Yellowjacket Golf Opens 2010-11 Season at Home Tuesday with First MSUB Fall Invitational

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings men’s and women’s golf teams open the 2010-11 season at home with the MSUB Invitational Sept. 7-8, at Briarwood Golf Club in Billings.  This is the first fall tournament the Yellowjackets have hosted in school history.  The first round begins at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, with the final round scheduled for 7:20 a.m. start Wednesday.

“We are excited to get the season underway,” MSUB head men’s and women’s golf coach Shawn O’Brien said.  “If we play to our potential, we will do very well.  Being able to host a tournament in the fall is a great event for MSUB Golf as it will be the first fall tournament hosted by MSUB.”

The 36-hole event will feature six men’s teams and seven women’s teams.  On the men’s side, the Yellowjackets, along with cross-town rival Rocky Mountain College, University of Great Falls, Montana Tech, Miles Community College and Carroll College, all are competing. 

The women’s field includes MSUB, Rocky Mountain College, Chadron State College, Carroll College, University of Great Falls, Montana Tech and Miles Community College.

The MSUB men’s team features eight new players this season.  Junior Kyle Armstrong competed last spring and senior Travis Gates are the only returning players.  The Jackets had a strong recruiting class, landing Billings West standout Mac Keating, along with Brad Harrelson of Snoqualmie, Wash., and three players from Wyoming in Lander natives, Jake Letmen and Chris Rasmussen and Buffalo native, Ryan Graham.

O’Brien also tabbed two new players from Montana in Matt Berg (Glendive) and Laith Wilson (Livingston).

The Yellowjacket women’s team begins its first season in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference as the league added women’s golf this year with the addition of Simon Fraser University.  The Jackets were in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference for the past three years.

Last season, the women’s team won the RMAC Tournament Championship and made its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.  O’Brien was named RMAC Coach of the Year in his first year as head coach. 

The Jackets return four players from last year, including First Team All-RMAC selection in junior Kalli Stanhope.  Junior Erin Heaney garnered second team honors last season, while sophomore Liz Tikriti was a third team selection.  Junior Libby Rutz also returns for the 2010-11 season.  Stanhope became the first Yellowjacket to reach the NCAA Championship as an individual as a freshman in 2009. 

Seven new faces highlight the 2010-11 roster for O’Brien.  Junior Lindsay Erickson returns to MSUB after competing her freshman and sophomore years for the Yellowjackets.  She then transferred to Montana State last year.  Six of the seven players are freshmen, including Billings natives, Kai Yamamoto and Kenzie White.