Golf falls short, finishes second
Bryce Propheter - May 1st, 2008The NAU women’s golf team secured second place at the Big Sky Championship tournament for third time in as many years. The three-day event took place April 21-23 and came down to the final holes before Portland State ultimately finished first.
Eastern Washington, Montana and Sacramento State rounded out the top five.
“We had a chance to win the tournament and we were in contention right there until the last hole,” said head coach Brad Bedortha. “We just couldn’t quite get over the hump. It was a great effort but we just couldn‘t close the deal.”
The scores for the top three teams were separated by a mere three strokes. Eastern Washington University finished third with a final score of 914, trailing the second-place Lumberjacks’ team score of 913 by one stroke, who were two strokes shy of tournament champion Portland State’s 911.
“I feel like we did pretty well. It was a little disappointing in the end,” said senior Sophia Choi. “But it’s the closest that we’ve been in the four years I’ve been here.”
After the first 36 holes and two days, the Lumberjacks kept themselves within striking distance of first place with team rounds of 302 and 307, just six strokes off the leader Portland State.
Junior Ali Carter led her team and the tournament with an opening round of 74 followed by and even-par 72 the second day. She was ahead of Portland State’s Hannah Bews by two strokes before the final day of play but shot a 76 and finished second overall, just two strokes behind Bews.
“I had kind of been struggling this spring semester,” Carter said. “It was a good three rounds I put together. I fell a little short but it was a good tournament.”
Choi finished fifth overall with a 227 while playing in her final tournament as a Lumberjack.
“It wasn’t the best I’ve played. A couple of holes just got to me,” Choi said. “But overall I can’t be too upset. It was a good four years and I’m happy how everything turned out.”
Choi was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Year for the third time in her four-year stint at NAU. She departs from the program as one of the most decorated golfers in NAU history.
Sophomore Lauren Halstead tied for 15tth place overall with rounds of 77, 82, and 73 while Megan Buck finished in a tie for 18th. Freshman Dakin Banta helped her team in the final round by carding a 79.
By finishing in the top five, Choi and Carter earned Big Sky All-Tournament honors. They are joined by Banta on the All-Big Sky team, as announced the week before the tournament.
The Lumberjacks finish the season one win away from qualifying for the NCAA West Regional Tournament.
With Choi the only graduating senior, the Lumberjacks look to improve on their success while returning four of their current five golfers next year.
They will be joined by teammates Sarah Freeman and Bethany LeClair. Freeman and LeClair both redshirted this year; LeClair was redshirted due to an injury.