BURNSVILLE, MINN. – For the first time in school history, two University of Sioux Falls Women's Golf Team standouts – Lexi Hanson and Alex Nutter - have earned selection to the All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Team, according to an announcement by the league office on Tuesday, May 21.

 

Junior Lexi Hanson of Chanhassen, Minn., was named to the first team and becomes USF second-ever women's golfer to earn first team honors. She has earned All-NSIC honors for the second straight year as she was second team as a sophomore. She joins USF Head Golf Coach Tavia Rutherford, who was named three times from 2012-15, which included two first team honors from 2013-15. Nutter of Houston, Minn., was selected to the second team.

"I am extremely proud of Lexi (Hanson) and Alex (Nutter) for receiving All-NSIC honors," said Rutherford. "With how competitive the NSIC is, they rose to the challenge and competed against the best in the league and across the region. The entire team has worked incredibly hard this season and it is paying off. This is a wonderful accolade to fuel our momentum into this upcoming season," said Rutherford.

The daughter of Chad Hanson and Nancy Lauderdale, Hanson finished fourth in the NSIC in scoring average at 79.4 on 18 rounds and 1,429 shots. With NSIC players shooting at least 10 rounds on the season, Nutter was 11th overall with a per round average of 81.11 with 18 rounds and 1,460 shots.

Hanson was just the second USF Women's Golf member to earn consecutive berths to the NCAA DII regionals, joining Rutherford, who qualified three straight years from 2013-15. At the 2018-19, NCAA DII Regional Hanson carded rounds a 31-over par 244 (83-79-82) and tied for 52nd at the Muskogee (Okla.) Golf Course. 

Hanson, a criminal justice and psychology double major, was a second team All-NSIC selection in 2018. She had a solid season as a junior with five top-10 and eight top-20 finishes among the nine competitions and 18 rounds played. Hanson, who has 10 career top-10 finishes, was 11th individually at the NSIC Championship with a 244 (80-83-81) in Morton, Minn on April 26-28. She and Nutter helped USF finished fourth at the NSIC Championship and just a shot from third place. She had five rounds of 75 or less this season with a low score of 73 at the Augustana Invitational on Sept. 29-30. In 2016-17, Hanson set a program D-II mark by carding a 71 in the second round at the Nebraska-Kearney Invite on March 25-26, 2017.

Nutter, who is the daughter of Lisa and David Nutter, placed 17th at the 2019 NSIC Women's Golf Championship with a 36-over par 252 (81-83-88). Nutter, who was named NSIC Golfer of the Week on April 10, twice has carded a career-best 154 including at the Central Region Preview (75-79) and at the Augustana Invitational (76-78) on Sept. 29-30. A sophomore elementary education major, she has six sub-80 rounds this season and nine in her career. Nutter had a best round of 75 at the Central Region Preview on April 8 and had six top-20 finishes this year with 10 in her career. She also had three top-10 placements and now has five in her career. Nutter carded a career-best finish of fifth at the Tracy Lane Memorial on Sept. 11-12, 2017 as a freshman.