Gaulke Competes at CCCAA State Championship Tourney

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director 

ARROYO GRANDE — Playing as the lone College of the Canyons representative, sophomore Nisha Gaulke played through dark, cold and soggy conditions to place 34th in the individual standings at the CCCAA State Championship Tournament at Cypress Ridge on Monday.

Gaulke's position in the field of 59 competitors came after a two-day score of 179 (89/90). Her opening road total on Sunday had her 33rd in the field after 18 holes. 

Full CCCAA State Championship Tournament results can be found here.

Play had to be suspended due to darkness on Sunday afternoon with 15 players still on the course. Competition resumed on Monday morning with the holdovers from Day 1 finishing their round, and Day 2 action starting shortly after.

Gaulke, a 2021 All-Western State Conference (WSC) selection, qualified for the state championship tourney after placing 18th overall with a two-day score of 177 (89/88) at the CCCAA SoCal Regional Championship at Sundale Country Club in Bakersfield on Nov. 7 & 8.

Canyons finished sixth in the team standings at the Southern California Regionals to miss out on qualifying for the state championships. 

Gaulke's play at the state tourney concludes a season in which she finished no worse than sixth in any of the WSC events she competed.

Modesto College (625-318/307) won the team state championship while Arlene Salvador of Antelope Valley College took the individual state title.

Saddleback College, the SoCal Regional champions, finished second (634-314/320) followed by Reedley College (645-332/313) in third and Orange Coast (649-315/334) in fourth place. 

College of the Desert (709-360/349), Sierra (718-359/359), Antelope Valley (724-355/369) and San Joaquin Delta (736-367/369) rounded out the field. 

The Cougars had previously won back-to-back state championships in 2018 and 2019 before seeing the 2020 season cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

Heading into the 2021 season COC had qualified to compete at the state championship tourney in nine of the previous 10 seasons.

Day 1 TEAM SCORES - 1. Saddleback (314) 2. Orange Coast (315) 3. Modesto (318) 4. Reedley (332) 5. Antelope Valley (355) 6. Sierra (359) 7. Desert (360) 8. San Joaquin Delta (367).

Day 2 TEAM SCORES - 1. Modesto (625-318/307) 2. Saddleback (634-314/320) 3. Reedley (645-332/313) 4. Orange Coast (649-315/334) 5. Desert (709-360/349) 6. Sierra (718-359/359) 7. Antelope Valley (724-355/369) 8. San Joaquin Delta (736-367/369).

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.  

—Photo by Mari Kneisel/COC Sports Information