Northern Arizona Women's Golf Holds Third Place After Round Two at Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird Invitational

ST. GEORGE, Utah (March 8, 2025) – The Northern Arizona women's golf team completed the second round of the Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird Invitational today, maintaining its third-place position with a 289 (+1) round. The team's total stands at 588 (+12), two strokes ahead of Montana State.

Lizzie Neale fired a 71 (-1) to move into a tie for first place at -1 overall. Starting on hole one, she birdied holes two and seven for an even-par front nine. She added two more birdies on holes 10 and 14 to finish -1 on the back. Neale ranks second in the field in par-four scoring with an average of 3.90 (-2).

Frankie Dezis teed off on hole three, dropping just one shot while securing a birdie on hole 13. Her even-par 72 helped her climb 11 spots on the leaderboard to a tie for 21st at +5 overall. Dezis ranks fifth in the field in par-three scoring with an even 3.00 and leads all players in total pars with 29.

Amy Hodgkins carded three birdies on holes seven, 11, and 13. Signing for a 73 (+1), she moved up one spot to a tie for eighth at +3 overall. Hodgkins ranks second in the field in par-five scoring with a 4.63 (-3) average.

Ellena Slater birdied her opening hole (hole two) and added another on the seventh, finishing with a 73 (+1). Her 54-hole total of +5 moved her up five spots to a tie for 21st. She has recorded the second-most pars in the tournament with 27.

Nina Lukyanenko made the biggest jump up the leaderboard, also shooting 73 (+1). She birdied holes one, seven, and 13, moving into a tie for 36th. The junior is under par on the par fives, averaging 4.71 (-2).

Competing as an individual, Sumin Kang was the fourth Lumberjack to post a 73 (+1). With birdies on holes two, 10, and 14, she climbed four spots to join Dezis and Slater in 21st place at +5.

Ava Bates, also competing individually, picked up birdies on holes 14 and 17 but finished with an 80 (+8). Her +8 total places her in a tie for 53rd.

UC Riverside continues to lead the tournament at +6, followed by Stetson at +9. Individually, there is a three-way tie for first place.

The third and final round will begin tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Mountain Standard time with a shotgun start. Live scoring will be available via Scoreboard.

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NAU Individual Results
T1    Lizzie Neale 72+71=143 (-1)
T8    Amy Hodgkins 74+73=147 (+3)
T21    Ellena Slater 76+73=149 (+5)
T21    Sumin Kang 76+73=149 (+5)*
T21    Frankie Dezis 77+72=149 (+5)
T36    Nina Lukyanenko 80+73=153 (+9)
T53    Ava Bates 78+80=158 (+14)*
*Competing as individuals

Results
1    UC Riverisde +6
2    Stetson +9
3    Northern Arizona +12
4    Montana State +15
5    Weber State +21
6    Wyoming +25
7    CSU Bakersfield +26
8    Utah Tech +27
9    Southern Utah +29
10    Utah Valley +36
11    Eastern Washington +53
12    Idaho State +71