Central Michigan University Athletics
Tuesday, October 12
Port Clinton, Ohio / Catawba Island Club GC
9 a.m.
Central Michigan University
at
Rocket Classic
Simply Sensational: Golfers Dominant In Winning Rocket Classic
10/12/2021 5:06:00 PM | Women's Golf
Allendesalazar earns medalist honors; CMU's Salvador finishes second, Chitty ties for fifth
PORT CLINTON, Ohio – The Central Michigan women's golf team has reached incredible heights in the fall, 2021 season.
On Tuesday, they did what may have seemed impossible: left their normally loquacious coach speechless. And it was for good reason.
Casilda Allendesalazar captured medalist honors and the Chippewas completed a wire-to-wire victory in the 10-team, 54-hole Rocket Classic at Catawba Island Club. The Chippewas built a nine-shot lead after Monday's opening round, extended it to 14 after Monday afternoon's second round, and then won going away, finishing 25 shots ahead of runner-up Toledo, the host school.
"It is the proudest moment I've had in coaching," said fourth-year Chippewa coach Jim Earle, who is nearing his 20th year in the college coaching business. "I'm almost speechless to be honest."
Earle's Chippewas won for the third time in four fall starts. That feat, in and of itself, is remarkable, considering that the university resurrected the program in 2014-15 and it has taken a good measure of patience in building it.
To win by such a wide margin over a field that includes Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green, Ohio, and Ball State – each of which finished ahead of the Chippewas last spring in the Mid-American Conference Championships – makes what CMU has accomplished, capped by Tuesday's victory, all the more impressive.
"This whole fall season has really been something special, to be honest," Earle said. "Even though we've won twice before leading into the tournament, (Tuesday's win) was sort of the coming-out party for these last couple recruiting classes. It was special.
"That's our fourth tournament and we've only been bested once and that was by two strokes by Eastern Michigan at their home course. Then we turn around and we beat them by … gosh, I don't know how many strokes we beat them by today."
Thirty-six, for the record.
The Chippewas posted a 301 team score on Tuesday for a 900 total, the second-best 54-hole score in program history. All three of CMU's team scores in the tournament – the Chippewas opened with a 300 on Monday and then shot 299 in Monday's second round – rank among the top 10 in program history.
Allendesalazar closed with a 4-over 76 for a 6-over 222 total to claim her second individual tournament title this season. The freshman finished three shots ahead of teammate and fellow Spaniard Claudia Salvador, a sophomore who rebounded from an opening-round 80 to shoot an even-par second-round 72 and a 1-over 73 on Tuesday to come in at 9-over 225.
The Chippewas' Padgett Chitty, who shot a tournament-best 1-under 71 in Monday's opening round, shot 79 on Tuesday to finish at 11-over 227 and tied for fifth.
CMU's Zoe Vartyan closed with a 1-over 73 to finish at 16-over and in 12th place after starting the day tied for 29th. Teammate Ashley Goh shot 79 on Tuesday to finish 19-over 235 and tied for 17th.
The Chippewas' Rachel Kauflin, playing as an individual, posted a 1-over 73 on Tuesday, rebounding from a challenging day on Monday to finish tied for 34th at 240. The field comprised 62 players.
"The field was so tough, and the golf course was just treacherous," Earle said. "The wind was just howling, blowing 20-30 mph all day, and the rough out there – you would have thought this was the U.S. Open. And for us to go out there and have the guts to put this thing away it was pretty special. To finish off the way we did … I wish I had the words for it; it was something special.
"And for Cas to finish first and Claudia to finish second it just doesn't get any better than that."
It was the second victory of the season for Allendesalazar, a freshman.
The Chippewas are scheduled to close the fall portion of their schedule at the Terrier Intercollegiate, hosted by Wofford, in Spartanburg, S.C. Oct. 25-26.
No matter what happens at Wofford, CMU has already turned in a sensational start to the 2021-22 campaign in a program that appears to be maturing into everything – and perhaps even more – that Earle had hoped for when he came to CMU before the 2018-19 season.
CMU's eight-player roster is comprised entirely of underclassmen.
"It's hard to pinpoint one person on the team or one moment per se," Earle said. "It just goes to show the depth of this team. It is deep, and it's not just five deep. It's not just one or two deep. Given the opportunity they have shown up this fall; pretty remarkable stuff to be honest."
On Tuesday, they did what may have seemed impossible: left their normally loquacious coach speechless. And it was for good reason.
Casilda Allendesalazar captured medalist honors and the Chippewas completed a wire-to-wire victory in the 10-team, 54-hole Rocket Classic at Catawba Island Club. The Chippewas built a nine-shot lead after Monday's opening round, extended it to 14 after Monday afternoon's second round, and then won going away, finishing 25 shots ahead of runner-up Toledo, the host school.
"It is the proudest moment I've had in coaching," said fourth-year Chippewa coach Jim Earle, who is nearing his 20th year in the college coaching business. "I'm almost speechless to be honest."
Earle's Chippewas won for the third time in four fall starts. That feat, in and of itself, is remarkable, considering that the university resurrected the program in 2014-15 and it has taken a good measure of patience in building it.
To win by such a wide margin over a field that includes Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green, Ohio, and Ball State – each of which finished ahead of the Chippewas last spring in the Mid-American Conference Championships – makes what CMU has accomplished, capped by Tuesday's victory, all the more impressive.
"This whole fall season has really been something special, to be honest," Earle said. "Even though we've won twice before leading into the tournament, (Tuesday's win) was sort of the coming-out party for these last couple recruiting classes. It was special.
"That's our fourth tournament and we've only been bested once and that was by two strokes by Eastern Michigan at their home course. Then we turn around and we beat them by … gosh, I don't know how many strokes we beat them by today."
Thirty-six, for the record.
The Chippewas posted a 301 team score on Tuesday for a 900 total, the second-best 54-hole score in program history. All three of CMU's team scores in the tournament – the Chippewas opened with a 300 on Monday and then shot 299 in Monday's second round – rank among the top 10 in program history.
Allendesalazar closed with a 4-over 76 for a 6-over 222 total to claim her second individual tournament title this season. The freshman finished three shots ahead of teammate and fellow Spaniard Claudia Salvador, a sophomore who rebounded from an opening-round 80 to shoot an even-par second-round 72 and a 1-over 73 on Tuesday to come in at 9-over 225.
The Chippewas' Padgett Chitty, who shot a tournament-best 1-under 71 in Monday's opening round, shot 79 on Tuesday to finish at 11-over 227 and tied for fifth.
CMU's Zoe Vartyan closed with a 1-over 73 to finish at 16-over and in 12th place after starting the day tied for 29th. Teammate Ashley Goh shot 79 on Tuesday to finish 19-over 235 and tied for 17th.
The Chippewas' Rachel Kauflin, playing as an individual, posted a 1-over 73 on Tuesday, rebounding from a challenging day on Monday to finish tied for 34th at 240. The field comprised 62 players.
"The field was so tough, and the golf course was just treacherous," Earle said. "The wind was just howling, blowing 20-30 mph all day, and the rough out there – you would have thought this was the U.S. Open. And for us to go out there and have the guts to put this thing away it was pretty special. To finish off the way we did … I wish I had the words for it; it was something special.
"And for Cas to finish first and Claudia to finish second it just doesn't get any better than that."
It was the second victory of the season for Allendesalazar, a freshman.
The Chippewas are scheduled to close the fall portion of their schedule at the Terrier Intercollegiate, hosted by Wofford, in Spartanburg, S.C. Oct. 25-26.
No matter what happens at Wofford, CMU has already turned in a sensational start to the 2021-22 campaign in a program that appears to be maturing into everything – and perhaps even more – that Earle had hoped for when he came to CMU before the 2018-19 season.
CMU's eight-player roster is comprised entirely of underclassmen.
"It's hard to pinpoint one person on the team or one moment per se," Earle said. "It just goes to show the depth of this team. It is deep, and it's not just five deep. It's not just one or two deep. Given the opportunity they have shown up this fall; pretty remarkable stuff to be honest."
Players Mentioned
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