RDC Golf 2018 - 19 season preview
2017 – 18 Review
The PING Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Golf National Championships at the Royal Ashburn Golf Club in Ashburn, Ontario
RDC Kings – 9th place
Women's individual – Shaye Leidenius (4th)
The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Golf Championships at RedTail Landing Golf Club in Nisku, Alberta
RDC Kings - gold
RDC Queens – bronze
Women's individual – Shaye Leidenius earned gold (84 + 82 = 166)
2017- 18 Awards
CCAA All-Canadian – Shaye Leidenius
ACAC Women's Golf Player of the Year – Shaye Leidenius
RDC Athletics Awards Night
Coach's Award – Logan Hill
Most Improved Player – Paige Tichkowsky
Rookie of the Year – Justin Loro
Most Valuable Player – Shaye Leidenius
2018-19
With the final roster decisions on the RDC Queens & Kings Golf teams coming this weekend, Head Coach Scott Bergdahl likes the group that is starting to form. "The Queens look outstanding this year and the Kings will be a solid group of five," says Bergdahl. "The student-athletes are excited and anxious to get the season started."
Assistant Coaches - Jeff Wilmer, Brett Bingham
Returning Queens - Shaye Leidenius, Paige Tichkowsky, Bradie Ouellette-Pillman
New Queens – Chloe Sies, Stephanie Huising
Shaye Leidenius, a Kinesiology & Sport Studies student, is a key returning golfer and is expected to be one of the leaders on the team, and among all women golfers in the conference and nation. The 2017 – 18 ACAC Women's Golf Player of the Year won individual ACAC gold and narrowly missed a national medal after placing fourth last year. The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian from Ponoka has her sights on an even stronger season after a productive summer on the course.
Shaye Leidenius
"My individual preparation has been coming along all year. I compete throughout the summer so I am just fine tuning my game," says Leidenius. "My goal for this season is to win at the championships, which is the same for the team. I feel confident going into the season and having been there before helps me know what is ahead."
"Shaye is another year older and that experience will help her lead our group again, on and off the course," says Bergdahl. "She is very driven this year and wants to be at the top, both provincially and nationally."
Returning Kings – Logan Hill, Logan Crawford
New Kings – Darin Bertschi, Trey Brandt, Chase Broderson, Landon Kletke
Logan Hill
"The men's team is shaping up nicely this season," says Bergdahl. "Three out of our projected top five male golfers have national, and even international experience. I'm looking forward to this group competing and contending."
"This year, the men's team looks strong and the women's team brought in two well-rounded players," says Leidenius. "We have several new recruits but it looks like we will be a close group. Many of us competed together before or previously knew each other. The Queens and Kings both look like they will have strong showings at all the tournaments and hopefully get a ride to nationals as well."
Not Returning – Clayton Dunn, Justin Loro, Cody Clipperton, Cole Morrison, Ryan Skoreyko
As the RDC Queens & Kings prepare for the North Regionals, September 15 – 16, at Lac La Biche Golf & Country Club, Bergdahl wants to work with the student-athletes on preparing beyond the physical aspect.
"We will finish putting our team together this weekend and as we practice more, we will look for holes in our game, and then work on repairing them," says Bergdahl. "One of our focuses will be spending time on the psychological side of the game. Both regionals are basically seeding tournaments leading up to the championships, and we are looking forward to get going and seeing where we are at."
After the North and South Regionals, RDC will host the ACAC Golf Championships, September 29 – 30, and for the first time in CCAA history, the Golf National Championships are headed to Alberta. Medicine Hat College will host the championships, October 15 – 19, at Desert Blume Golf Club.