BANKS, Ore.—Six Lewis & Clark College women's golfers made their collegiate debuts this weekend, as the Pioneers took on Pacific University in the Pines Cup at Quail Valley Golf Course. 
 
THE BASICS
 
Pacific 11.5, Lewis & Clark 0.5

HOW IT HAPPENED

The two teams agreed to a match play tournament to kick off the 2024-25 season. Pacific took a 6-0 lead after Day 1 and would have swept the weekend if not for first year Julia Klenk winning the 18^th hole in her match to earn a tie on Sunday to earn Lewis & Clark a half-a-point. 
 
First year Evie Denton posted the top scores on the team on both days. Denton took on reigning Northwest Conference Rookie of the Year Bead Boonta on Saturday and played one of the most competitive matches of the weekend. Boonta won hole 18 on Saturday to narrowly defeat Denton 1 Up. Denton finished with a team-best 84 (+12) and was just two strokes behind Boonta (82). On Sunday, Denton played another tight match that went down to the final hole as she fell 1 Up to Nikki Tabios. During the round, Denton posted a new collegiate-best score of 82 (+10) to finish the weekend with a team-best score of 166 (+22). 
 
Fellow first year Ahika Jani registered the second-best score on the team on both days. Jani took on Tabios on Saturday and posted a score of 87 (+15). She came back on Sunday and took on Boonta in a closer match. Jani notched a round of 88 (+16) to finish the two-day tournament with a score of 175 (+31). 
 
Klenk posted the third-best scores on the team each day. She started the tournament with a round of 98 (+26) in a matchup against Makena Tsuye. On Sunday, she shaved four strokes off her score to post a collegiate best round of 94 (+22). She earned a tie against Ellie Wallace with neither player leading by more than one hole on the back nine. Klenk recorded a total score of 192 (+48). 
 
First year captain Natalie Nuñez Lezama joined several of her teammates by making marked improvements from Day 1 to Day 2. She recorded a 107 in her first collegiate round, before shaving off five strokes to post a 102 on Sunday. She ended the weekend with a total score of 209 (+65). 
 
First year Lydia Schwenker also improved across the two days. She opened her collegiate career with a score of 119. Schwenker came back on Sunday and posted a 118 in her match against Lauren Yoza. She registered a two-day score of 237 (+93). 
 
First year Lauren Raitanen made the biggest adjustment from Day 1 to Day 2. She notched a 140 on Saturday before shaving off 25 strokes on Sunday to record a score of 115. Raitanen closed off the weekend with a score of 255 (+111).  

BY THE NUMBERS

• This weekend's tournament marked the first time Lewis & Clark women's golf had enough golfers play in a tournament to register a team score since the Northwest Conference Fall Classic in 2022 (October 8-9). 
• Schwenker, Klenk and Denton all led early in their matches on Sunday and Denton held leads in both of her matches. 
• Denton's round of 82 on Sunday was the lowest round by a Pioneers women's golfer since October 10, 2021. All-Conference senior golfer Kamryn Ford posted a 74 on Day 2 of the Northwest Conference Fall Classic that day - in what ended up being tied for the second-lowest round of her senior season. 
• Denton and Jani became the first Pioneer teammates to both post two sub-90 rounds in the same tournament since April 6-7, 2019, when Annie McCutchan (154), Tori Eichten (173) and Ford (168) all recorded two sub-90 rounds at the Whitworth Invitational. 

WHAT'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will host the Orange & Black Tournament on Monday, September 23 and Tuesday, September 24 at the Tualatin Country Club.