The Northern Sun Conference released the 2022-23 Women's Golf Preseason Poll on Thursday and the Peacocks have been picked seventh heading into the year. Sophomore
Ryah Bergeron was also named as a NSIC Golfer to Watch this season.
For the twelfth season, Head Coach
Mike Lewis will lead the Peacock women's golf team onto the course this year. The team will be full of new faces after four Peacocks graduated following a solid season in 2021-22. Upper Iowa enjoyed success across the nine events last season and finished inside the top three at four separate invites including winning the annual UIU Spring Invitational for the second year in a row. UIU claimed third place at the 2022 NSIC Women's Golf Championship, which was their best finish since taking third to close the 2014-15 season. The Peacocks finished third in the NSIC with a team stroke average of 326.7.
"This year's team will be very young," said Lewis. "But I'm excited to see what they can achieve collectively in the upcoming season."
Augustana University, winners of 11 of the last 12 NSIC Championships, was picked to win the league in the preseason women's golf coaches' poll. The Vikings received 12 first place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own team) and tallied 144 points, 32 points ahead of second place Concordia-St. Paul. The Golden Bears amassed 112 points while Wayne State was third with 107 points and the other first place vote.
Augustana's Molly Stevens was voted by the league coaches as the preseason golfer of the year. Stevens was the 2021-22 NSIC Golfer of the Year as she led the NSIC with a 76.6 stroke average. She earned one first place finish, five top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes and was named NSIC Golfer of the Week on two occasions.
Upper Iowa will have to replace the play of a pair of All-NSIC performers, MacKayla and
MacKenzie Olsen, as well as
Jaden Schweinefus after the trio graduated in May. MacKayla finished in a tie for fourth place at the NSIC Championships, while her sister turned in a 72 during the final round of the championships to tie for individual low round by a Peacock this season with her sister.
Ryah Bergeron and
Delaney Martin return to the lineup this season and will work with a few new faces as they look to build on last year's success.
"Ryah has explosive power throughout her game," said Lewis. "She is also a great teammate thinking of other first. Her witty sense of humor makes being a teammate with her fun!"
The Peacocks will open their fall season in Blaine, Minnesota at a tournament hosted by Concordia University, St. Paul. The event is one of four tournaments for the team with two in Minnesota, one in Illinois and one in South Dakota. The 2022-23 NSIC Women's Golf Championship will take place next spring on April 28-30 at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex in Smithville, Missouri.
