Women's Golf Posts Second-Lowest Score of the Year, Finishes Season In Fifth Place

The Pioneers ended the year with their best overall finish since the 2018-19 season

MCMINNVILLE, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College women's golf first year Ahika Jani finished second overall, to lead the Pioneers to their best Northwest Conference finish for a full season since the 2018-19 campaign.

THE BASICS

Women's Golf – 5^th Place out of 9 Teams - +100 (676: 342-334)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Pioneers placed fifth at the two-day NWC Championship Tournament to wrap up their season fifth in the NWC Standings. Lewis & Clark posted an aggregate score of 2,043 to finish 20 strokes ahead of sixth-place Pacific Lutheran University (2,063).

Jani became the first Lewis & Clark women's golfer to finish in the top-three of an NWC event since the 2016 NWC Fall Classic. Sophomore Mady Rhodenbaugh placed third overall at the NWC Fall Classic with a score of 151 (+7).

Jani posted a career-low round of 74 (+2) to move from up from a tie for sixth to second. She posted a career-best, tournament score of 151 (+7), to finish a stroke ahead of the third-place golfer from George Fox University. The only golfer to beat her over two days was George Fox graduate student Alison Takamiya - who posted a score of -5 (139). Takamiya earned NCAA DIII Women's Golfer of the Year honors for the 2023-24 academic year.

Jani put together a career day on Monday with five birdies, five bogeys and one double bogey. She notched a bogey on her second hole of the day, before going -3 over the next six holes (three birdies and three pars). Jani wrapped up the back nine at -1 after a bogey on the 18^th hole. She ran into some trouble on the fourth (bogey) and fifth holes (double bogey), before closing out her round with two pars, a birdie and a bogey.

First year Evie Denton finished second on the team on Monday and second for the tournament. She carded an 81 (+9) to finish 21^st overall. She posted a two-day score of 166 (+22), after improving by four strokes from Day One to Day Two. Denton notched three birdies and nine pars during the final round of her first collegiate season. She started off her round strong with a birdie and four pars across her first seven holes to sit +1 heading to the 17^th tee box. After a few bad holes, Denton wrapped up the year with a par and a birdie on the par 5 ninth hole.

First year Julia Klenk shaved off three strokes from Sunday to Monday to end the tournament in a tie for 27^th. Klenk registered an 84 (+12) on Day Two to finish the week with a 171 (+27). She posted both of her birdies as part of a strong stretch around the turn. After posting four-straight bogeys, Klenk notched two pars and two birdies between the 16^th and 1^st holes. She concluded her year with a par on the par 5 ninth hole.

First year Natalie Nuñez Lezama made the biggest improvement of anyone in the field across the two days. She notched a 95 (+23) on Monday to beat her Sunday score by 13 strokes. Nuñez Lezama finished the week in 39^th place with a score of 203 (+59). She was the team's fourth scorer on Monday thanks to a strong back nine. After starting +6 through the first four holes, Nuñez Lezama registered four pars and one double bogey across the next five holes.

First year Lydia Schwenker finished fifth on the team on Monday but fourth overall for the week. She carded a 98 (+26) on Day Two. Schwenker wrapped the week in 38^th place with a 191 (+47). The first year posted five pars on Monday, including wrapping up her first collegiate season with a par on the par 5 ninth hole.

BY THE NUMBERS

Jani's score of 74 (+2) is the lowest by a Pioneer this season. She's the first Pioneer to shot 74 or lower since senior Kamryn Ford ('22) shot 73-74 at the 2021 NWC Fall Classic. Ford's two-day score of 147 (+3) is also the last time a Lewis & Clark women's golfer finished with a tournament score of 151 or better.
The Pioneers finished in fourth as a team with their 14 birdies. They were one of only five teams to post double-digit birdies across the two days.
Jani finished first in the field with her nine birdies across 36 holes. Denton (three) and Klenk (two) finished tied for 10^th and tied for 17^th.
Lewis & Clark posted their second-lowest round of the season on Monday. The Pioneers combined for a round of 334 (+46) - which was just one stroke off their total from the NWC Spring Classic First Round (333, +45). They shot their five best rounds of the season at NWC events.
George Fox won both the NWC Tournament and overall NWC Championship. The Bruins finished this week at 603 (+27). For the season, they posted an aggregate total of 1,771. Whitman College (1,870), Pacific University (1,911) and Whitworth University (1,915) rounded out the top-four.
Jani led the entire field with her average of 2.90 (-1) on Par 3s. She also led the team and finished tied for seventh on Par 4s (4.44, +7) and Par 5s (5.10, +1).
Schwenker finished her season with four-straight rounds in the 80s and 90s. She finished in the 100s in her first 15 collegiate rounds, before averaging a 94.5 at the NWC Spring Classic and NWC Championship.