LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. (April 16, 2025) — The Northern Arizona women's golf team wrapped up the third and final round of the Big Sky Conference Championship with a score of 289 (+5), finishing with a total of 871 (+19) - good for fourth place overall.
The championship, hosted by Northern Colorado, was held at the Wigwam Blue Course (par-71, 5,948 yards) in Litchfield Park, Ariz., for the second consecutive year.
Sacramento State successfully defended its title with a score of 853 (+1), winning by 15 strokes over Weber State, which went 3-under on the day to jump two spots. Maddie Montoya of Montana State claimed the individual title by one stroke, shooting 2-under today for a 4-under total of 209.
"Overall, I'm very proud of our team for how we performed the last few days," head coach Brad Bedortha said. "We really struggled in the first round, but we bounced back the last two days and have shown that we are a really great team."
Amy Hodgkins led the Lumberjacks with a third-place finish, carding rounds of 72, 70, and 70 for a -1 total. She made three birdies in the final round, including back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes.
Nina Lukyanenko shot 72 (+1) today, finishing at +2 for the tournament and placing solo eighth - the best finish of her career. She closed her round with back-to-back birdies.
Frankie Dezis finished tied for 19th after a 3-over 74, which included four birdies, highlighted also by back-to-back birdies to end her round.
Sumin Kang shot a 2-over 73, improving by 10 strokes from her first-round score. She recorded birdies on the third, fifth, and 16th holes.
Ava Bates rounded out the lineup with a 79 (+8) score, notching birdies on the fifth and 18th holes.
The Lumberjacks struggled on the par 3s, averaging 3.46 (+41), which ranked ninth out of 10 teams. Their par-4 scoring average was 4.26 (+27), good for fourth-best. They excelled on the par 5s, averaging 4.77 (-17) - second only to Sacramento State's 4.75 (-18). In total, NAU recorded 38 birdies and 137 pars.
"The past few weeks have been quite the journey, and I love how the team has come together to end on a great note," Bedortha said. "Amy had a great tournament and finished on the all-tournament team, and Nina played great and had her career low round this week. It's been very exciting to watch them come together. The great thing is that we get everyone back next year and I'm looking forward to learning more and being even more competitive next year. This is easily one of the top three teams we've had at NAU, and I'm excited for the future."
The championship wraps up the NAU golf season. To keep up with the team in the offseason, follow the Jacks on Instagram, Facebook, and X.
NAU Individual Results
3 Amy Hodgkins 72+70+70=212 (-1)
8 Nina Lukyanenko 75+68+72=215 (+2)
T19 Frankie Dezis 75+73+74=222 (+9)
46 Lizzie Neale 75+74+SUB
50 Sumin Kang 83+SUB+73
51 Ava Bates SUB+83+79
Full Results
1 Sacramento State +1
2 Weber State +16
3 Montana State +17
4 Northern Arizona +19
5 Idaho +35
6 Northern Colorado +41
7 Montana +43
8 Portland State +51
9 Eastern Washington +59
10 Idaho State +71
