NAU Golf Tied for Seventh After First Round Before Lightning Halts Play

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (September 14, 2026) - The Northern Arizona women's golf team played the first round of the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational on Monday morning before the second round was suspended due to lightning. The second round will conclude at 6:30 a.m. MST tomorrow, with the final round to be played immediately after. Live stats are available via Clippd Scoreboard.

The Lumberjacks shot 297 (+9) in the first round, which put them tied for seventh on the leaderboard. After 18 holes, host New Mexico led the field with a score of 280 (-8). Individually, New Mexico's Ava Capeda and Pepperdine's Kylee Choi both carded rounds of 68 (-4) to sit atop the leaderboard,

Before the weather delay, UNLV and Pepperdine were tied at the top at -7. New Mexico was one shot back at -6. Choi held a two-stroke lead at -8 over Capeda at -6. NAU is 11th out of 13 teams at +24 overall as a team, NAU is averaging 3.14 (+5) on the par-3s, tied for eighth. Their par-4 average is 4.37 (+32), and they are averaging 5.11 (+4) on the par-5s, with both averages tied for ninth. The 'Jacks are 12th in total pars with 86 and tied for seventh in birdies with 23.

Junior Ella Zanatta led the way for Northern Arizona in the morning, going under par in her first round as a Lumberjack. She began the round on hole six, dropping a shot before stringing together a series of pars and then dropping another shot on hole 10. Three birdies and a bogey over the next four holes brought her score back to even par. Zanatta finished the back nine at +1 and went on to close out the final five holes with birdies on one, two and four, a bogey on three and a par on the final hole. Her score of 71 (-1) placed her tied for 10th on the leaderboard.

So far in the second round, Zanatta is 5-over, with four holes left to play. She made birdies on 12 and 16 and is +4 overall, tied for 28th, heading into the remainder of the second round tomorrow.

Senior Frankie Dezis had a very steady first round. Beginning on hole four, she recorded 15 pars on the round, with bogeys on holes 12 and 16. She had a single birdie on the 374-yard 13th hole. Her round of 73 (+1) was good for a tie for 22nd on the leaderboard.

In the second round, she sits at +2, with holes 1-3 left to play. She birdied holes eight and 12, followed by back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 before play was suspended. At +3 overall, Dezis remains tied for 22nd individually.

Freshman Kristyna Malinova was one shot back from Dezis in the morning round, shooting 74 (+2) in her collegiate debut. The Czech Republic native was +4 through her first six holes but rebounded with three birdies over the next four holes on 11, 12 and 14. A fourth birdie came on hole one. After the first 18 holes, she was tied for 28th.

In the second round, she is also +2, with birdies on nine and 17. She has four holes left to complete. Malinova is tied with Zanatta at +4 overall and tied for 28th.

Alexa Ouellet carded a round of 79 (+7) in the first round. The junior teed off on hole seven and completed the round with 13 pars. Her morning round placed her tied for 64th.

Her play in the afternoon has her at +15 overall, tied for 74th.

Rounding out the lineup, Gracie Heinle recorded a round of 81 (+9). The senior from Texas had three birdies on holes eight, 18 and one, including back-to-back birdies on 18 and one. She began on hole seven and still has holes three through six to finish tomorrow. She made another birdie on hole one in the afternoon and stands at +15 overall, tied with Ouellet for 74th.

Northern Arizona's Martyna Muchajer and Sofia Blanco are both competing as individuals.

Muchajer, a freshman from Poland, carded an 80 (+8) in the morning with one birdie on her final hole, the par-5 14th. In round two, she birdied 16, 17, seven and eight and has holes 12-14 remaining. Overall, she is +12, good for a tie for 66th.

Fellow freshman Blanco carded an 81 (+9), which had her tied for 75th. She is currently +5 in the second round, with holes 10-13 left to play. The Bolivian is +14 overall, placing tied for 72nd.

The 'Jacks will continue to play with the same pairings for the remainder of the tournament, teeing it up alongside Nevada (+18, 8th) and Montana State (+8, 4th).

Stay up to date with the Northern Arizona women's golf team by following the 'Jacks on Instagram and X.

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Players Mentioned

Frankie Dezis: Right; 5' 6"; Sophomore

Sofia Blanco: 5' 6"; Freshman

Gracie Heinle: 5' 6"; Senior

Kristyna Malinova: 5' 5"; Freshman

Martyna Muchajer: 5' 10"; Freshman

Alexa Ouellet: 5' 4"; Junior

Ella Zanatta: 6' 0"; Junior

Players Mentioned

Frankie Dezis
: 5' 6"; Sophomore
: Right

Sofia Blanco
: 5' 6"; Freshman

Gracie Heinle
: 5' 6"; Senior

Kristyna Malinova
: 5' 5"; Freshman

Martyna Muchajer
: 5' 10"; Freshman

Alexa Ouellet
: 5' 4"; Junior

Ella Zanatta
: 6' 0"; Junior