Women's Golf | 8/27/2025 10:00:00 AM
Burnsville, Minn. – The NSIC office announced the 2025-26 women's golf preseason coaches' poll on Wednesday afternoon. Minnesota Crookston, in their second season under the direction of
Brady Heppner, was picked eighth in the newly expanded 13 team league.
The projected eighth place finish for the Golden Eagles is the highest in program history. Minnesota Crookston finished last season in a tie for seventh at the NSIC Championships.
Minnesota State was picked to finish in first place with nine first-place votes, while Augustana earned a first-place vote and were chosen to finish in second. Winona State, Sioux Falls and Wayne State College round out the top five. Concordia-St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State sit right above the maroon and gold in sixth and seventh place, respectively.
Lanie Veenendall of Augustana was selected as the Player of the Year.
Anaka Lysne (Sr., Wahpeton, N.D.) was selected as the Player to Watch for the maroon and gold. Lysne is the first player in program history to be named to the NSIC All-Conference team on two different occasions, being named to the first team as a sophomore and second team a season ago. Lysne had an average of 79.5 a season ago and finished in a tie for 16
th at the NSIC Championships. The senior also won the SMSU Classic in Arizona in March.
"Anaka is a student of the game of golf. She puts in an incredible amount of time trying to develop her game. She's always looking to find new ways to get better and is a great role model to her teammates and fellow classmates at Minnesota Crookston."
The Golden Eagles bring back a ton of experience, along with Lysne.
Ainsley McLain (Jr., Grafton, N.D.) is back and could be number two.
Libby Dulmage (Jr., Leeds, N.D.) and
Lauren Bowyer (Sr., Ivanhoe, Minn.) are back.
Emma Pierson (Fr., Cherry Valley, Ill.) is a highly touted freshman from Illinois. Pierson will also play women's basketball.
After one of the best years in program history, coach Heppner is thrilled about what type of team he has this season.
"We had a ton of potential last year with two individual winners in separate tournaments and are looking to carry the momentum into this year. We're bringing in some very talented freshmen on top of some very good returning golfers. I'm excited to see the improvement the girls have made over the summer."
The Golden Eagles open their season at the Tracy Lane Memorial in Bemidji on Sept. 8. A season ago, the Golden Eagles finished in second place at the tournament.
