RELATED CLICKS:

• Complete 2009-10 Northern Colorado men's golf schedule

GREELEY, Colo. -- Eleven tournaments in eight months and seven different states highlight Northern Colorado's 2009-10 men's golf schedule, released earlier today by head coach Chuck Scheinost.

The Bears' first competition of the new season will come from Sept. 13-15 at the Nebraska Fairway Club Invitational at Arbor Links Golf Club in Nebraska City, Neb. Their season will end at the America Sky Conference Golf Championship, which is set to be played from May. 25-27 at Las Logos Golf club in McAllen, Texas.

In between, Scheinost's crew will play in 10 other tournaments, taking them from courses in Colorado to Utah, Missouri, California, Arizona and Texas.

"I’m really excited about the opportunities this year’s schedule is going to provide our program," Scheinost said. "It’s going to be the most competitive set of opponents we will have faced since our move to NCAA Division I."

Among the teams the Bears will line up against this season is Air Force Academy (Gene Miranda Invitational), Utah and Weber State (Purple & Red Invitational), Missouri-Kansas City (Bill Ross Intercollegiate), Cal State Northridge (Bill Cullum Invitational), Rice (Rice Intercollegiate), Washington State (Snowman Getaway Invitational), Denver and Iowa State (Denver Desert Shootout), Wyoming (Wyoming Cowboy Classic) and Brigham Young (Cougar Classic).

The highlight of Northern Colorado's links season, though, might come in early February, when the Bears are slated to compete in the prestigious Arizona Invitational at the Arizona National Golf Course in Tucson, Ariz. In that tourney, the Bears will be a part of what's often annually considered one of the finest collegiate invitational fields in the country.

Among others, this year's Arizona Invitational will include New Mexico, Florida, UNLV and defending-national champs Texas A&M.

"There are a lot of good tournaments and opponents all throughout our spring and fall slates," Scheinost said, "but the highlight has to be the Arizona Invitational, one of the premier collegiate events of the spring. It's going to be great exposure for our program to compete on that stage, against some of those teams.

"I’m very pleased with the guys we have on campus this season, and we’re in preparations now to make a push toward postseason play, with an NCAA regional bid. Playing a schedule like this, and in events like the Arizona Invitational are only going to help us reach that goal."