From the moment she decided on a college, golfer Hayley Young has been hit with the same friendly taunts. How could you go to school THERE?

"I always get a hard time for that every time I go home," said Young, now a junior at Boise State. "It’s something I face all the time."

Hawaii’s biggest rival in football the past five years was among three schools from which the 2009 Mid-Pacific graduate had to choose.

UH and Gonzaga also were options for Young, who decided it was best to get away from the island and experience something new.

"I wanted a change," she said. "I think it’s been a good experience."

No, the golf courses in Boise, Idaho, aren’t colored blue like the football field, but that doesn’t mean Young hasn’t had unique experiences on them.

It’s not uncommon for a blizzard to come rolling through during practice, nor is it just the weather elements that Young has had to deal with while on the course.

"Sometimes I can’t even swing right because I’m bundled in so many clothes," she said.

It’s been a much different experience playing golf on the mainland, but that hasn’t stopped Young from quietly putting together an extremely successful collegiate career in the Northwest.

As a freshman, Young appeared in nine of the Broncos’ 10 tournaments, finishing with a 78.8 scoring average. She saved her best for last, placing 17th at the Western Athletic Conference championship.

She followed that up with an even better sophomore campaign, shaving three strokes off her scoring average (75.8).

She recorded four top-10 finishes, including a tie for third at the Memphis Fall Invitational, and a ninth-place result at the WAC championship to earn second-team all-conference honors.

Not surprisingly, Young’s looking forward to ending the fall season in three weeks at the same Memphis tournament where she finished third a year ago.

"It’s a great layout for me," Young said. "It’s challenging with a lot of narrow fairways, but it’s a good course."

Last year was also one of the few times Young was allowed to ride a cart during a tournament.

In college tournaments, players are allowed to use carts on long courses, or if they need to speed up play for various reasons.

"On those days you play 36 (holes), it really helps," Young said.

In three tournaments this season, Young was the top finisher in a dual match against the College of Idaho and placed 18th in the Circling Raven Collegiate Invitational on Sept. 13.

Last week, Young shot her best round of the year, an even-par 72 on the final day of the Rose City Collegiate to finish in a tie for fourth place.

"I went into that round telling myself I was going to shoot even par, so I was really happy about that," Young said. "I’ve come up with a few goals for myself this year and one of them is to place in the top five a few times."

Boise State plays twice more before taking four months off in the winter.

The Broncos will play four more times in the spring before Young makes her debut in the Mountain West Conference championship, April 20-22.