WALLA WALLA, Wash.—Lewis & Clark College women's golf first year Evie Denton carded a career-low round of 76, to help the Pioneers post their best finish at a Northwest Conference Tournament since 2019. 
 
THE BASICS
 
Women's Golf – 5^th out of 9 Teams - +98 (333-341)

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
A day after posting their lowest round of the season, Lewis & Clark notched their third-lowest round of the year, to finish fifth overall at the Northwest Conference Spring Classic. Their fifth-place finish was the program's highest at an NWC event since the team placed fourth at the 2019 NWC Fall Classic. 

Denton led Lewis & Clark on both days to tie her career-low tournament score of 156 (+12). She posted a 76 (+4) on Monday to beat her previous collegiate best round by one stroke. She wrapped up the tournament in a tie for 11^th place. Denton started off her second round with four bogeys in the first five holes but quickly found her footing. She posted four straight pars to finish the front nine at +4. After a bogey on the 10^th hole, Denton went -1 on the final eight holes with two birdies, five pars and one bogey. 
 
First year Ahika Jani placed second on the team on Monday and second overall for the tournament. She carded an 80 (+8) on Day Two to finish the tournament at +19 (163). Jani wrapped up the tournament in a tie for 19^th place. She started off strong on Monday. After bogeying the opening hole, she recorded four pars and a birdie on the par 5 third to reach the sixth tee at even par. Jani tacked on five more pars and avoided any double bogeys to shave of three strokes from her Round One score. 
 
First year Julia Klenk finished third on the team on Day Two and overall. Klenk carded an 87 (+15) to finish in a tie for 25^th. She wrapped up the tournament with a score of 168 (+24) that tied her career-low. Klenk started off her round with back-to-back double bogeys but found her groove with a birdie on the third hole. She settled in and posted four pars over the next six holes to finish the front nine at +5. 
 
First year Lydia Schwenker placed fourth on the team on both days to finish fourth overall. She broke 100 for the second-straight day and second time in her career on Monday. Schwenker carded a 98 (+26) to wrap up the tournament in 37^th place. She finished her tournament with a career-low score of 187 (+43). She struggled to carry over her momentum from Day One to begin the round on Monday with six-straight holes of bogeys or worse to start and was sitting at +14 after six holes. Schwenker recorded a birdie on the par-five seventh and would play better from there with two pars on the back nine. 
 
First year Natalie Nuñez Lezama wrapped up the tournament in fifth on the team. She posted a round of 109 (+37) on Monday to finish the Spring Classic in 39^th place. For the tournament, she carded a 198 (+54). Nuñez Lezama played her most consistent golf down the stretch in Round Two. She posted her first birdie of the tournament on the par five 15 as part of a stretch where she recorded four bogeys and one birdie. 
 
As a team, Lewis & Clark finished in fifth place (+98), six strokes ahead of the University of Puget Sound (+104). The Pioneers ended the Spring Classic 18 strokes ahead of seventh-place Pacific Lutheran University and 36 strokes ahead of eight-place Linfield University. Willamette University did not have enough played to post a team score. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS 

• The Pioneers posted their lowest (333) and third-lowest scores of the season (341) of the season this week. Their two-day total of 674 beat their previous season-best score by 19 strokes. Lewis & Clark shot a 693 at the NWC Fall Classic and the Regals Invitational. 
• Schwenker beat her previous-low tournament score of 210 by 23 strokes. She came into the weekend with a career-low round of 101 and broke 100 both days. 
• Denton (156) and Klenk (168) each tied their career-low tournament scores. 
• The Pioneers finished tied for third as a team with 12 birdies. 
• Denton ended the tournament in a tie for fifth with her average of 5.10 (+1) on par 5s. 
• Denton (four), Klenk (three) and Schwenker (three) all placed in the top-10 of the tournament in birdies. Denton finished tied for third and Klenk and Schwenker were tied for seventh. 
• George Fox University placed first overall with a team score of +11. Host Whitman University (+44) edged out Pacific University (+55) and Whitworth University (+58) for second place. 
• The Pioneers will head into the NWC Tournament, the third and final NWC event of the year, sitting in fifth place as a team. They hold an 11-stroke lead over Pacific Lutheran and a 21-stroke edge of Puget Sound. 
• Lewis & Clark's tournament score of 674 is their best since the 2018 NWC Fall Classic when women's golf recorded 670 (+94) to finish in third place. 
• Denton's round of 76 is the lowest by a Pioneer this season and the lowest since Kamryn Ford shot 73-74 at the 2021 NWC Fall Classic. 

WHAT'S NEXT 
 
The Pioneers will be off this weekend, before traveling to the NWC Tournament on Sunday, April 20 and Monday, April 21. This year's tournament will be hosted by Linfield University at the Michelbrook Country Club.