FARMINGTON, Utah (April 28, 2022) – After leading the Northern Arizona golf team to the 2022 Big Sky Championship, head coach
Brad Bedortha was a unanimous selection as the league's Coach of the Year in a vote by his conference peers. It is Bedortha's fourth Big Sky Coach of the Year honor as he wraps up his 14th full season at the helm of the program.
Bedortha, previously Coach of the Year in 2009, 2013 and 2015, guided NAU to its ninth all-time conference title and fourth under his leadership last week. Earning the conference's auto-bid to the NCAA Regionals, the Lumberjacks will be making their fourth regional appearance under Bedortha from May 9-11 in Albuquerque, N.M.
The Big Sky Championship was just the latest highlight on an incredible season for the NAU golf team as the Lumberjacks currently hold a 298.21 scoring average, which would rank as a single-season school record. NAU's exceptional campaign has also included five par or better rounds, including a school record 9-under par 279 at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic among three of the five lowest rounds in school history. Prior to this season, the program had carded just seven par or better rounds in total.
NAU also has logged three of the five lowest 54-hole tournament scores this season highlighted by a school-record tying 7-over par 871 at the Red Rocks Invitational last month.
In addition to single round scoring average and par or better rounds, this year's Lumberjacks are also in line to set school records in par 4 scoring (4.2377) and par 5 scoring (5.0518). NAU is also just one birdie shy of tying the single-season school record of 306.
Individually, sophomore
Ekaterina Malakhova became the third Lumberjack in Bedortha's tenure to claim individual medalist honors at the Big Sky Championship. Malakhova was one of four Lumberjacks to earn all-conference accolades, bringing Bedortha's career total to 45 Big Sky All-Conference awards.
In all, Bedortha coached three different golfers to individual tournament wins this season, including senior
Elle Kocourkova at the Red Rocks Invitational and Malakhova at the Big Sky Championship. This marks the first time NAU had three different tournament medalists in a single-season since 2013-14.
To stay up to date with the NAU golf team, follow the Lumberjacks on
Twitter and
Instagram.
