Final Results
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (April 19, 2023) – The Northern Arizona University golf team wrapped up competition at the Big Sky Conference Golf Championship this afternoon in fourth place. The Lumberjacks shot 297 (+9) today to bring their three-round total to 882 (+18), after shooting a 295 (+7) and a 290 (+2) in rounds one and two.
The championships were hosted by Montana State at the Talking Stick Golf Club (par-72, 6,247 yards) in Scottsdale, Ariz. Sacramento State won the title after shooting an 856 (-8).
"We showed some really good things, just not enough of those things to be as competitive as we really wanted to. We didn't play the par-fives well enough and there are a couple of par-fives here that are easy. We made a few too many bogeys on three-puts and we ended up making a couple of big numbers that weren't expected," said head coach
Brad Bedortha. "That was disappointing and frustrating as a coach because I know our team is better than what we showed, but that's golf, and we had three days to prove ourselves and we didn't prove it well enough. I'm still proud of the girls, they competed to the best of their ability, and they played hard."
Northern Arizona was led by true freshman
Lizzie Neale who tied for seventh after shooting a 218 (+2) with rounds of 69 (-3), 74 (+2) and 75 (+2).
Senior
Ashley Croft played consistently all week long, recording three-straight rounds of two-over par with a 74 to post a 222 (+6) in her final competition as a Lumberjack, finishing tied for 16
th.
Fellow senior
Aleksandra Chekalina was the next top-finisher for NAU, securing a 23
rd-place finish with 224 (+8) strokes. She shot a 79 (+7) in the final round after recording a 73 (+1) and a 72 (E) in the first two.
"It's really hard seeing Aleksandra and Ashley graduate. They are two fifth year seniors who have been great kids and great teammates. They've done a lot of great things within our program," added Bedortha. "It's hard knowing that this is their last tournament and we're saying goodbye. It's our last van ride home and all those things, that part is really emotional."
Ellena Slater finished tied for 24
th after shooting a 225 (+9). The freshman shot a 79 (+7) in the first round and bounced back with a 70 (-2) in round two before finishing with a 76 (+4) today.
Lorel Hayward competed in two rounds after filling in as a substitute for
Nina Lukyanenko. She had NAU's best round today with a 72 (E) after recording a 74 (+2) yesterday to finish with a two-round total of 146 (+2).
"Moving forward, I'm super excited for the future. We have Lorel and
Ekaterina Malakhova coming back as fifth year seniors. Our three freshmen, with Ellena and Lizzie leading the pack as all-conference, and Nina is also going to be great player for us. I also believe we have two great players coming in and I'm extremely excited about the future and I know we're going in a great direction. Next year, wherever the tournament is, we're going to be very competitive and improved," concluded Bedortha.
The championships wrap up the season for NAU golf. To keep up with the team in the offseason, follow the 'Jacks on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Individual Results
T7.
Lizzie Neale 69+74+75= 218 (+2)
T16.
Ashley Croft 74+74+74= 222 (+6)
23.
Aleksandra Chekalina 73+72+79 = 224 (+8)
T24.
Ellena Slater 79+70+76 = 225 (+9)
49
th.
Lorel Hayward 74+72=146 (+2)
