Three Lumberjacks Place in Top-20 After Final Round of Wyoming Cowgirl Classic

TEAM RESULTS
PLAYER LEADERBOARD
 
MARICOPA, Ariz. (April 9, 2019) - Northern Arizona University's golf program closed out the 2019 spring regular season at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic at the southern Dunes Golf Course in Maricopa, Ariz., on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The NAU women were led by freshman Ashley Croft in the third round as the 'Jacks would jump from ninth-place after the first day of competition to seventh of 20 teams to end the Classic. The'Jacks had the lowest team score of the day and NAU ended the Classic at 28-over 892.
 
UTEP posted a wire-to-wire win at 19-over 883, just one shot ahead of second-place team Santa Clara (884).
 
The final round was easily the best collective round of the tournament for the Lumberjacks. The 'Jacks combined for a score of four-over 292 in the final round of play backed behind a trio of top-20 performances.
 
Four Lumberjacks would shoot two-over par or lower in the third round. Croft was one-under 71 in the third round and concluded the Classic at just five-over 221 to place in a tie for 14th-place on the player leaderboard.
 
Aleksandra Chekalina and Elle Kocourkova were just two strokes behind Croft after the third round with both at seven-over 223. The pair were part of a six-way tie for 17th-place. They would each also have a two-over 74 showing in the final round.
 
Sara Padilla had her best individual round of the Classic on Tuesday after forging a one-over 73 showing. Padilla would tie for 27th-place at nine-over 225 for the entire tournament.
 
Emma Reyes stepped up in a big way improving from a tie for 96th-place after day one at 18-over 162, to having a four-over 76 performance in the third round. Reyes would end the Classic at 22-over 238 earning a tie for 89th-place.

"We played very well despite the heat," said head women's golf coach Brad Bedortha. "We are feeling really good about conference next week."
 
TEAM LEADERBOARD

1. UTEP 19-over 883
2. Santa Clara 20-over 884
3. New Mexico State 21-over 885
4. Cal Poly 23-over 887
5. UC Riverside 24-over 888
6. Northern Colorado 26-over 890
7. Northern Arizona 28-over 892
8. Boise State 33-over 897
9. CSU Fullerton 34-over 898
10. South Dakota State 39-over 903
11. Wyoming 42-over 906
12. TIE; Eastern Washington & Seattle 44-over 90
14. Southern Utah 46-over 910
15. Portland State 50-over 914
16. UT Arlington 52-over 916
17. North Dakota State 58-over 922
18. Montana State 65-over 929
19. Montana 69-over 933
20. CSU Bakersfield 72-over 936
 
LUMBERJACK LEADERBOARD
 
T14. Ashley Croft (221) +5
T17. Aleksandra Chekalina (223) +7
T17. Elle Kocourkova (223) +7
T27. Sara Padilla (225) +9
T89. Emma Reyes (238) +22      
 
NAU will return to the course for the 2019 Big Sky Conference Women's Golf Championship from April 19th-21st. The practice round will be held on Thursday, April 18, and one 18-hole round of play each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  The site will be Boulder Creek Golf Course in Boulder City, Nevada.
 
Boulder Creek Golf Course has three 9-hole courses. For the championship the teams will be playing Desert Hawk and Coyote Run courses.
 
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