The UC Riverside women’s and men’s golf teams start their seasons with a full schedule of tournaments. 

The women’s golf team has welcomed two Riverside natives, the first on the team in a decade. Freshmen Sofia Vargas and Sophia Luna competed at the opener in Utah on Sept. 8 in their first collegiate event, with Vargas capturing the Wolverine Invitational title, shooting a three-round total of 10-under-par 206, while Luna shot an even-par 72. 

Returning athlete Mitzi Duarte remains a key player for the team. She held a 76.2 stroke average last season and shot a low round of even-par 72 in the second round of the Long Beach State Tri-Dual. Duarte finished the season recording two rounds of 1-under-par 71 in her last four rounds. In the recent Eagle Invitational, she finished ninth. 

“I’m very excited about this season,” Coach Mary Ritchie said. “We have a great schedule with a mix of old classics and new venues we’ve never played before.”

The team finished second overall in the Utah Wolverine Invitational, then fifth at the Eagle Invitational on Sept. 22 and 23. Rounding out the fall season will be the Harbottle Invitational and The Clash at Boulder Creek. The season picks up again on Feb. 2 at UC Irvine, followed by the UCR Soboba Classic, GCU Invitational, Lady Thunderbird Invitational, Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational, and Fresno State Classic, leading up to the Big West Championship in April.

Assistant Coach Ryan Carter will be joining the coaching staff, working with both the men’s and women’s teams. 

On the men’s side, the team’s goal this season is to build a strong foundation.

”We lost a few seniors last year, which makes this a pivotal year to rebuild,” said Ritchie, who also coaches the men’s team.

The men’s team welcomed five new additions: Freshmen Von Wasson, Stephen Luo, Liam Hartling, and Harte Grewal, and graduate student Tyllet Leib.

Leading the men’s team is returning athlete Mark Gao, who posted a 76.7 stroke average last season. Gao tied for 27th at the Big West Championship, leading UCR with an 8-over 224.

The men’s team competed in the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational on Sept. 21, capturing a top 30 finish and highlighted by three of five team members carding a birdie on the 18th hole. The event is followed by the Bill Cullum Invitational Oct. 7 and 8, Stockton Pacific Invitational, and rounding out the fall season with the Kapolei Invitational. The spring season will pick up on Feb. 10 with the Van Harte Orange County Collegiate Classis, followed by the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate, GCU Invitational, UC San Diego Invitational, and Seattle University Redhawk Invitational, Gaucho Invitational, and concluding with the Big West Championship at the end of April.

Cross-Country

The UCR men’s and women’s cross-country teams have begun preparing for the Big West and Regional Championships. After kicking off their season at the UCLA/Santa Barbara meet on Aug. 30, the Highlanders hosted the UCR Invitational on Sept. 21,  where they finished in the top 10 on both the men’s and women’s side for the fourth consecutive year. 

Joshua Mendoza, last year’s MPSF All-Academic honoree, led the pack at the recent Highlander Invitational, finishing 13th as the Highlanders’ top runner and helping the men’s team secure fourth overall at the invite. On the women’s side, Colette Lowengrub grabbed the program’s second best 6k finish all-time, earning her second top-10 finish at the UCR Invitational and fourth all-time in the 6k. Additionally, Isatu N’Diaye secured a top-60 finish, and Joy Weber earned a top-70 finish. 

“Our primary goal this season is to focus on our own process,” said assistant coach Zach Newsom. “Last year, we got caught up in chasing a position in the conference, which put too much weight on the outcome. This year, we are striving to achieve our own individual and team ‘20-mile march’ every day, both in practice and competition, trusting that it will lead to the desired outcome at the end of the season.” 

Both of the teams will compete at the Bill Dellinger Invitational at the University of Oregon in October before hosting another invitational back home, leading up to the Big West Championships and NCAA Regionals.

The men’s team has welcomed freshmen Aidan Dominguez, Kai Marotta, Matthew Mullane, Lyle Phillips, and Ben Rippe this season. Senior Ashraf Abdelmagig leads the team, having finished fourth at last year’s Big West Championship and earning NCAA All-West Region honors with a 22nd-place finish at the NCAA West Regionals. Last season, Abdelmagig also broke the UCR 5k record at the Boston University Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. The men’s team finished fourth overall in the Big West last season. 

Joining the women’s team this season are transfers Morgan Nygren and Ingrid Tamayo, along with freshmen Sophie Moser-Smith and Kylie Nasca. The team is led by senior Collette Lowengrub, who finished sixth at the recent Highlander Invitational, earned Big West All-Academic honors last year, and placed 37th at the NCAA West Regionals. Last season, the women’s team achieved some of its best performances in both conference and region, placing third in the Big West and 11th overall in the NCAA Regionals, marking the team’s best regional result since finishing eighth in 2007.

“Our schedule is designed to maximize training and have us performing our best when it really counts,” Newsom said. “We’ll have a solid training block before the UCR Invitational and the Dellinger Invitational, and by the time Big West and NCAA Regionals roll around, we’ll be ready.”

The cross-country team’s next upcoming meet is on Oct. 11 for the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Eugene, Oregon.