CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State women's golf will begin its spring season with the first two of four regular season spring tournaments this week, both in Phoenix. The Eagles will participate in the SMSU Spring Invitational on Monday and Tuesday, followed by the SMSU Challenge on Thursday and Friday.
Both tournaments are hosted by Southwest Minnesota State University but held at the Wigam Resort in Litchfield Park. The Invite tournament (held Monday and Tuesday) will take place at the resort's Red Course while the Challenge (held Thursday and Friday) will take place at the resort's Blue Course.
Tee times for Monday and Tuesday are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. local (11 a.m. MT). Tee times Thursday and Friday are slated to begin at 9:16 local/10:16 MT.
Looking Back
Chadron State had a strong end to its fall season. The Eagles competed at four tournaments but had their two best team finishes in the final two events of the fall.
The Eagles placed second among 13 teams in the Mustang Spring Invite in Minnesota on September 28, 2025, tying with Minnesota-Crookston and the Minnesota State-Mankato "B" team (the "A" team finished first).
The second-place team finish was CSC's best since the Eagles were also second in last spring's Hardrocker Spring Invite from March 31-April 1, 2025, but that was in a field of just five teams, not 13.
Chadron State followed that up with a banner day at the Yellowjacket Fall Invitational on October 7, 2025, CSC's most recent competition. As a team, the Eagles finished fourth among 11 participating programs, but true freshmen
Macy Kleve stole the show.
Kleve, a native of Windsor, Colorado, won individual medalist honors with a two-day score of 6-over-par 150. In a four-way tie for third place and one stroke behind two co-leaders after the first round of play, Kleve carded g a 1-over round of 73 on the final day, the best score in the field, to leap into first place.
Kleve's individual victory was the first for CSC women's golf since alum Jordan Grasis took down the Hardrocker Spring Invite in Rapid City on April 11, 2024, a tournament in which CSC also won the team title.
The Field
A total of 13 programs are competing in Monday and Tuesday's SMSU Spring Invite. That tally includes five RMAC programs – Chadron State, Adams State, Colorado Mesa, Fort Lewis and MSU Denver.
The field in the SMSU Challenge on Tuesday will consist of 10 teams, including Colorado Mesa and MSU Denver.
Guess Who's Back
Senior
Aubree Heinsma is entered in Monday's tournament and appears poised to return to competition after missing the entire fall season with injury.
Heinsma had an eventful spring last year, winning the RMAC Summit Award for having the best GPA among all conference tournament competitions. Then, while at the RMAC Championships, Heinsma eagled the par-4 seventh hole during the final round of the tournament, making her one of just two RMAC competitors to hit an eagle over three days.
In the Polls
Chadron State was picked to finish seventh in the RMAC based on a fall preseason vote of the league's head coaches.
CSU Pueblo topped the preseason poll with eight of 10 first-place votes. Colorado Christian and Westminster had one first-place vote each, with CCU snagging five second-place votes to finish second over the Griffins.
Colorado Mesa placed fourth in the poll, followed by MSU Denver and Fort Lewis ahead of CSC. Behind the Eagles, South Dakota Mines, Black Hills State and Adams State rounded out the projected finishing order.
