WALTHAM, Mass. – Although the courses in Massachusetts are snow covered, that's not the case in Colorado where the Bentley University golf team will open the spring portion of its schedule this weekend by competing in the Bob Writz Invitational, hosted by Colorado Mines at the Bear Creek Golf Club in Denver.

Coach Mickey Herron's Falcons, who are looking to earn a seventh straight invitation for the NCAA Division II East Regional, were fifth in the East in the most recent GolfStat rankings following an up-and-down fall season. Bentley captured the Quechee Classic in Vermont, was fourth in the Northeast-10 Championships and third in the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association Division II Championships.

A dozen teams are due to compete in the two-day tournament, including Division I Colorado and five squads ranked in the top 70 of Division II: Colorado-Colorado Springs, Colorado Christian, Colorado Mines, Colorado State-Pueblo and Nebraska-Kearney.

Making the trip west will be team captain John Perkins (Middleton, Mass./Phillips Andover HS), juniors Cal Meyers (Richfield, Wisc./Slinger HS) and Brett Chatfield (Attleboro, Mass./Bishop Feehan HS), and sophomores Doug Kulikowski (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Sunderland HS) and Chris Simione (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire HS).

During the fall portion of the schedule, Meyers had the team's best stroke average (75.2) with Kulikowski (75.5), Chatfield (76.3) and Simione (77.3) close behind.

Bentley will also travel outside the region later this month for the Division II Spring Preview, hosted by North Alabama at The Shoals in Ford City, Ala. Mar. 27-28.

The spring schedule also includes tournaments in Pennsylvania, New York and Rhode Island, the latter hosted by Bentley at the Newport National Golf Club.