(LEWISTON, ID) – The 2024-25 Lewis-Clark State Golf season kicks off on Monday at the Bushnell Invitational. The Warriors enter their third season under coach Zach Anderson with the women ranked No. 20 in the NAIA and the men just outside the top 25.
Both LC State teams were picked to finish second in the Cascade Conference behind powerhouse British Columbia. On the women’s side, No. 21 Oregon Tech tied with the Warriors for second in the preseason poll and the men will have to hold off strong competition in Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon.
“I believe our conference is getting closer to being one of the premier golf conferences in the NAIA,” Anderson said. “Our teams will compete for conference recognition this year. UBC is always a solid program and returns most of their production from last year. The schedule I formed was one knowing we need to see teams outside of the west region so we can be prepared to see these teams again in May. Excited to see what these Warriors can do this year.”
Both teams will compete at the Bushnell Invitational and Thunderbird Fall Invitational this fall as part of the CCC action, but the rest of the fall will feature tournaments with the teams separated.
THE WOMEN
The Warrior women graduated their top golfers from last season, Kyla Currie and Deana Caruso, but a strong offseason helped Anderson recruit top talent both locally and internationally. LC State does not have a senior on the roster and just one junior in Dallis Shockey.
Sophomores Chase Caruso, Myah Parsons, Natalia Gomez and Isabella Barquet return for their second season, while first-years Jane Barry, Giulia Belfontali and Mollie Seibly join the group. Barry hails from Eagle, Idaho, Belfontali comes all the way from Spain and Seibly is a Lewiston native.
The LC State Women’s Golf team excelled academically last season with numerous individual accolades and the highest grade point average in the department at near a 3.7. On the course, Shockey returns the most experience of the young squad.
“Our women’s team is a solid group of talent, but they have a lot to learn on what it means to be a nationally ranked team,” Anderson said. “Continuous work on the mindset part of the game is something we will hold to a high level this semester. The new additions have the opportunity to take this program to the next level.”
er the Bushnell Invite, the Warrior women are back on the road the next week in Iowa. LC State will compete at the prestigious and competitive Northwest Iowa National Invitational in Le Mars, Iowa. LC will travel to two tournaments in October in the Briarwood Shootout, hosted by MSU Billings, and UBC’s CCC tournament.
THE MEN
The LC State men return All-Cascade Conference honorees Alex Navarro and Oscar Behle, as well as the longest tenured Warrior in Sondre Andresen. The Warriors added a strong group of newcomers to the mix including freshmen Dan Harrington and Lucas Ortega. Transfer Jaxon Moon from Simpson (Calif.) also brings NAIA experience to the team.
The Warriors had six top-two team finishes last season including a pair of tournament wins.
“The men have the potential to be a national contender. Led by our seniors Alex and Oscar, we are hoping to build that senior leadership as the year progresses. A tougher tournament schedule then years past should put us in a position to see how our talent stacks up around the nation.
Along with the pair of CCC events, the LC State men will travel to Arizona for the OUAZ Fall Invitational. The tournament field will feature some of the top teams in the NAIA and give the Warriors a feel for how they stack up against strong competition. LC State will close out the fall at Bushnell’s Tall Timber Invitational at the end of October.