 15
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Monday, September 9
UNM Championship Course | Albuquerque, N.M.
Grand Canyon
at
Dick McGuire Invitational
Culture tees up season for Nicoson's 1st GCU team
9/7/2024 7:30:00 PM | Women's Golf, Paul Coro
Lopes open play in Albuquerue with 4 transfers in their lineup
Before the Grand Canyon women's golf team hits the first tee of its season Monday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the groundwork for succeeding through the WAC Tournament in April has been laid in the weeks since head coach Brent Nicoson's hiring in June.
Nicoson assembled a balanced nine-player roster that competes with each other to raise the Lopes' levels against others. He established relationships with each player about everything outside golf and winning, so that golf and winning come more naturally.
The formula worked for three Division II national championships at Indianapolis, and already has shown him results in buy-in and practice habits.
"We are trying to get them to be elite at everything they do," Nicoson said. "That doesn't just mean in golf and as a student. That means with their faith, as a family member and as a friend. We're always trying to talk about the holistic approach to being a golf player."
The 11-tournament season begins with the Dick Maguire Invitational on Monday and Tuesday, when a five-player team lineup and one individual entry will compete after earning spots through six rounds of qualifying at GCU Golf Course (three rounds), Arizona Country Club, Palm Valley and Ocotillo Golf Club.
Four new Lopes cracked the top five, including the Indianapolis duo of senior Anci Dy and sophomore Jess Haines who followed Nicoson to Phoenix.
Arizona State graduate transfer Calynne Rosholt roared out to a 10-under score through three qualifying rounds before Dy rallied to No. 1 in the final round. Dy, a D-II All-America first-teamer, posted a 73.0 scoring average last season and is adjusting her game to Bermuda grass.
"Her game has gotten better every year," Dy said. "She's long off the tee. She's not afraid to go low. She's just very solid at everything she does. She's a very good leader and team player. She's been rock solid for me for three years."
Ro
sholt was a standout golfer out of Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek, north of Phoenix, and splashed at ASU with three top-five finishes as a freshman and a 4-under final round at NCAA regionals as a sophomore.
After playing in six tournaments last season, Rosholt is recapturing her love of golf at GCU Golf Course and alongside her new Lopes teammates. Rosholt's performance is displaying that effect and making Nicoson envision All-America honor potential for her final collegiate season.
"The biggest thing for Calynne is she's having fun playing golf again," Nicoson said. "She had lost her love for it. My relationship with her as a new coach couldn't be any better. The trust is already there. The hard work is already there."
The senior-laden leadership extends to the third qualifying spot, which was secured by Mesa (Arizona) Community College transfer Alyzzah Vakasiuola. The San Tan Valley, Arizona, is a multi-tool player who drives deep into fairways.
"She's a very powerful player who can make a lot of birdies," Nicoson said. "She's not afraid to ask for help. She works hard and has high expectations."
The opening tournament lineup's lone returnee is sophomore Brenna Preap, who made her first team event lineup for GCU. Nicoson is discovering that there is more to hard-hitting Preap than what she showed last year.
Preap, who is from Stockton, California, backed that up three weeks ago by winning the Northern California Women's Amateur Championship in a match-play format.
"That was a big springboard for her coming her," Preap said. "Sitting down with her, I say, 'I see what it's in you.' It's in there. She could be really good. She has all the tools, but I don't know if the mindset has been there that she can be an elite player."
Haynes edged fellow Englishwoman Amelia Curtis, a junior, for the final team spot by one stroke after six qualifying rounds. Curtis will travel as an individual entry, but Haynes' way into the season-opening lineup embodies how she became the Great Lakes Valley Conference's Freshman of the Year last season at Indianapolis.
"She's not going to be the flashy player or the longest player, but she's going to be a player you want on your team," Nicoson said. "She's going to fight until the end. She's tough and is never going to give in. She's talented and wants to make things tough in practice to simulate what we're going to see in the tournament."
Nicoson, who brought Leila Raines as assistant coach after her Michigan State playing career, figures that each of GCU's nine players will prove to be factors this season. The Lopes' roster is rounded out with returnees Lena Tremouille and Sloane Bayer and freshman Matilda Samervong of Sweden.
"Anyone could be in the lineup," Raines agreed. "It brings out everyone's competitive side. Everyone has to fight for it. There is no given spot.
"Coach is really good at motivating the team. He brings a good atmosphere to the team that we can bounce things off each other and have a good time as well as trying to play as well as we can at the tournaments."
Nicoson expects to push the level of the program, telling his current players that he will outrecruit them as a way to push their improvement. Everything in the program is about winning without talking about winning. The culture is the first concern.
With 18 years of coaching college golf, Nicoson knows he is blessed with the rest at GCU. A new short-game facility is being constructed at GCU Golf Course and the campus layout showed him that "GCU is doing everything right."
"I want a team that has a big target on our back because we're a solid golf team, but at the same time, we're highly respected because of how we act and do things," Nicoson said.
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Nicoson assembled a balanced nine-player roster that competes with each other to raise the Lopes' levels against others. He established relationships with each player about everything outside golf and winning, so that golf and winning come more naturally.The formula worked for three Division II national championships at Indianapolis, and already has shown him results in buy-in and practice habits.
"We are trying to get them to be elite at everything they do," Nicoson said. "That doesn't just mean in golf and as a student. That means with their faith, as a family member and as a friend. We're always trying to talk about the holistic approach to being a golf player."
The 11-tournament season begins with the Dick Maguire Invitational on Monday and Tuesday, when a five-player team lineup and one individual entry will compete after earning spots through six rounds of qualifying at GCU Golf Course (three rounds), Arizona Country Club, Palm Valley and Ocotillo Golf Club.
Four new Lopes cracked the top five, including the Indianapolis duo of senior Anci Dy and sophomore Jess Haines who followed Nicoson to Phoenix.
Arizona State graduate transfer Calynne Rosholt roared out to a 10-under score through three qualifying rounds before Dy rallied to No. 1 in the final round. Dy, a D-II All-America first-teamer, posted a 73.0 scoring average last season and is adjusting her game to Bermuda grass.
"Her game has gotten better every year," Dy said. "She's long off the tee. She's not afraid to go low. She's just very solid at everything she does. She's a very good leader and team player. She's been rock solid for me for three years."
Ro
sholt was a standout golfer out of Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek, north of Phoenix, and splashed at ASU with three top-five finishes as a freshman and a 4-under final round at NCAA regionals as a sophomore.After playing in six tournaments last season, Rosholt is recapturing her love of golf at GCU Golf Course and alongside her new Lopes teammates. Rosholt's performance is displaying that effect and making Nicoson envision All-America honor potential for her final collegiate season.
"The biggest thing for Calynne is she's having fun playing golf again," Nicoson said. "She had lost her love for it. My relationship with her as a new coach couldn't be any better. The trust is already there. The hard work is already there."
The senior-laden leadership extends to the third qualifying spot, which was secured by Mesa (Arizona) Community College transfer Alyzzah Vakasiuola. The San Tan Valley, Arizona, is a multi-tool player who drives deep into fairways."She's a very powerful player who can make a lot of birdies," Nicoson said. "She's not afraid to ask for help. She works hard and has high expectations."
The opening tournament lineup's lone returnee is sophomore Brenna Preap, who made her first team event lineup for GCU. Nicoson is discovering that there is more to hard-hitting Preap than what she showed last year.
Preap, who is from Stockton, California, backed that up three weeks ago by winning the Northern California Women's Amateur Championship in a match-play format."That was a big springboard for her coming her," Preap said. "Sitting down with her, I say, 'I see what it's in you.' It's in there. She could be really good. She has all the tools, but I don't know if the mindset has been there that she can be an elite player."
Haynes edged fellow Englishwoman Amelia Curtis, a junior, for the final team spot by one stroke after six qualifying rounds. Curtis will travel as an individual entry, but Haynes' way into the season-opening lineup embodies how she became the Great Lakes Valley Conference's Freshman of the Year last season at Indianapolis.
"She's not going to be the flashy player or the longest player, but she's going to be a player you want on your team," Nicoson said. "She's going to fight until the end. She's tough and is never going to give in. She's talented and wants to make things tough in practice to simulate what we're going to see in the tournament."
Nicoson, who brought Leila Raines as assistant coach after her Michigan State playing career, figures that each of GCU's nine players will prove to be factors this season. The Lopes' roster is rounded out with returnees Lena Tremouille and Sloane Bayer and freshman Matilda Samervong of Sweden.
"Anyone could be in the lineup," Raines agreed. "It brings out everyone's competitive side. Everyone has to fight for it. There is no given spot.
"Coach is really good at motivating the team. He brings a good atmosphere to the team that we can bounce things off each other and have a good time as well as trying to play as well as we can at the tournaments."
Nicoson expects to push the level of the program, telling his current players that he will outrecruit them as a way to push their improvement. Everything in the program is about winning without talking about winning. The culture is the first concern.
With 18 years of coaching college golf, Nicoson knows he is blessed with the rest at GCU. A new short-game facility is being constructed at GCU Golf Course and the campus layout showed him that "GCU is doing everything right."
"I want a team that has a big target on our back because we're a solid golf team, but at the same time, we're highly respected because of how we act and do things," Nicoson said.
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Players Mentioned
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Head Coach Brent Nicoson Meets the Team | August 29, 2024
Friday, February 07