TACOMA, WASH. --- The Pacific Lutheran University Men's and Women's Golf teams look ahead to the 2023-24 season which tees off this weekend on the road at the Pacific Invitational in Forest Grove, Ore.
 
Both Lutes programs are coached by second-year head coach Tyler Copp who took over the Lute's programs prior to the 2022-23 seasons.
 
PLU WOMEN'S GOLF
 
The PLU Women's Golf team will strive to improve on their NWC Championship title run from last season as they finished third in the conference tournament last April. Last Fall, the Lutes competed in three events where they finished in the top-half of two of the three events. The highlight of the Fall season was the Lutes third-place finish at the Pacific Invitational in Banks, Ore. at Quail Valley Golf Course. This same tournament will once again be the season opener for both PLU squads this season. At the annual NWC Fall Classic at Creekside Golf Club, the Lutes finished fourth of the eight teams.
 
In the Spring championship season, the Lutes competed in four tournaments and one dual meet. Beginning the Spring season in southern California, the Lutes finished eighth out of ten teams in the one-day event at the California Lutheran Invitational. But the squad bounced back with a second-place finish at the UPS Invitational at Oakbrook Golf Club in Lakewood, Wash. Continuing an upward trend in the Spring, the Lutes defeated Puget Sound in a head-to-head dual at Oakbrook by a 3-2 margin. In the final event of the championship season, the Lutes finished third at the Northwest Conference Championships, trailing only Whitworth and eventual national champions George Fox University.
 
Heading into her junior season, Emily Fisher lead the Lutes in the 2022-23 season, where she carded four top-tens, including one at the NWC Championship where she finished in a tie for ninth place. Fisher competed in twelve events for the Lutes, averaging a score of 83.33 for the season. Also competing in all twelve rounds for the Lutes was freshman Sara Rhodes who had three top-ten finishes of her own. Rhodes averaged a score of 86.58 over the course of the season. Both Fisher and Rhodes earned second team all-conference honors in the 2022-23 season.
 
"In regards to Emily and Sara, I know both of them are eager to start tournament competition. Fortunately for us, defending D3 National Champions and pre-season #1 in the country George Fox will give both of them that opportunity to show what they can do. Look out for a day or two this season, whether it be Fall or Spring, where we look to challenge George Fox as best we can."
 
In her junior season, Ariana Warren competed in every event for the Lutes, averaging a score of 96.25.
 
"Ariana won our most improved team award voted by the players. We all expect her to take another big leap this year!"
 
As a freshman, Madison Hull competed in the spring season for the Lutes, highlighted by a seventh-place finish at the UPS Spring Invitational.
 
"Returners Emily Fisher, Sara Rhodes, and Ariana Warren were part of a team of just six players last year that finished 3rd. We all feel like we scratched the surface of our potential last spring and know that with steady improvement we can reach new heights."
 
The 2023-24 freshman class includes three newcomers looking to bring a conference title back to Luteville. Abby Matelski from DuPont, Wash., competed at Steilacoom High School, and was the first commit in the class.
 
"She brings an immeasurable amount of energy, passion, and competitiveness to our program. Her willingness to devote time to improving is a true reflection of her love for the game. She is a bit of a late bloomer and I think that chip on her shoulder has really helped her make a big jump." Said Coach Copp regarding Matelski.
 
Kathleen Pullin of Lakewood, Wash. Played her prep career at Lakes High School and was the second commit of the class.
 
"She works at a course in the local area so she's grown accustomed to enjoying long days on the course competing and having fun. Kathleen is someone who has very high expectations for herself, which comes from her eagerness to be the best she can be. As she gains more and more confidence, she could be a big surprise and help to our success."
 
The third and final commit of the freshman class was Ashley Nguyen, native of Olympia, Wash. and attended Timberline High School.
 
"Ashley is an incredibly smart human being and someone who will thrive in our program. She has all the makings of being a great teammate and will compete heavily for the fourth and fifth spot in our lineup. Her short game appears to be a big strength of her game, something we all know translates well to tournament competition."
 
"We're extremely thankful to have Ashley, Kathleen and Abby with us."
 
The Lutes have five competitions lined up for the Fall season, including one tournament where the Lutes will host at the Home Course in DuPont, Wash. on September 25^th and 26^th.
 
"I really expect our depth to show greatly come springtime. Sophomore Madison Hull (soccer) and graduate senior Ava Edmonds (injury) will be competing with us in the spring, two players that had really successful 2022-2023 seasons for us. Ava improved her short game immensely last fall and posted a personal best score, while Madison Hull joined our program in the spring and proved to the entire conference that she can compete with anyone. We feel very confident that our depth will take us a step forward."
 
PLU MEN'S GOLF

The Lutes Men's Golf team prepares for the 2023-24 season with six athletes once again. The most notable loss for the Lutes is Joshua Clogston who lead the team in his first two seasons at PLU. Clogston, a former Northwest Conference Rookie of the Year chose not to return to the squad this year. But the Lutes will retool with three newcomers joining the roster this season.
 
The Fall schedule is released and the Lutes have four tournaments and one dual meet on the docket. The Men's team plans to compete in the same events as the Lute Women's team.
 
Last season, the Lutes also competed in four tournaments, and will begin their season at the Pacific Invitational once again where they finished third a season ago. During the spring championship season, the Lutes finished fifth at the Northwest Conference Championships. At the final event of the season, freshman Koen Solis stepped up in a big way, leading the Lutes with a T-12 finish. Solis shot 72, 78 on the weekend at OGA Golf Course in Woodburn, Ore.
 
"Once again, we are very young with five underclassmen and one junior. The biggest difference between last years young squad and this year is that our mindset has shifted greatly. We have a lot of respect for the top teams in our league, but we feel like now is the time to start to challenge the top 4 in our conference. We showed glimpses of it last year however this year we will need to put forth two consistent days to feel like we are maximizing our abilities."
 
Now leading the Lutes with just one year of experience under their belts is sophomores Koen Solis and Hunter Olson. Solis competed in six events and ten rounds for the Lutes. The Mill Creek, Wash. native averaged a 77.9 on the season. Coming from Puyallup, Wash., Olson competed in 12 events on the season, averaging a 79.33.
 
"We've already placed a big leadership role on returning sophomores Koen Solis and Hunter Olson. Those are two guys that epitomize what it means to be a member of our program; hard working, competitive, and all class. Both of them have been named team captains this year. I know they'll draw on some of the ups and downs of their freshman seasons to help the young guys come along."
 
Entering his Junior year with the most experience is junior Josh Cross. Cross comes from Spanaway, Wash. where he went to high school at Graham Kapowsin. Cross is a former NWC second team all-conference honoree. During the 2022-23 season, Cross played in six events for PLU, and held an average score of 75.1 over 11 rounds.
 
Rounding out the Lutes lineup is a squad of freshman in which Copp calls "Home runs".
 
From Lake Oswego, Ore., Tanner Frinell spent his prep days at Lake Oswego High School.
 
"Tanner is someone we identified as the top prospect in our recruiting cycle last year, as it was obvious from the start that he was our type of person. He had a tremendous summer this year competing against various levels of competition down in Oregon. He earned the right to be called one of the top juniors in his state and we expect him to give the freshman of the year award a run for its money."
 
Freshman Luke Butler arrives in Luteville from Priest Lake, Idaho, where he attended Lamanna High School.
 
"Luke is a great athlete who will now have the opportunity to give golf everything he has. He competed as a basketball and soccer student-athlete in high school in addition to playing golf, so we know that Luke's development will take off as he dives into his first full season of golf. He's a tremendous young man on and off the golf course."
 
The only international athlete on the Men's squad is freshman Marcus Otto who comes from Helsingborg, Sweden.
 
"Although a freshman, Marcus comes in at sophomore standing academically and is a bit older than the rest of his peers. He had really successful summer golf season in his homeland and has already grown into the type of golf we have here. Marcus will be one of the biggest hitters in our conference, presenting an aggressive style of play. He's been a perfect fit for our group, giving us a worldly perspective to our program that has created a lot of fun conversation and bonding."
 
The Lutes Men's Golf team will look to set the standard for the future of PLU Golf with an incredibly young team. The Lutes will have to make some changes off of the course that Head Coach Tyler Copp believes will be the most important factor in setting a new standard.
 
"The mental side of things is definitely an area we discuss a lot. Positive self-talk and managing expectations is one of the more difficult things to do in our game. As a young team, its important we learn from our mistakes and move on quickly. With a small roster this year, we need the most out of everyone more so than other teams in our conference. Our guys understand that and have been doing their best to control their emotions and play the right way. We have group that is extremely competitive, which I know will drive them to take teammates with them and handle the ups and downs of the season."
 
The Lutes Golf programs open up their seasons this weekend down in Forest Grove, Ore. at the Pacific Invitational.
 
To follow Lutes coverage all season long, please follow us on social media; PLU Athletics on Facebook, @GoLutes on X.com and Instagram.