FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 5, 2022) – The Northern Arizona golf team will make a return trip to Colorado, this week to Highlands Ranch, for the Ron Moore Intercollegiate starting Friday. The Lumberjacks will be part of a 16-team field at the tournament featuring 18 holes each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the University of Denver Golf Club (par-72, 6,756 yards).
The tournament will feature tee times starting at 7:30 a.m. MST on Friday and Saturday before it concludes on Sunday with an 8 a.m. MST shotgun start.
"It's been quite a few years since we've been here and we used to play in this tournament quite a bit," said head coach
Brad Bedortha. "There's a good group of teams playing so the competition is going to be really good; probably better than when we were at (the Golfweek Red Sky Classic), so it'll be another big challenge for us."
NAU last competed at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate in 2017, placing 11th out of 14 teams. Prior to 2017, the Lumberjacks took part in the tournament in 2014 when they tied for seventh out of 12 teams.
After posting the team's low score in each of the NAU's first two tournaments this fall, fifth-year
Aleksandra Chekalina will once again play in the top position in the lineup. One week after tying for eighth at the at the Coeur d'Alene Resort Collegiate Invitational, Chekalina was among a three-way Lumberjack tie for 32nd at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic last week.
Chekalina, along with freshmen
Lizzie Neale and
Ellena Slater, all shot 6-over par 222 in Wolcott, Colo. last week to tie for 32nd. Neale and Slater will occupy the second and third spots respectively in the lineup.
Chekalina is currently averaging a career-low 72.50 per round, which leads the team. Neale and Slater are both tied for second in stroke average at 74.67.
Playing in the fourth spot in the lineup is senior
Lorel Hayward, who tied for 52nd at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic at 9-over par 225. Hayward, who was seven strokes better in relation to par compared to the first tournament of the season, is averaging 75.67 per round, which is also a career-low at the moment.
Rounding out the Lumberjacks' lineup – and making her season debut – is junior
Ekaterina Malakhova. Malakhova, the reigning Big Sky Conference individual medalist, posted the third-lowest single-season scoring average in program history last season at 74.56.
"It's going to be a great experience for us and it's going to be a great tournament," Bedortha said. "Hopefully we can build off the success from the final round in Vail and it'll carry over."
NAU tied for 11th last week at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic, shooting 23-over par 887 (295-305-287). The Lumberjacks improved by 18 shots from their season debut in Idaho two weeks ago and closed the tournament with a bang firing 1-under par 287. The 287 was NAU's fifth under-par round since the start of last season and the final round also included Neale and Slater's first career individual under-par rounds.
"They really competed well in the final round," Bedortha said. "To have two freshmen step up, they're both great players. We have a great freshman class, even with Nina (Lukyanenko), and they're going to be the foundation of our team for a while. For them to go out and shoot under-par, it gives them confidence that they can go out and compete at this level."
Live scoring for the Ron Moore Intercollegiate will be available on
BirdieFire.
To stay up to date with the NAU golf team, follow the Lumberjacks on
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