Women's Golf | 4/3/2025 12:22:00 PM

Utah Tech will close out the 2024-25 regular season with an appearance at the Montana State Bobcat Desert Classic this upcoming Monday-through-Wednesday. The 54-hole event will be played at the par-72, 6,279-yard Golf Club of Estrella in Goodyear, Ariz.

The 10-team field includes the Trailblazers and host Bobcats, along with Weber State, Eastern Washington, Idaho, Idaho State, Montana, North Idaho, Portland State and Wyoming. 
 
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. In addition, freshman Gabrielle Roznicki will compete as an individual.

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 rode a strong final round push to rally for a sixth-place finish at the Southern Utah Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird Invitational, which was played this past March 7-9 at Sunbrook Golf Club in St. George.
        The Blazers' sixth place result was the team's fourth top-six showing in seven team events this season.
        After opening with an 18-over 306, Utah Tech improved by nine shots during its second loop with a 9-over 297, which moved the team up one spot from ninth place to eighth on the team leaderboard. The Trailblazers then closed with three combined under-par loops on their way to a final round 2-under 286 to finish with a team score of plus-25 889. 
        Phelan came away with her best overall collegiate finish as she tied for third overall at even par 216. After opening with a 3-over 75 with 16 pars, Phelan rebounded with five birdies en route to a 2-under 70, which vaulted her 14 spots into solo sixth place. 
        Phelan followed that up with a final round 1-under 71 that featured four more birdies and her first collegiate hole-in-one, which came on the par-3 third hole on The Pointe nine-hole side. That effort led the sophomore to come away with her third top-five of the season overall. 
        Anderson opened her tournament with consecutive 75s, but came back to fire a final round 71 to climb 12 spots on the leaderboard into a five-way tie for 15^th at plus-5 221. Anderson was steady on her final loop, penciling in two birdies and 15 pars on her scorecard.
        Purroy Galan also got into the final-day act with a 71 of her own with four birdies. The freshman's 71 offset an opening 7-over 79 and a second round 4-over 76, and moved her 13 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 32^nd at plus-10 226. 
        Olson (78-76-73) finished a shot back of Galan in t-36^th at plus-11 227, thanks in part to a final round 1-over 73 during which she rolled in three birdies, while sophomore Cesarek (78-76-75) tied for 42^nd at plus-13 229. 
        In addition, two Trailblazers made their Utah Tech season debuts playing as individuals. Junior Samira Salinas (80-85-72) rebounded from a tough 36-hole start with an even par 72 to tie for 52^nd at plus-19 235, and Roznicki (84-84-77-245; +29) recorded five total birdies in her first collegiate event.

TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE: Through seven events this season, Phelan leads the team with a 73.90 stroke average through 20 rounds with a team-best 8 par or better rounds, while Purroy Galan is second at 75.75 with four par or better rounds. 
        Cesarek follows closely in third at 75.95 through 20 collegiate rounds with two par or better rounds, followed by Anderson (four par/better rounds) in fourth at 76.60, and Olson (three par/better rounds) in fifth at 77.55 after seven tourneys.

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech heads back to Arizona to play its first conference crown at the 2025 Western Athletic Conference Women's Golf Championships, which will be held April 14-16, at The Wigwam Resort Golf Club Gold Course in Litchfield Park.