NCAAW regionals: Stanford advances in record fashion; Michigan State, Virginia, Tennessee survive playoffs

Thirty teams and six additional individuals punched their NCAA Championship tickets on Wednesday as six NCAA Division I women’s golf regionals wrapped up.

Top-ranked Stanford headlined the day as the host Cardinal shot an NCAA regional-record 810 (42 under) to win by a record 38 shots, breaking their previous mark by eight shots.

A year after three No. 3 seeds failed to qualify for nationals, a whopping four Nos. 3 – Mississippi State, UCF, UCLA and Vanderbilt – did not finish among the five advancing teams at their respective sites, while No. 9 Oregon State and No. 8 Texas Tech advanced out of Stanford and Ann Arbor, Michigan, respectively.

Two playoffs took place, with Virginia and Michigan State surviving a 3-for-2 playoff in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at the expense of North Carolina State, and Tennessee taking down Tulsa in extra holes in Waco, Texas.

Here is a recap of each of the six sites.

Ann Arbor Regional

University of Michigan GC, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Par 71
Advancing teams: 1. USC (+1), 2. Ohio State (+6), 3. Duke (+16), 4. Northwestern (+17), 5. Texas Tech (+22)
Eliminated: 6. UCF (+24), 7. Kansas (+34), 8. Oklahoma (+41), 8. UNLV (+41), 10. Columbia (+51), 11. Quinnipiac (+72), 12. Oakland (+82)
Individual champion: Ashley Yun, Northwestern (-5)
Advancing individual: 4. Isabella McCauley, Minnesota (-3)

The story: It was a coach’s worst nightmare. On the eve of the first round, USC head coach Justin Silverstein found out that Jasmine Koo, one of his best players who’d won four times this season, was too sick with a viral infection to play in Monday’s first round. Koo ended up missing the entire tournament, including Wednesday’s final round, which she nearly played, texting Silverstein at 5:30 a.m. that she was “good to go” only to change her mind about 40 minutes later.

So, in stepped freshman Sarah Hammett for 54 holes, and though she didn’t count in any round, she played solidly enough to take the pressure off her Trojan teammates.

“She was dealt a tough hand, and we’re pretty proud of the way she handled it,” Silverstein said of Hammett. “She was a good teammate, and she was actually pretty close to putting up some good ones. That course was nasty, and a Mackenzie on short notice was going to be a tall order for her right now. But great for her to get this experience.”

Elise Lee, a transfer from Northwestern’s NCAA title team last season, led the way for USC with a T-2, followed by Catherine Park, who rallied after an opening 73 to finish solo fifth. Lee had to qualify for one of two spots, against Kylie Chong and Hammett, just to earn her spot in the lineup this week. Silverstein walked all three rounds with Lee and was encouraged.

“That’s as good as I’ve seen her look,” Silverstein said of Lee.

USC was the only team under par on Wednesday, when the feels-like temperature was in the high 30s, accompanied by 20 mph wind. Now, the Trojans advance through regionals and to the NCAA Championship for the 28th straight season.

“This is kind of what we’ve been doing for the last few months,” Silverstein said, “just a good group effort and then one or two players getting out and running.”

Chip shots: Ohio State heads back to nationals for the second straight year after a five-year drought – and the Buckeyes did so with Kary Hollenbaugh, a first-team All-American last season, as the sub. ... Duke missed last year’s NCAA Championship with a program-worst 11th-place finish at regionals. But the Blue Devils advance to nationals for the 35th time. … Despite the transfer of Elise Lee and midseason departure of Arianna Lau, reigning NCAA champion and sixth-seeded Northwestern is headed to nationals for a fourth straight year. The Wildcats went 1-2 individually with Yun and Dianna Lee (T-2). … Texas Tech, the No. 8 seed, closed in 17 over, but held on to qualify for its first NCAA Championship since 2023 and just its fifth appearance ever. … No. 3 seed UCF was fifth after 18 holes, but the Knights ultimately came two shots from making nationals for the first time since 2019. … Oklahoma qualified for nationals last year for the first time since 2018, though the fourth-seeded Sooners see their season end with their third regional finish of T-8 in the last four years.

Chapel Hill Regional

UNC Finley GC, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Par 70

Advancing teams: 1. Texas (-5), 2. North Carolina (+6), 3. Oklahoma State (+8), 4. Virginia (+18; won playoff), 4. Michigan State (+18; won playoff)
Eliminated: 6. North Carolina State (+18; lost playoff), 7. Mississippi State (+21), 8. Kent State (+22), 9. High Point (+39), 10. Furman (+49), 11. Richmond (+62), 12. Howard (+67)
Individual champions: Marta Silchenko, Oklahoma State, and Thanana Kotchasanmanee, Princeton (-6)
Advancing individual: Kotchasanmanee

The story: Michigan State head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll perhaps summed up the finish of the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional perfectly.

“That last hour was a bit of a roller coaster,” Stoll said.

While Texas, North Carolina and Oklahoma State comfortably advanced, five other teams, including the Spartans, all found themselves inside the cut line during Wednesday’s final round. Mississippi State, the No. 3 seed, closed in 12 over, its final round capped by four bogeys at No. 18, as the Bulldogs dropped from fifth to seventh. Kent State played its last three holes in 7 over to end up eighth. They finished a respective three and four shots out of the first 3-for-2 team playoff in NCAA regional history, which matched No. 6 seed Virginia, No. 8 seed North Carolina State and Stoll’s eighth-seeded Spartans, who started Wednesday 10 shots outside the top five.

With the Cavaliers and Wolfpack in the clubhouse at 18 over, Michigan State was one clear with only Taylor Kehoe left on the course. Kehoe finished solo fourth, capped by a 3-under 67, though she bogeyed two of her last three holes, including No. 18 on a three-putt with both Virginia and North Carolina State’s players watching from just off the green.

“I told Taylor, ‘Don’t worry about it, we’re in a playoff, let’s go get a spot,’” Stoll said. “It was so exciting that we got to that point because I don’t know, I think seven strokes is a lot to come back from. … There was hardly time to give the team a message, but we had worked so hard today, I told them, ‘Let’s not let it go.’”

The playoff was held on Nos. 10-14 at Finley, with a representative from each of the three teams on each hole. “The playoff was crazy,” Stoll said, “because you really don’t know what’s going on, and that’s a scary feeling.” Stoll walked with Ana Sofia Murcia, who tied the low score on No. 11 with bogey. Stoll then started tallying up the scores as they came in via text. It wasn’t until she heard a rules official’s radio, though, that she knew they’d advanced. Michigan State and Virginia each totaled 23 while North Carolina State was eliminated with 26.

The Spartans now head to the NCAA Championship for the fifth time in six years. Not bad considering this squad, having lost stalwarts in graduates Brooke Biermann and Katie Lu, were under .500 after the fall. Stoll challenged them last winter, and they responded by climbing from No. 55 to No. 39 in the rankings this spring, which was highlighted by a win at the Carolina Challenge Cup, held at, you guessed it, Finley.

“I’m so proud of this program that we built,” Stoll said, “and we continue to do amazing things.”

Chip shots: Texas’ three stars, Farah O’Keefe, Lauren Kim and Cindy Hsu, all cracked the top 7 as the Longhorns won by 11 shots, capturing their first regional title since 2019. … Host North Carolina is headed to nationals for the second time in three years and just the third time since 2017. … Oklahoma State advanced through regionals for the sixth straight season, finishing third for the fifth time during that span. … Virginia set a school record by qualifying for a sixth straight NCAA Championship. … North Carolina State was attempting to get to nationals for just the second time since 2016. … Mississippi State snaps a streak of four straight NCAA Championship appearances.

Tallahassee Regional

Seminole Legacy GC, Tallahassee, Florida, Par 72

Advancing teams: 1. Wake Forest (-8), 2. Florida State (-4), 3. Florida (-3), 4. Eastern Michigan (+5), 5. Kentucky (+6)
Eliminated: 6. UCLA (+9), 7. North Florida (+16), 8. ULM (+26), 9. Clemson (+27), 10. Purdue (+30), 11. UTRGV (+80), 12. Little Rock (+90)
Individual champions: Sophia Fullbrook, Florida State, and Morgan Ketchum, Wake Forest (-7)
Advancing individual: T-3. Johanna Sjursen, ULM (-6)

The story: Kentucky head coach Golda Borst was still in awe, even a few hours removed from her sixth-seeded Wildcats’ remarkable rally on the final four holes of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.

“What a story,” Borst said, before repeating herself, this time more emphatically. “What a story.”

Kentucky had begun Wednesday’s final round 10 shots out of fifth place, seemingly on its way to missing nationals for the fifth straight year. The Wildcats fell one spot short in 2022 and 2023, then finished under .500 last year and didn’t even qualify for regionals. To top it all off, Borst’s current lineup boasted only one player with any regional experience (Cathryn Brown), and Daytona State College transfer Samantha Paradise was making her first start as a Wildcat following the abrupt departure of sophomore Anastasia Hekkonen, the team’s second-highest ranked player behind Brown.

“But they had this resolve about them this week,” Borst said, “and we talked a lot about gratitude when we started the week, just joyful and grateful to be here. With the adversity that we had faced over the last few years, put us a year ago and we would’ve given anything to be in this position where we’re 10 back and having a chance today.”

Borst almost never talks about score, yet on Tuesday night, she challenged the team to shoot 5 under.

“I knew they were capable,” Borst said, “and was just a matter of time before they’d put it all together.”

Kentucky did better than that; the Wildcats shot 9 under, the second lowest round all week, to clip UCLA by three shots. About an hour before that, however, Kentucky was two shots back of fifth after bogeys by Paradise, at No. 18, and Brown, at No. 17. That’s when CA Carter rolled in a 60-footer on the par-3 15th, the first of four straight birdies to cap a 7-under 65. She made a 10-footer at No. 16 and had a tap-in on No. 17 after a beautiful approach from the rough. Right before Carter’s second-to-last birdie, Borst heard a roar from up ahead; it was Raleygh Simpson holing out for eagle from 143 yards with a 9-iron.

“It was like, wow, we’re doing this, it’s really happening,” Borst said. “The stars just aligned. After CA hit her drive on 18, I told her we had a two-shot cushion, but we kept saying, let’s get another one, let’s get another one.”

Carter’s closing birdie was icing on the cake. She ended up T-3 individually while Simpson added a T-13 finish. Paradise, who has family connections to Florida State and had previously played the course, counted twice, each time with 74. “For her to step up the way she did was huge, absolutely huge,” Borst said of Paradise.

“We’re kind of a scrappy team,” Borst added. “We don’t necessarily have the best-ranked players or the highest-ranked recruits, but we can ham and egg it pretty good and everybody contributes. … This was just a phenomenal story of strength and resilience.”

Chip shots: Wake Forest closed with the round of the tournament, 10 under, to rise two spots and claim its second straight NCAA regional title. The Deacs have now qualified for nationals in eight straight seasons. … Florida State is now one of just four programs to have an active NCAA Championship-appearance streak of 10 years or more, joining USC, Stanford and Texas. … Led by freshman Katelyn Huber’s solo sixth, top-seeded Florida was third to advance to nationals for the second straight year. … Eastern Michigan’s fourth-place finish means the Eagles are headed to their first NCAA Championship in the same year they played their first NCAA regional. … Third-seeded UCLA misses for just the third time in 25 years. … North Florida shot 2 under on the final day and were at one point inside the top five, though the Ospreys’ counters played their last four holes in 7 over to miss by 10 shots.

Simpsonville Regional

University of Louisville GC, Simpsonville, Kentucky, Par 72

Advancing teams: 1. Auburn (-17), 2. Houston (-11), 3. Arkansas (-10), 4. Iowa State (-9), 4. Ole Miss (-9)
Eliminated: 6. Virginia Tech (-4), 7. Kansas State (E), 8. Indiana (+3), 9. Xavier (+10), 10. College of Charleston (+12), 11. Western Kentucky (+40), 12. Murray State (+56)
Individual champion: Anna Davis, Auburn (-10)
Advancing individual: 2. Sheridan Clancy, Indiana (-9)

The story: Lydia Lasprilla’s three seniors, Moa Svedenskiöld, Natalie Saint Germain and Alexa Saldana, were all part of her first recruiting class when she got the job at Houston prior to the 2021-22 season. Lasprilla still remembers when she was courting the trio, first through Zoom calls because of the pandemic and then finally on their official visits, when all three flew in for the same weekend – Svedenskiöld from Sweden, Saint Germain from Czech Republic and Saldana from Mexico. Their parents and siblings joined them, too.

“We had like 20 people and had to rent three black Suburbans,” Lasprilla said. “It felt like we were the F.B.I., driving them all around.”
Five years later, that trio earned themselves a fourth and final opportunity to advance through an NCAA regional for the first time in the history of the program, which was established in 2013.

“That’s something that we’ve always recruited to was coming to Houston and making history and competing for a national championship,” Lasprilla said. “I just wanted it so badly for this group.”

And they delivered.

Saint Germain led the way for the Cougars with a T-4 finish at Louisville, while Saldana equaled Maelynn Kim’s T-13 showing. Though Svedenskiöld struggled to a T-34 finish at the NCAA Simpsonville Regional, she had five top-10s this season and was ranked No. 62 in the country entering the week.

“Watching those three grow the last four years has been incredible, and they set such a great example for the ones behind them,” Lasprilla said of her seniors. “I’m just really thankful for the culture that they helped me build.”

Houston led after 36 holes before sliding to second after an 8-over final day. Now headed to the program’s first NCAA Championship, Lasprilla and her Cougars can already feel accomplished.

“Getting there has been something that has been over our heads for a long time, and to do it, to finally be able to cross that milestone, it feels like a weight’s been lifted off our shoulders,” Lasprilla said. “I think next week for the team, it’s just about enjoying the opportunity – we’ve been playing some really good golf – and seeing what we can do playing at the highest level.”

Chip shots: Led by Anna Davis’ second career NCAA regional title, Auburn won its second regional in three years, though the Tigers missed at regionals last year. Davis is now the program record-holder for career victories with six. … Top-seeded Arkansas was once again led by ANWA winner Maria Jose Marin, who posted her 11th finish of T-12 or better in as many starts this season. This is the first time that the Razorbacks have qualified for three straight NCAA Championships since 2011-2013. … Ole Miss shot 2 under, the only score under par on Wednesday, to climb two spots to T-4 alongside Iowa State, as this regional saw each of the top five seeds advance. The Rebels have now made seven of eight trips to nationals since debuting in 2018, while Iowa State is back at the NCAA Championship for the second straight year, a program first.

Waco Regional

Ridgewood CC, Waco, Texas, Par 70

Advancing teams: 1. SMU (-17), 2. Texas A&M (-11), 3. Baylor (E), 4. LSU (+1), 5. Tennessee (+7; won playoff)
Eliminated: 6. Tulsa (+7; lost playoff), 7. Oregon (+9), 8. TCU (+14), 9. Colorado (+34), 10. Tarleton State (+37), 11. Prairie View A&M (+99), 12. Northern Arizona (DNF)
Individual champion: Vanessa Borovilos, Texas A&M (-10)
Advancing individual: 2. Kirstin Angosta, TCU (-6)

The story: Fresh off its first SEC title in school history, Tennessee found itself in another head-to-head scenario – and again, it was sophomore Kyra Van Kan delivering with the winning putt. Van Kan was one of two Vols, along with Sophie Christopher, to make birdie in a playoff against Tulsa for the fifth and final ticket to nationals.

Before that, though, Tennessee had to orchestrate a late rally.

The Vols entered the final round in seventh, two shots back of host Baylor and Tulsa, which were tied for fifth. And after nine holes, Tennessee had cobbled together only three birdies, while Sofie Engesaeth’s bogey on the par-5 ninth after her third shot ricocheted off the bottom of the flagstick and into the water was seemingly a sign that it just wasn’t the Vols’ day. But then it was, and Tennessee’s four counters, sparked by four birdies on the par-4 13th hole, played their last six holes in bogey-free 7 under to force overtime.

“This shows you what kind of team we are,” Tennessee head coach Diana Cantu said. “We never give up, and it’s not over until it’s over. That’s what I love about them. We had a lot of chances and made a lot of silly mistakes until No. 13, when we made that big charge. We had momentum on our side, finishing the way we did, and the girls were, I mean, there was nothing else happening but us punching that ticket. In our minds, we were going to get it done.”

Madison Messimer ignited the run at No. 13 by sticking her approach to 4 feet and rolling in the putt. Cantu thought they needed a few more, which the Vols provided all on that same hole, capped by Van Kan’s 12-footer after her tee shot ended up in a divot. Manassanan Chotikabhukk was the star of the back nine for the Vols, following back-to-back bogeys, on Nos. 11 and 12, with four birdies in her final six holes.

Tennessee won the playoff, 2 under to 1 over, to advance to the NCAA Championship for the second straight year. It’s the first time the Vols have made consecutive national appearances since 2015-16.

“I played at Tennessee,” said Cantu, a 2010 grad, “and I always felt that people haven’t always looked at us as a great school for golf. But we’ve worked really hard to get to this point. This team has been a great team for a while, we’re just getting better at those little things, and now this program is in a great spot, and it’s here to stay.”

Chip shots: SMU’s six-shot win marks the Mustangs’ second NCAA regional title, first since 2023. They’ve advanced through regionals in three of the last four years. … Texas A&M bounces back from missing nationals last season and now has qualified in four of five years under coach Gerrod Chadwell. Borovilos’ four-shot win was the most at any regional this year, and she now has five finishes of either first or second this season. … Baylor was in seventh after 18 holes before shooting 8 under combined the last two days as the Bears qualify for a sixth straight NCAA Championship, eighth in the last nine seasons. … Sixth-seeded LSU had to sub out Rocio Tejedo, one of its top players, before the first round due to illness, yet the Tigers also advanced to a sixth straight nationals. … Tulsa was trying to advance through regionals for the third time in four years. Tulsa’s four counters played their last four holes in 6 over on Wednesday. … Oregon was the only No. 2 seed to miss out on the NCAA Championship this year. The Ducks shot 6 over in the final round to drop three spots to seventh. This is the second time in four years that Oregon has been eliminated at regionals. The Ducks had also reached at least the NCAA semifinals three times in four years prior to this season. Junior Kiara Romero tied for third, though she missed out on advancing as an individual by a shot. Three other Ducks finished T-39 or worse.

Stanford Regional

Stanford GC, Stanford, California, Par 71

Advancing teams: 1. Stanford (-42), 2. Pepperdine (-4), 3. Oregon State (+2), 4. Arizona State (+4), 5. Missouri (+8)
Eliminated: 6. Vanderbilt (+16), 7. Illinois (+20), 8. Arizona (+28), 9. Cal Poly (+35), 10. Cal State-Fullerton (+41), 11. South Dakota State (+60), 12. Navy (+64)
Individual champion: Andrea Revuelta, Stanford (-12)
Advancing individual: T-5. Emma Bunch, New Mexico State (-7)

The story: How dominant was Stanford’s performance this week? Not only did the Cardinal set NCAA regional records for 54-hole total (810) and margin of victory (38 shots), but at one point on the final nine Wednesday, four different Stanford players were within a shot of each other, a group that included leader Paula Martin Sampedro.

Eventually, it was Revuelta who holed a bunker shot for birdie on her final hole to record a second straight, 6-under 65 to beat Sampedro by two shots. Kelly Xu placed fourth, followed by Stanford teammates Meja Ortengren in fifth and Megha Ganne T-6.

Revuelta’s win makes her the second Stanford player to win two NCAA regional individual titles, joining Rachel Heck. Stanford’s 42-under score in relation to par was the second-best mark in program history, behind Stanford’s NCAA-record 50 under put up at the 2023 NCAA Pullman Regional. Stanford also held the previous record for margin of victory, winning the 2021 Stanford Regional by 30 shots.

The Cardinal now head to a 16th straight NCAA Championship. They have yet to miss out on match play since it was implemented at nationals in 2015, the same year that Stanford won its first of what is now three NCAA titles (2022 and 2024).

Chip shots: Pepperdine is headed to nationals for the third time in four years thanks to a runner-up showing that was highlighted by a solo third from Jeneath Wong, who shot 63 in the second round. … Oregon State is the highest seed to advance to nationals this year, as the ninth-seeded Beavers also punched their NCAA Championship ticket for the third time in four years. … Patience Rhodes has now gone fourth, T-6 since returning from a fractured left fibula, and she led Arizona State to its 40th NCAA Championship; the Sun Devils are the first women’s program to reach 40 national appearances. … Missouri shot 2 over in its last 36 holes as it snapped the longest drought among NCAA Championship qualifiers this year; the Tigers head to nationals for the first time since 2005, which was their only previous appearance. … Vanderbilt, the third seed, ends a four-year run getting through regionals as the Commodores dropped two spots on the final day. … Arizona, the sixth seed, misses a third straight NCAA Championship for the first time since 1984-86.