LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 14, 2024) – Josey Stender's 21st season as the head women's golf coach at Wyoming begins on a big stage.
 
The Cowgirls will open the 2024-25 season on Monday at the 16-team Leadership & Golf Invitational hosted by Seattle University and Washington on the prestigious Chambers Bay GC in Seattle, the site of the men's U.S. Open in 2015.
 
"We're familiar with elements and that's one thing you can absolutely guarantee you're going to face up there," Stender said. "We will rely a lot on what our strengths are and really being disciplined on the little things. It's a course where you must be on the correct side of the fairway or the correct part of the green. Having that discipline and not pin seeking at certain points will be huge. It's definitely a course where you've got to know where your ball is going."
 
Stender's lineup to begin the fall schedule is led by seniors Kyla Wilde and Meghan Vogt. Two players from the state of Wyoming, sophomore Samantha Spielman of Sheridan and junior Sophie Spiva of Casper, will also be competing for UW along with freshman Lucia Morelli, who is from Mercer Island, Wash., located near Chambers Bay.
 
The quality field also includes Cal Poly, Colorado, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Long Beach State, Oregon State, San Diego State, Santa Clara, South Florida, UC Davis and USC.
 
"I know it's definitely a course with adversity on it and it's a tough walk and there can be tough conditions," said Wilde, one of three UW players with previous experience playing at Chambers Bay. "But I think it's a great tournament to start off with because any other course we play in, any other event we're in won't be as hard of a walk and the weather will probably be better.
 
"I think it's good to start off with this one. It will give us more confidence heading into the next events. It's always great to play with a really competitive field. It just makes you better."
 
Wilde, who has battled significant injuries during her career, is healthy entering the season and embracing her role as a team leader after finishing tied for 26th individually at the Mountain West Championships in April.
 
Vogt has also had to fight back from injuries, which forced her to miss the fall schedule in 2022 and limited her to only one tournament during the 2023-24 campaign. The Broomfield, Colo., product led UW with a 76.20 stroke average through 30 rounds as a freshman, which at the time ranked ninth in program history.
 
"Meghan and Kyla were both instrumental so early in their careers, and I'm excited to have both of them in the lineup together again," Stender said. "(Vogt) is very lead by example. Her upside and her talent level, we haven't fully got to see it yet. That's what is kind of exciting, if we can get her a couple competitive rounds under her belt."
 
Spiva was also part of UW's ninth-place finish at the conference meet last season, finishing 42nd individually.
 
"Sophie is so sneaky strong, she's very long off the tee," Stender said of Spiva who finished in the top 10 at the Wyoming Class 4A State Championships all four years during her prep career at Natrona. "She worked really hard this summer improving her putting, which was kind of a hindrance to her scoring, at least from a consistency standpoint. She also needed to get better from about 100 yards and in and capitalize on her length. I think that showed in qualifying. She's also just another great teammate."
 
Spielman played in 10 events as a true freshman, including a 27th-place finish at the Colonel Wollenberg Ram Classic. She won two 4A state championships and was also a runner-up and third-place finisher during her high school career in Sheridan.
 
"I'm so proud of how coachable Sam is," Stender said. "She took on a lot of changes in her game from (UW assistant) Coach (Blake) Isakson and me. She really put in the time and effort to improve and continued to play in events throughout this past summer. She is confident, she is very athletic, and she is going to definitely be a student-athlete we rely on this year."
 
Morelli came up with some clutch shots at the end of qualifying to earn her spot on the travel squad and her homecoming. She finished 16th in 2022 and 13th in 2023 in the Washington 3A State Championships and won the 2023 Seattle Junior Open.
 
"She really proved to herself that's she's ready for the Division I college stage," Stender said. "It's full circle for her, she went and watched this event last year and she has played Chambers Bay many times, which will be a huge advantage for her. She's very mature, she's very self-aware and calculated with her game. That's going to help her even though she's just a freshman."
 
After the Cowgirls conclude the Leadership & Golf Invitational on Tuesday, they will begin preparing for the CSU Colonel Wollenberg Ram Classic Sept. 23-24 in Windsor, Colo.
 
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 
 
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