There are two ways to look at the Colorado women's golf team being ranked in the top 10 for the first time in program history.

Head coach Anne Kelly's view is that the team should be pleased with the fast start as long as the players realize they have only competed in two tournaments this fall.

"It's good motivation but way too early into the year to put too much stock into that," Kelly said. "We've got a long way to go to catch some of the teams out there."

Talented freshman Emily Childs welcomes the attention that comes with a No. 10 ranking and isn't shy about sharing her belief that it's only the beginning.

"When you look at it and see that we're ahead of teams like Duke and UCLA, that's amazing," Childs said. "But we think we can be the best team in the country."

The fact that CU arrived in the top 10 the same season Childs stepped on campus is not a coincidence.

In her first collegiate tournament, the Colorado State Ptarmigan Fall Classic, Childs set program records for the lowest 18-hole score (67),lowest 36-hole score (138) and lowest 54-hole score (209).

"You never know with freshmen," Kelly said. "But Emily is a proven player, and I thought she would do well. Emily Talley is the big surprise for us with two top-10 finishes already."

Childs is No. 21 individually this week and Talley, also a freshman, is 46th in the National Golfweek rankings. Junior Dominique Pytlewski adds some experience and is currently No. 66 overall in the rankings.

"My mom was the first one to call me and tell me about the rankings," Childs said. "I know it's only two tournaments, but even before I got here we wanted to be ranked. ...

"I think having that pressure there makes you play better."

The Buffs will host the Heather Farr Memorial Monday and Tuesday at the Omni Interlocken Golf Course in Broomfield. The field includes Notre Dame, Texas Tech, Long Beach State and Colorado State.

"I think it's definitely important to keep it up," Kelly said. "So I'm glad we're playing another tournament right away. We need to defend our title against a pretty good field of teams. ...

"(The ranking) is a good sign of the potential this team has, but potential and going out and doing it are different things."

Mark Simpson

Colorado Golf Day

The CU men's golf team announced on Tuesday plans to host the inaugural Mark Simpson Colorado Golf Day, a tournament that will benefit the program the late coach guided for 29 years until his battle with lung cancer ended in 2005.

The event will be Oct. 17 at the Vista Ridge Golf Club in Erie and includes a four-person, full handicap "shamble" tournament that begins at 1 p.m. Cost is $400 and a current or former CU player will be added to each foursome with the gross score of each "golf celebrity" added to the team total.

"We wanted to do something to honor coach Simpson and everything he did for the university," CU coach Roy Edwards said. "It will be a fun day to celebrate everything that is good about the CU golf program and showcase our history."

Simpson was a member of the CU golf program from 1969-73 before becoming an assistant coach and then the head coach in 1977.

For more information contact Kristen Hardy at 303-492-8422.

The men's golf team returns to action on Friday at the New Mexico Invitational in Albuquerque.

Marshall to miss

Friday's game

The No. 18 CU soccer team heads into the heart of its Big 12 schedule this week on a seven-game win streak. But the Buffs will be without a key player for Friday's home game.

Star forward Nikki Marshall is in Sunrise, Fla., this week to train with the U20 national team. She will return to Boulder on Saturday and play in Sunday's home game.

Bill Hempen's team hosts Oklahoma at 4 p.m. on Friday and No. 12 Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Prentup Field.

After a gutsy 3-2 win at Texas Tech on Aug. 29, the Buffs (7-1-1 overall, 1-0 conference) have been alone in first place in the Big 12 for a month.

Notable

After a 6-0 start, the volleyball team has lost four of its last five matches, including getting swept by Kansas State, now ranked 17th in the country, last Saturday in Manhattan. Pi'i Aiu's team is 1-1 in the Big 12 and will host Texas A&M at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Coors Events Center. ...

The tennis team returns to action at the All-American Championships qualifier in Los Angeles. On Monday, Monica Milewski and Camila Belassi won the doubles title at the CU Invitational over teammates Melisa Esposito and Franziska Jendrian.