South Dakota junior golfer Akari Hayashi was named a Summit League golfer to watch as announced by the league office Thursday. It is the first preseason honor for Hayashi as she continues her third season with the Coyotes this spring.
 
In addition to the individual honor for Hayashi, South Dakota was picked to finish third in the preseason poll behind Denver and Oral Roberts.
 
Hayashi enters the spring season after playing some of her best golf in the final two tournaments of the fall schedule. Hayashi closed out the month of October with two finishes in the top-10. She earned a tie for sixth place at the Terrier Intercollegiate after shooting three rounds of 74. After that, Hayashi claimed a tie for first place at the Ozarks National Invitational highlighted by a career-best round of 70 in the last round. She finished in second place after the tiebreaker but led the Coyotes to a tournament title. It was the first time the Coyotes had won a tournament since the beginning of the 2018-19 season. Hayashi was rewarded for her efforts on the course as she was selected as the Summit League Peak Golfer of the Month to close out the first half of the season.
 
Hayashi leads the team with a 74.27 stroke average this year. That is currently her career-best in a season by three strokes. The Victoria, British Columbia, native played all 15 rounds and recorded a team-best 54-hole score of 218 in the fall slate.
 
Hayashi and the Coyotes are less than 25 days away from the start of the spring season. The 2023 portion of the schedule begins down in New Orleans at the Tulane Classic. The three-day event begins on Sunday, Feb. 12.
 
2023 Women's Golf Preseason Poll
1. Denver 64 (8)
2. Oral Roberts 57 (1)
3. South Dakota 45
T4. North Dakota State 42
T4. South Dakota State 42
6. Omaha 26
T7. North Dakota 16
T7. St. Thomas 16
T7. Western Illinois 16