Girls
On the strength of their recent performance, the Weatherford College women’s golf team is heading to the NJCAA Div. I Championships with plenty of confidence.
A late-season surge propelled them to the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Championship, along with a runner-up finish at the Southwest District Tournament on their home course, Canyon West.
“I’m really proud of this group,” said head coach Dave Rennhack. “The extra work they have been putting in on their short games paid off and their mental approach has gone to a different level. Playing at our home course was really fun but they didn’t take it for granted. They performed with a lot of confidence and stuck to a great game plan.”
In the final round at the Southwest District Tournament, the Lady Coyotes bested Odessa College, the nation’s No. 1 team. They ended the tournament just three strokes behind the defending national champion Wranglers.
“They had never beaten Odessa on a single day and their performance in the final round opened their eyes to what is possible,” Rennhack said. “If they take that attitude into the national championship, they could do very well.”
Weatherford comes into the national tournament ranked No. 7.
Individually, sophomore Corrina Haros came in second at the Southwest District event. She was fifth at the national championships last season as the Coyotes were 13th as a team.
Freshman Tasnim Smaili placed third and sophomore Emily Gutierrez tied for fourth.
Haros was recently named the NTJCAC Player of the Year, and assistant coach Katie Johnston received Coach of the Year honors.
Smaili and Gutierrez were named first team all-conference, with freshmen Anjali Nair and Yixuan Mu named to the second team. Haros, Smaili, Gutierrez and Nair were also named to the All-Region V Team.
In the fall, the Lady Coyotes finished first at a tournament in Waco, where Gutierrez was fourth individually. They took third in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
Haros has committed to play for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi next season and Gutierrez is headed to Texas A&M-Victoria.
“I believe they are mentally ready,” Rennhack said. “They’ve never played this course, and it is a tough Pete Dye design, but they have proven a lot to themselves this year and I’m looking forward to seeing them play some great golf.”
The tournament runs from May 11-14 at Oakwood Country Club in Coal Valley, Illinois.
Boys
The Weatherford College men’s golf team is enjoying a season unlike any other in the history of the program and that goes back to the days when their coach, Dave Rennhack, played for the Coyotes.
Now, they are ready to cap it off with a grand prize: a national championship. It’s certainly within their grasp as they prepare to compete in the NJCAA Div. I Championships May 12-15 at Sand Creek Station Golf Course in Newton, Kansas.
“It’s just been a great year, a banner year,” Rennhack said. “I feel like this could be the year. When we’re playing our best there’s not a team out there we can’t beat.”
The Coyotes come into the tournament ranked No. 4 in the nation. Only Indian Hills Community College (Ottumwa, Iowa), 2025 national runner-up Odessa College and McLennan Community College are ahead of Weatherford College.
The Coyotes played on this same course in the Championship Preview in late October, wrapping up their fall schedule. They finished second to McLennan.
In that same tournament, Coyote sophomore Dawson Langan placed fourth individually. He has committed to play at the NCAA Div. I school Murray State next season.
Likewise, they finished 15th in the nation in last season’s national championship tournament, also on this course. It’s the second-best finish in program history behind the 12th-place finish of the 1993 team.
“We love this golf course. You have to drive the ball well, the greens are heavily protected and the conditions can be extreme in Kansas. You can’t fake good golf at Sand Creek Station,” Rennhack said.
The championship preview was one of four top-five tournament finishes in the fall for the Coyotes. Individually, freshman Michael Mayer had finishes of second and third as highlights, including a round of 63 in New Mexico.
Mayer, only 17 years old, ranks fourth in the nation with a 70.2 stroke average.
The Coyotes ended the fall ranked No. 7 in the nation.
“This spring we came out with a mission,” Rennhack said. “They’d never won a team championship, and to win four in one semester, that’s incredible. We’ve beaten just about everybody once this season.”
That includes the top three teams in front of them in the rankings.
They also won the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference for a second straight season, followed by the program’s first ever Region V championship, besting Odessa and McLennan. Mayer finished second individually.
The Coyotes rallied in the regional tournament, shooting 11-under-par on the final day.
“That was phenomenal,” Rennhack said. “We had never beaten Odessa, entered the final round four shots back and we played our best golf when it counted the most. I think we have five guys who are capable of winning an individual national championship, and that’s what it takes to come away with a team win.”
In the South Central District Tournament in San Antonio in late April, the Coyotes placed third and Mayer won the individual championship.
When all-conference honors were announced, the Coyotes dominated. Mayer was named NTJCAC Player of the Year and Rennhack was honored as Coach of the Year for a second straight season. Chatora and Langan were named to the first team and Eli Hali to the second team.
Mayer, Langan and Chatora were also named All-Region V.