FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (April 10, 2025) - The Northern Arizona women's golf team is set to travel to Litchfield Park, Ariz., for the 31st edition of the Big Sky Conference Championship. The three-day tournament will take place April 14-16 on the Wigwam Blue Course, playing at 5,948 yards as a par 71. Northern Colorado will serve as the host school.
Representing the Lumberjacks in the lineup will be Lizzie Neale, Amy Hodgkins, Nina Lukyanenko, Frankie Dezis, and Sumin Kang. Ava Bates will travel as an alternate.
The Lumberjacks captured the championship title in 2022, posting a total score of 872 (+8) to win by six strokes over Sacramento State. Ekaterina Malakhova was the individual champion, finishing at 5-under over three rounds. With only four players, the team advanced to the NCAA Regionals in Albuquerque, N.M., placing 12th with a final 54-hole score of 930 (+66) - their first regional appearance since 2015.
In 2023, NAU finished fourth after shooting 882 (+18). Lizzie Neale led the way, tying for seventh place with a 2-over-par 218.
She went on to lift the individual trophy in 2024, turning in a remarkable 203 (-10). Neale broke both the NAU and Big Sky Conference records for 54 holes while her final-round of 64 (-7) also set a new program and conference record. She went on to represent NAU at the NCAA Regionals in Las Vegas, Nev., finishing 49th overall with a score of 230 (+14) over 54 holes.
This season, the team has finished second in four tournaments - the Edisto Island Invitational, the Clash at Boulder Creek, the Mountain Classic Matchplay, and the Red Rocks Invitational.
At The Clash at Boulder Creek, the Lumberjacks shattered their previous low-18-hole team record of -13 with a new score of -21. They also bested their low-54-hole record of -12, carding an impressive -27.
Ellena Slater claimed the individual title at Red Rocks for the second time in her career, finishing 3-under-par. She won by one stroke, shooting a 69 in the weather-shortened event. The English junior also won the home tournament as a freshman.
The team won the Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird Invitational in St. George, Utah, with a combined score of 7-over-par. Neale earned her second career victory, finishing 3-under-par as the individual champion.
Both Slater and Neale have earned Big Sky Golfer of the Week honors this season.
The 'Jacks were picked to finish second in the Big Sky Preseason Poll, behind defending champions Sacramento State. Heading into the championship, NAU is ranked No. 91 nationally, trailing only the Hornets at No. 51.
Neale leads the team with a season-scoring average of 72.13. She has played 13 rounds at par or better, including three in the 60s, and has six top-20 finishes, including her individual win.
Hodgkins follows with a 72.84 scoring average. The Australian sophomore has four top-20 finishes this season, highlighted by a solo fourth-place finish at the Clash at Boulder Creek where she shot -12 with rounds of 66, 71, and 67.
Lukyanenko, averaging 75.72, will play third in the lineup. Dezis, a sophomore from England, holds a 74.90 average. She has recorded six rounds at par or better, with her best finish being a tie for 15th at the Edisto Island Invitational.
Kang, a freshman from New Zealand, rounds out the lineup with a 74.35 scoring average. She tied for ninth in her first full tournament, the Clash at Boulder Creek, shooting rounds of 73, 71, and 67 for a total score of 211 (-6). Fellow freshman Bates holds a 77.00 average.
The Lumberjacks will be paired with Montana and Eastern Washington in the first round, beginning at 8:40 a.m. Mountain Standard time, with groups teeing off in 10-minute intervals. Tee times for rounds two and three will be based on the scores from the day prior.
Live scoring will be available via Clippd Scoreboard.
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