Laramie, Wyo. (Oct. 24, 2023) -- The Wyoming Cowboy Golf Team will close out its 2023 fall season this week at the Ninth Annual Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational in Lahaina, Maui, Hawai'i.  This year's Ka'anapali Classic will be played in support of Maui Wildfire victims, who suffered catastrophic fires in early August 2023.
    
Funds raised by teams, alumni and fans will directly benefit families who lost their homes, including associates of the Ka'anapali Golf Courses who lost everything.  The fundraising efforts during the tournament will be done in partnership with 501(c) 3 organizations Spare for Change and Member for a Day.
    
To donate go to: https://go.memberforaday.co/kaanapaliclassic/Campaign/Details
 
Wyoming is coming off a strong finish at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational in early October. All five of the Cowboys' regular lineup have recorded Top 25 finishes this fall season.
 
2023 Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Inv. Information  
 
Tournament Field
This year's Ka'anapali Classic will feature 20 teams from 16 states and 14 different conferences. 
     •The Mountain West will have the most teams in the field, with four (Air Force, Boise State, San Jose State and Wyoming). 
     •Host Hawai'i and Cal State Northridge will represent the Big West Conference.  The other conferences that will be represented by multiple schools will be the ASUN with two (Liberty and North Florida) and the Big 12 with two (Kansas and Oklahoma). 
     •Rounding out the field are: Clemson (ACC), Colorado (Pac-12), Denver (Summit), East Tennessee State (Southern), Georgia (SEC), Gonzaga (West Coast), Louisiana (Sun Belt), Mount St. Mary's (Metro Atlantic), Sacramento State (Big Sky) and UConn (Big East).
 
Top Teams
     •Four teams in this year's field qualified for the 2023 NCAA Championships: Colorado, East Tennessee State, Georgia and Oklahoma.
     •11 players in this year's field are ranked in the Top 100 of the PGA TOUR University Rankings. Oklahoma senior Ben Lorenz is the tournament's highest-ranked individual at No. 14.
 
Tournament Stats
     • Live scoring will be available on GolfStat at: https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=28514
 
Course Information and Tournament Format
     •Royal Ka'anapali Course, Par 71, 6,700 yards
     •18 holes on Thursday, Oct. 26, Friday, Oct. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 28
 
Quotes From University of Hawai'i Men's Golf Coach Scott Simpson Regarding the Decision to Play This Year's Tournament
"Everyone who lives in Hawai'i was impacted in some way by Maui's wildfires. To see the devastation and people struggling for survival was hard to believe," said Simpson.  "Lahaina was such a historic town; seeing it burned so suddenly and unexpectedly was surreal. If there is any silver lining, it's how people from all over the islands have really come together to support one another.
    
"We consulted with everyone for two weeks to see if we would have the tournament. The debate centered on being sensitive to the recovery versus raising funds for those affected and creating a positive boost to the local economy, while drawing attention to Maui families still in need of financial assistance with our fundraising efforts. I think we made the right decision.  It will be a somber yet joyous tournament to support those affected by the fires."
 
2023-24 Team and Individual Successes
The Wyoming Cowboys' 2023-24 season has been filled with accomplishments.  Among the highlights for the Cowboys this season are:
         •The Cowboys finished second at the 2023 Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational.
         •Five different Pokes have combined for nine Top 25 individual finishes during the 2023-24 season.
         •Juniors Patrick Azevedo, Jaren Calkins and Kristof Panke lead the way with Top 25 finishes this season.  Azevedo has three and Calkins and Panke each have two Top 25 finishes this season.
         •Two other Cowboys have had one Top 25 finish this season, including graduate Jimmy Dales and junior Davis Seybert.
    
Cowboys' Top 25 Finishes  
Here is a breakdown of the current Cowboys who have posted Top 25 finishes during their college careers at Wyoming.   
                                                      2023-24                              Career
Player, Class                               Top 25 Finishes                  Top 25 Finishes
Patrick Azevedo, So.                     3                                           17
Jimmy Dales, Jr.                            1                                           12
Jaren Calkins, So.                         2                                            7
Kristof Panke, So.                          2                                           5
Davis Seybert, Jr.                          1                                            1