BURNSVILLE, Minn. -- For the first time in the NCAA DII era, the University of Sioux Falls Women's Golf Team has been picked to finish a program-best second in the league, according to NSIC Coaches Preseason Poll released today. Senior standout Lexi Hanson of USF was named the NSIC Preseason Golfer of the Year.

USF received five first place votes and 130 ballot points and finished just behind Augustana with 136 points and six first-place votes. Minnesota State received two first-place votes and 120 points to sit third. The rest of the teams in the poll included Concordia St. Paul, 4^th, 109; Minot State, 5^th, 97; Upper Iowa, 6^th, 81; Bemidji State, 7^th, 72; Southwest Minnesota State, 8^th, 66; Winona State, 9^th, 58; Wayne State, 10^th, 44; Mary, 11^th, 38; MSU Moorhead, 12^th, 37; and Minnesota Crookston, 13^th, 26. The three-round NSIC Women's' Golf Championship will take place on April 23-25 at Dacotah Ridge in Morton, Minnesota.

USF Head Coach Tavia Rutherford is excited about the opportunities ahead for the Cougars.
  "At the abrupt end to the season, our women's team was ranked 9th in the Central Region and en route to having one of the best seasons in Division II program history," said Rutherford, who is in her second season leading the program. "I am extremely excited for the entire team to finish what we started last year and achieve the goals we have put in place. This team has worked incredibly hard this fall and knows what it takes to succeed this spring. They've shown that they know how to win and play exceptionally well when the pressure is on. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish," said Rutherford, whose team will open the season on March 1-2 at the Natural State Golf Classic at Cypress Golf Course at Greystone at Cabot, Arkansas.

The Cougars, which will be led by "NSIC Preseason Player of the Year" Lexi Hanson, earned its highest preseason ranking ever in the NSIC and was ranked ninth in the region before the season ended prematurely due to the CoVID-19 pandemic last spring.

Hanson who has qualified for two NCAA DII Regional tournaments and earned All-NSIC honors twice, had a league-best 74.50 scoring average which is better than all other returning players in the league by two shots per round.  She placed in the top-10 four times, top-5 twice and won two titles before the CoVID-19 pandemic ended USF's 2019-20 season. With a 78.46 career scoring average, Hanson has 16 top-10, nine top-five, 22 top-20 and two individual titles.

Lexi (Hanson) has been a catalyst for the growth of our women's golf program. Her many academic and athletic accolades showcase the embodiment of being a student-athlete. She has been a consistent leader for our program and has challenged those around her to set the bar higher allowing the team to absolutely shatter previous records. Lexi's driven attitude, persistence and competitive spirit is what sets her apart from others. Additionally, she wants the best for her teammates and has helped create a culture of family and excellence for our women's golf program" said Rutherford.

Hanson won the Warrior Vegas Invite (145-77/68) on March 9-10, 2020 with a The 145 two-round total which was her second best of her career and in program history. She had a program and personal-best of 141 (74-67) at the MIAA Fall Preview on Sept. 24-25, 2019, registering registered a program-best round of 67 on day two of that competition when she won her first career tourney. Hanson has accumulated five NSIC Athlete of the Week honors, been named recipient of the Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction honor and earned three Academic All-NSIC honors.

The 2021 squad returns its entire starting lineup, including three of the 10 players in the NSIC scoring average. Seniors Sydney Hubbard, Alex Nutter, Kyleigh Moran, and Lexi Jonas are joined by sophomore standouts Maggie Veenendall and Annie Balduzzi on a team that finished in the top two four times with a title at the Augustana Invite in 2019-20.

Hubbard, who had two top-10 finishes last year and four in her career, ranked second on USF and eighth in the NSIC with a 79.00 scoring average. Veenendahl was third on USF and 10^th in the league at 79.42 followed by Jonas at 79.58 whose was 11^th in the NSIC. Balduzzi at 80.60 was 17^th in the NSIC and Moran with 80.60 and Nutter, who has five top-10 placements and was All-NSIC in 2018-19, at 81.25, 18^th in the NSIC.

Jonas had three-top-10 finishes a year ago with her first career title (Augustana Invite).  Veenendall, Balduzzi and Moran all had one top-10 finish a year ago when USF combined to average 309.9 per game on 12 rounds, which ranked second in the NSIC, with a best round of 288 at the MIAA Fall Preview in September and seven rounds of 310 or lower.