Number of Class of 2025 Colorado high school golfers set to play in college surpasses 40, with many NCAA Division I-bound
By Gary Baines – 5/9/2025
With the school year winding down — and graduation soon on the horizon for many high school seniors — it seems a good time to provide an update on Colorado junior golfers who have committed to compete on the college level beginning in the fall.
We noted many of the early signees for the Class of 2025 back in November, when the formal commitment period opened. But there have been quite a few additions in the six months since.
So here is a more up-to-date list of local 2025 graduates headed to the next level of competitive golf on the school level. An “addition” notation below shows those added since our November story.
All told, at least 43 Coloradans will begin college golf careers in the fall, with at least 17 at the NCAA Division I level.
(Please notify Colorado Golf Journal of additions by emailing golfjournal@coloradogolf.org)
— Hadley Ashton of Erie and Erie High School — University of Wisconsin (NCAA Div. I): Ashton was the CGA Girls Player of the Year in 2023. … Won the Class 4A state high school individual title as a freshman in 2022 as well as the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior shortly thereafter. … She’s 515th in the Rolex AJGA rankings. In 2024 she posted a runner-up finish in a playoff and two other top-15s in AJGA events. … Member of inaugural eight-player girls Team Colorado, part of the U.S. National Development Program.
— Kaleigh Babineaux of Aurora and Cherokee Trail HS (before moving to Austin, Texas) — University of Nebraska (NCAA Div. I): Semifinalist in the 2023 CGA State Junior.
— Payten Baca of Castle Rock and Douglas County HS — Saint Martin’s (Wash.) (NCAA Div. II).
— (Addition) Brooke Baldwin of Broomfield and Broomfield HS — Mount Mary University (NAIA).
— Kellen Ball of Windsor and Windsor Charter Academy— Wyoming (NCAA Div. I): Runner-up in a playoff at the 4A state high school tournament in 2022 and a regional champ in 2024.
— Austin Barry of Fort Collins and Fossil Ridge HS — Wyoming (NCAA Div. I): Shot a 13-under-par 59 during a high school regular-season tournament at Harmony Club last year.
— Ellie Barry of Fort Collins and Fossil Ridge HS — Wyoming (NCAA Div. I): Posted top-10 individual finishes in 2023 and ’24 5A girls state high school tournaments.
— Abbi Beld of Fort Collins and Fossil Ridge HS — Black Hills State (NCAA Div. II).
— (Addition) Dimarco Benallo of Arvada — Palm Beach Atlantic (NCAA Division II).
— Macie Doherty of Sterling and Sterling HS — Ottawa University Arizona (NAIA).
— (Addition) Charlie Doyle of Colorado Springs and Cheyenne Mountain HS – Oral Roberts University (NCAA Div. I): Doyle stands out not only at golf, but baseball for Cheyenne Mountain. … In golf, he was one of eight male golfers selected for the inaugural Team Colorado elite junior squad. … This week, Doyle tied for seventh in U.S. Open local qualifying at Broadlands.
— (Addition) Trevor Gale of Boulder and Fairview HS — Northwestern Oklahoma State (NCAA Div. II).
— Jesse Hand of Littleton and Chatfield HS — University of St. Thomas (Minn.) (NCAA Div. I): Part of inaugural eight-player boys Team Colorado, part of the U.S. National Development Program. … Won the 2024 Colorado PGA Junior Invitational. … Posted top-10 finish at 5A boys state high school tournament in 2024. … Last Sunday, teamed with Austin Hunt to tie for third in CGA Four-Ball.
— Jaden Hawbaker of Colorado Springs and Pine Creek HS — Hawkeye Community College (Iowa).
— (Addition) Hayden Hawley of Thornton and Horizon HS – Colorado Mesa (NCAA Div. II).
— Brenna Higgins of Centennial and Valor Christian HS — University of Colorado (NCAA Div. I): Has won the last two Class 5A individual girls state high school titles, the one in 2024 by six strokes. … Claimed the CGA State Junior title and the Colorado PGA Junior Invitational in 2023. … A member of the inaugural eight-player girls Team Colorado, part of the U.S. National Development Program.
— (Addition) Liam Houlihan of Evergreen and Evergreen HS — Gettysburg College (Pa.) (NCAA Div. III).
— (Addition) Wyatt Isgrig of Greenwood Village and Cherry Creek HS — Gettysburg College (Pa.) (NCAA Div. III)
— Kyndra Johnson of Salida and Salida HS — Palm Beach Atlantic (NCAA Div. II).
— (Addition) Dillon Jones of Fruita and Fruita Monument HS – College of the Canyons (Calif.) (Community College).
— (Addition) Jack Paul of Grand Junction and Grand Junction HS — Eastern Arizona College (Junior College).
— Macy Kleve of Windsor and Windsor HS— Chadron State (Neb.) (NCAA Div. II).
— Ky Korte of Grand Junction and Grand Junction HS — Colorado Mesa (NCAA Div. II).
— (Addition) Halahn Lee of Lone Tree and Valor Christian HS — Flagler College (Fla.) (NCAA Div. II).
— (Addition) Alex Lest of Littleton and Columbine HS — Menlo College (Calif.) (NCAA Div. II).
— Tyler Long of Evergreen and Evergreen HS — University of Colorado (NCAA Div. I): 2024 3A state high school champion, capping a season in which he won or shared the title in all eight high school tournaments in which he competed. He shot 66 or lower six times in his nine competitive high school rounds as a senior, with a low of 63 and a high of 69. … Named a boys Future Famer by the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2024. … Won the 2024 AJGA Colorado Springs Junior and stands 49th in the Rolex AJGA rankings. … Part of inaugural eight-player boys Team Colorado, part of the U.S. National Development Program.
— Anthony Lore of Aurora and Regis Jesuit HS — Northern Iowa (NCAA Div. I): Regional boys high school champion in 2023.
— (Addition) Lincoln Mackay of Evergreen and Evergreen HS – Middlebury College (Vt.) (NCAA Div. III).
— (Addition) Lizzy Malcolm of Parker and Chaparral HS – University of New Haven (Ct.) (NCAA Div. II).
— (Addition) Shelby McCord of Sedalia and Castle View HS – South Dakota State (NCAA Div. I): Was a top-10 finishers in three Colorado junior majors in 2024.
— (Addition) Kaden Mellot of Monte Vista and Monte Vista HS – Kansas Wesleyan University (NAIA).
— Kylee Mull of Grand Junction and Grand Junction HS — Ottawa University Arizona (NAIA).
— (Addition) Christopher O’Donnell of Aurora and Cherokee Trail HS — University of Evansville (Ind.) (NCAA Div. I): Was a quarterfinalist in the Colorado PGA Junior Match Play in 2024.
— (Addition) Devlin Padilla of Columbine Valley and Columbine HS — Concordia University (Texas) (NCAA Div. III).
— Lenna Persson of Aspen and Aspen HS — South Dakota State University (NCAA Div. I): Finished fourth in both the 2023 and 2024 3A girls state high school tournaments.
— (Addition) Luke Sabina of Evergreen and Evergreen HS – York College of Pennsylvania (NCAA Div. III).
— Conner Scheich of Highlands Ranch and Mountain Vista HS — Wyoming (NCAA Div. I): Finished runner-up in the 2024 CGA State Junior a year after advancing to the semifinals in the same event.
— (Addition) Carter Seis of Thornton and Riverdale Ridge HS — Embry Ridge Aeronautical University (Fla.) (NCAA Div. II).
— (Addition) Henry Starr of Englewood and Cherry Creek HS — Colorado Mesa (NCAA Div. II).
— Hope Torres of Broomfield and Prospect Ridge Academy — University of Montana (NCAA Div. I): Won 2024 3A girls state high school individual title in a playoff over two-time defending champion Maddy Bante.
— Samuel Walker of Aurora and Regis Jesuit HS — Trinity (Texas) (NCAA Div. III).
— Ashleigh Wilson of Highlands Ranch and Rock Canyon HS — Montana State (NCAA Div. I): 2024 CGA Girls Player of the Year. … Member of inaugural eight-player girls Team Colorado, part of the U.S. National Development Program. … Winner of the Colorado Junior PGA Championship and the CPGA Junior Match Play in 2023.
— Colgin Youssi of Denver and Colorado Academy — Middle Tennessee State (NCAA Div. I): Finished runner-up in an AJGA event in December 2023. … Advanced to the round of 16 at the 2024 CGA State Junior.
(Note: Information comes from national golf organizations and websites, the Colorado PGA, the CGA, college websites and Colorado-based publications.)
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