Women's Golf | 4/11/2025 4:37:00 PM

Utah Tech will vie for its first conference crown as the Trailblazers tee it up at the 2025 Western Athletic Conference Women's Golf Championships. 
        The three-day, 54-hole event will be played this Monday-through-Wednesday at the par-72, 6,148-yard Wigwam Resort Gold Course in Litchfield Park, Ariz.
        The five-player lineup for the Trailblazers will feature juniors Jenna Anderson and Jane Olson, sophomores Mia Cesarek and Samantha Phelan, and freshman Maria Purroy Galan.
 
HEAD COACH LINDSEY ORTH: Lindsey Orth (Utah Tech, 2007) is in her ninth season as head coach of the Trailblazer women's golf program. 
        Last season, Coach Orth led the Trailblazers to eight top-10 showings in 10 team events, highlighted by a fifth-place finish as hosts of its Utah Tech Trailblazer Invitational, and a seventh-place showing at the 2024 Western Athletic Conference Championships.
        In addition, all seven of her players went on to earn 2023-24 Academic All-WAC, and WGCA Academic All-America Scholars honors, while three others were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team.  
        During her tenure as Utah Tech head coach, Orth has guided the Blazers to a runner-up Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference team finish in 2019, and to consecutive fifth-place finishes at the Pacific West Conference Championships in 2017 and 2018. 
        Prior to her arrival at Utah Tech, she served as assistant golf professional at the Sand Hollow Golf Resort, and as an LPGA assistant teaching professional for the City of St. George. Orth also spent two seasons on the coaching staff of the Hurricane High School girl's golf program, including a one-year stint as the Tigers' head coach in the 2010-11 season. 
        Coach Orth, who is an apprentice member of the LPGA T&CP, played collegiately at the University of Central Arkansas, where she helped lead the Bears to six-consecutive team tournament wins and a Gulf South Conference championship.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech wrapped up its 2024-25 regular season tournament schedule with a fourth place finish at the Montana State Bobcat Desert Classic, which wrapped up play this past Wednesday at The Golf Course of Estrella in Goodyear, Ariz.
        The fourth-place showing was Utah Tech's fourth top-five finish in eight team events this season.
        The Trailblazers got off to a good start on Monday, combining to fire an even-par 288, which was good to tie Weber State for second place, two shots back of first round leader Idaho (286).
        However Utah Tech could not get anything going on its second loop on Tuesday as the Blazers posted a 14-over 302 to fall two spots to fourth on the team leaderboard. The Trailblazers came back on Wednesday with a 2-under 286, but could not make up ground on the field, as they finished with a three-round total of plus-12 876.
        Weber State (288-289-281) closed with an event low 7-under 281 to take the team title at minus-6 858, five shots clear of Idaho (286-292-285-863; -1).
        All six Trailblazers who played at the event finished in the top-40 on the player leaderboard, led by Phelan, who continued her strong play as she recorded her third top-5 finish, and fourth top-10 showing of the season overall.
        Phelan opened with a team tourney low 3-under 69 on Monday, going out in 4-under 32 and only had one bogey on her card on the day. The sophomore followed that up with a 1-over 73 on Tuesday before firing an even par 72 on Wednesday with one birdie and 16 pars on her way to a t-sixth place showing at minus-2 214.
        Cesarek also enjoyed a solid tournament as she finished in solo 15^th at plus-4 220. Cesarek began with a 72, then after a 5-over 77 on Tuesday, came back with a 1-under 71 on her final loop with a pair of birdies and 15 pars to vault seven spots and notch her second top-15 of the spring.
        Anderson finished one-shot back of Cesarek at plus-5 221 to join two others in t-16^th place. Anderson also carded a 72 on Monday, and following a second round 6-over 78, battled her way to a final round 71 with five birdies.
        Purroy Galan rebounded from an opening 75 with a second round 2-over 74, and a 72 on Wednesday, to move up five spots to t-24^th at plus-7 223. Olson (75-79-76) followed in t-33^rd place at plus-14 230, and freshman Gabrielle Roznicki (80-78-76), playing as an individual, wound up in a five-way tie for 39^th at plus-18 234.  

TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE: Through eight events this season, Phelan leads the team with a 73.57 stroke average through 23 rounds with a team-best 10 par or better rounds, while Purroy Galan is second at 75.57 with five par or better rounds. 
        Cesarek follows closely in third at 75.61 through 23 collegiate rounds with four par or better loops, followed by Anderson (six par/better rounds) in fourth at 76.22, and Olson in fifth at 77.43 after eight tourneys.

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: The winner of the 2025 WAC Women's Golf Championship will earn the conference's automatic bid into the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Regionals, which will be held May 5-7 at a site to be announced at a later date.