SIOUX FALLS – The University of Sioux Falls Women's Golf Team, which has had a strong spring with four top-five finishes and a title, is gearing up for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Golf Championship at the Dacotah Ridge Golf Club in Morton, Minn., April 23-25. 

USF, which is ranked 11th in the most recent NCAA DII Regional Rankings and is the only NSIC team ranked, is coming off their team title win at the Augustana Spring Invitational when senior Lexi Hanson finished with her third career individual title and first of the season. The opening round of the NSIC Championship will start with a 9 am tee off time on Friday, April 23, and the Cougars are set to tee off at 11 am. The second round begins on Saturday, April 24 with a 9 am tee off, and round three will begin on Sunday, April 25 with a shot gun start. 

The Minnesota State Mavericks are the reigning NSIC Women's Golf Champions, after the the 2020 Championship was canceled due to COVID-19. With the win in 2019, the Mavericks captured their first ever title, while the Cougars finished in fourth place overall. 

USF Ranked 11th in the NCAA DII Regional Rankings
The only NSIC team in the top-11 of the rankings, USF has the top team scoring average at 321.1 per round on 14 rounds with a low round of 306 (Augustana Spring Invite). They stand seven shots better than the second place squad Augustana at 332.5. In 14 rounds this season, USF also has three of the top four individual scoring averages in the NSIC, and are led by two-time All-NSIC and All-Region qualifier Lexi Hanson at 76.93 scoring average. Hanson has been NSIC Golfer of the Week four times and finished top-20 in all seven competitions this spring. She has been top-10 four times and twice was runner-up (Hillcat Classic, Missouri Western State Classic) while capturing the Augustana Spring Invite medalist honors. 

NCAA DII Central Region Rankings 

1. Arkansas Tech                   
2. Northeastern State                 
3. Central Oklahoma                    
4. Central Missouri                        
5. Rogers State                          
6. Southwestern Ok. St.               
7. Henderson State                     
8. Missouri Western                                   
9. Harding                    
10. Oklahoma Baptist                  
11. Sioux Falls 

USF at NSIC -- History 
USF's best finish at the NSIC Championship was third place in 2018, when three players placed in the top-20, and one (Lexi Hanson, ninth) was top-10. The Cougars have also place fourth two times, once in 2013 (Tavia Rutherford and Sara Swaney, top-20), and then again at the most recent Championship in 2019, when Lexi Hanson and Sydney Hubbard tied for 11th while Alexandra Nutter placed 17th. 

2013 -- 4th place, 251 over par 1403 total (365, 365, 327, 346) -- Tavia Rutherford, 9th, 50 over par 338 total (86, 85, 81, 86); Sara Swaney, 16th, 56 over par 344 total (86, 92, 77, 89)

2014 -- 8th place, 278 over par 1430 total (369, 358, 363, 240) -- Tavia Rutherford, 6th, 45 over par 333 total (81, 81, 91, 80); Mikaela Theobald, 19th, 66 over pard 354 total (93, 91, 85, 85)

2015 -- 7th place, 265 over pard 1417 total (374, 355, 343, 345) -- Tavia Rutherford, 4th, 34 over par 322 total (88, 77, 80, 77)

2016 -- 8th place, 298 over par 1450 total (375, 353, 363, 359) -- Mikaela Theobald, 16th, 52 over par 340 total (85, 85, 89, 81)

2017 -- 9th place, 231 over par 1095 total (379, 357, 359)

2018 -- 3rd place, 113 over par 977 total (338, 319, 320) -- Lexi Hanson, 9th, 20 over par 236 total (85, 75, 76); Sydney Hubbard, 16th, 29 over par 245 total (88, 82, 75); Kami Love, 20th, 31 over par 247 total (83, 83, 81)

2019 -- 4th place, 132 over par 996 total (328, 327, 341) -- Lexi Hanson, 11th, 28 over par 244 total (80, 83, 81); Sydney Hubbard, 11th, 28 over par 244 total (81, 80, 83); Alexandra Nutter, 17th, 36 over pard 252 total (81, 83, 88)

Review of the season
This year, USF has had a standout spring season, with the four top-five finishes in the past competitions, including a first-place finish this past weekend at the 2021 Augustana Spring Invitational. And, in a tourney with several regional teams, USF was seventh at the Central Region Spring Preview at Twins Oaks CC in Springfield, Mo., two weeks ago. Led by NSIC Golfer of the Week, Maggie Veenendall, USF finished ahead of several teams at that competition. USF finished second (647) at the Hillcat Classic in Owasso, Okla., on March 15-16, fourth (635) at the 2021 Midwest Intercollegiate Invitational at Warrensburg, Mo., on March 22-23 and fifth (666) at the 2021 Holiday Inn Express Missouri Western State Spring Invitational Regional Preview on March 29-30.

The Cougars currently lead the NSIC team rankings, sitting at first place in 14 rounds, 4497 strokes, and a 321.2 average. Individually, Lexi Hanson leads the NSIC and the Cougars, with 1077 strokes in 14 rounds for a 76.9 average. The senior from Chanhassen, Minnesota, who has been named the NSIC Preseason Golfer of the Year, has 20 career top-10 finishes and 12 top-five finishes, including second place twice this season and one individual title. Hanson has 27 top-20 and three individual titles during her stellar career at USF.

Sydney Hubbard and Maggie Veenendall aren't close behind, ranking third and fourth respectively in the NSIC. Hubbard, who  has totaled five top-10 finishes in her career and has three top-five finishes, sits in third 953 strokes in 12 rounds for a 79.4 average, while Veenendall, who has four top-20 and two top-10 finishes as well as an NSIC Golfer of the Week honor this spring, sits in fourth with 954 strokes in 12 rounds for a 79.5 average. Marisa Weeks ranks 13th in the league, with 663 strokes in eight rounds for a 82.9 average. Sitting at 17th in the NSIC is senior Kyleigh Moran, who has 83.6 average with 1170 strokes in 14 rounds. Moran has four top-20 finishes in her career, including two this year.