Finishing Strong

Coloradans Lily Nelson (pictured), Jessica Mason score individual victories in college golf as senior seasons wind down

By Gary Baines – 4/13/2026

A couple of Class of 2022 Colorado high school graduates who recorded top-15 individual finishes at national NCAA golf championships last spring appear to be gearing up for another late-season run as their college careers wind down.

Lily Nelson, a Prairie View High School grad, and Jessica Mason, a Holy Family HS alum, won individual tournament titles in the last couple of weeks, adding luster to already-strong seasons.

Last Tuesday, Nelson, a senior at Henderson State (Arkansas), prevailed by two in a 76-player field at the WT Desert Invitational, an NCAA Division II tournament in Tucson, Ariz. The golfer from New Castle went 73-68 for a 3-under-par total, making an eagle, five birdies and four bogeys. Nelson has finished seventh and 13th at the last two women’s DII national championships.

Nelson is ranked 34th in the nation in women’s DII this season, with seven top-10 finishes in eight tournaments, including two victories. She owns three individual college titles for her career.

For scores from the Desert Invite, CLICK HERE.

Jessica Mason has nine individual college titles to her credit.


Meanwhile, Mason, a former Colorado girls state high school champion, earned a title on March 31 at the 28-player GreyStone Classic, an NCAA DIII event. A senior at Trinity University in Texas, Mason (70-74) finished at even par and won by four.

Mason, ranked No. 21 in the country in women’s DIII, has placed second, second and first in her last three tournaments. She finished eighth and 12th in the last two DIII national championships and owns nine individual college titles in her career.

For results from the GreyStone Classic, CLICK HERE.

About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com