CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA – Top-seed Stanford defeated UCLA 3-2 in the national championship match, claiming its third NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship team title overall and its second in the last three years.
Stanford is the only Division I women’s program to win multiple national team titles in the match play era (since 2015). The Cardinal improved to 14-6 overall in match play with three more wins the last two days on the North Course at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa (6,330 yards/par 72). The Cardinal have stood head and shoulders above all others in match play over the last nine years, with no other team having more than six match play victories.
Senior Rachel Heck clinched the title on the No. 15 green, garnering Stanford’s third point, with the win over Kate Villegas of UCLA, 4&3. Heck, the 2021 NCAA individual champion in 2021 and member of Stanford’s national championship team in 2022, has battled injury over the last several years but was able to return to be part of two Cardinal national championship teams.
“It’s unreal, I’m honestly speechless,” said Heck. “This is the moment that kept me going through the injuries and pictures this. The fact that is happened is absolutely unreal. I felt really solid with my game and really good with my mental state more than anything. At this point in the week it takes a lot of mental strength and perseverance and everything I’ve been through the last year has helped with that.”
“That is Rachel Heck for you,” said Stanford Head Coach Anne Walker. “She deserves that, but it’s also like it was scripted to be that way. I’m kind of not surprised and she is a heck of a lag putter. Anyone else to be in that front left of the green I would have been a little tough, but for Rachel to roll it so close it was great. It wasn’t by accident we decided to put Rachel in that last spot. She is a mature kid and it takes a lot to rattle her.”
Stanford, which has now won team championships in 2015, 2022 and 2024, was at its best when it mattered most. The Cardinal received match victories from Heck, sophomore Kelly Xu, 4&3 over Meghan Royal and sophomore Megha Ganne, 3&2 over Natalie Vo. UCLA was able to keep it close with match wins by Caroline Canales, 2 Up over Paula Martin Sampedro, and Zoe Campos, 4&3 over Sadie Englemann.
🏆 Texas A&M's Adela Cernousek wins 2024 DI women's golf individual title
“For those two seniors (Heck and Englemann) to have two national championships in this format it is so hard to win,” said Walker. “Every player on our roster has contributed this year. We have had different players in the lineup and we have had great success up and down and I’ve spoken a lot about that this week. It doesn’t matter who you look at on this roster there is someone that is going to give you something and this week we saw that.”
Stanford won four of its final five events to close the 2023-24 season, including the Juli Inkster Invitational, Pac-12 Championship, the NCAA Cle Elum Regional and the NCAA Championship.
“I think it is the way they are made,” continued Walker about her team. “We have to thank their parents for that. This is a great group of young women. We never take anything for granted and we are fortunate for all the things we have and we speak about that a lot. We are privileged to be in this position. We keep our eye on the ball, literally and we talk a lot about staying patient, staying grateful and enjoying the moment.”
UCLA, which was making its first-ever appearance in the match play final, started slowly before closing the gap to no avail. Four of the five Bruins lost on the first hole, with only Campos winning on hole No. 1.
“I think the ladies started off a little bit nervous and a little adrenalized,” said UCLA Head Coach Alicia Um Holmes after the Bruins played. “We didn’t play our normal golf. I don’t know if that’s because of the nerves or if it was a little fatigue, but we just didn’t make any putts today in the beginning and that put us in a bad place. After we settled in we did play our normal games, but Stanford was just too tough.”
Ganne was solid all week for Stanford, going 2-0 in match play.
“I can’t even believe it’s real,” said Ganne. “I don’t really have any thoughts except I’m so happy to share this with my best friends. Treating each day starting with stroke play and then match play like a different fresh start and not carrying over anything from the day before into your match or your round. Carrying that mentality all the way through I think it helped us get it done.”
National Championship Match
Wednesday, May 22
No. 1 Stanford def. No. 6 UCLA, 3-2
Caroline Canales (UCLA) def. Paula Martin Sampedro (Stanford), 2 Up
Kelly Xu (Stanford) def. Meghan Royal (UCLA), 4&3
Megha Ganne (Stanford) def. Natalie Vu (UCLA), 3&2
Zoe Campos (UCLA) def. Sadie Englemann (Stanford), 4&3
Rachel Heck (Stanford) def. Katie Villegas (UCLA), 4&3
Quarterfinal & Semifinal Match Play Results
Tuesday, May 21
Quarterfinals
#1 Stanford def. #8 Auburn, 3-0
Sadie Englemann (Stanford) def. Anna Davis (Auburn), 19 holes
Rachel Heck (Stanford) def. Anna Foster (Auburn), 4&3
Kelly Xu (Stanford) def. Katie Cranston (Auburn), 4&2
Megha Ganne (Stanford) vs. Casey Weidenfeld (Auburn), Unfinished
Paula Martin Sampedro (Stanford) vs. Megan Schofill (Auburn), Unfinished
#7 Oregon def. #2 LSU, 3-2
Ching-Tzu Chen (Oregon) def. Carla Tejedo Mulet (LSU), 1 Up
Minori Nagano (Oregon) def. Taylor Riley (LSU), 7&6
Latanna Stone (LSU) def. Ting-Hsuan Huang (Oregon), 3&2
Ingrid Lindblad (LSU) def. Karen Tsuru (Oregon), 4&3
Kiara Romero (Oregon) def. Aine Donegan (LSU), 1 Up
#6 UCLA def. #3 Texas A&M, 3-0
Meghan Royal (UCLA) def. Blanca Fernandez Garcia-Poggio (A&M), 1 Up
Caroline Canales (UCLA) def. Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio (A&M), 2&1
Natalie Vo (UCLA) def. Zoe Slaughter (A&M), 3&2
Adela Cernousek (A&M) vs. Kate Villegas (UCLA), Unfinished
Jennie Park (A&M) vs. Zoe Campos (UCLA), Unfinished
#4 Southern California def. #5 Clemson, 3-1
Catherine Park (Southern California) vs. Melena Barrientos (Clemson), Unfinished
Amari Avery (Southern California) def. Chloe Holder (Clemson), 6&5
Bailey Shoemaker (Southern California) def. Isabella Rawl (Clemson), 3&2
Brianna Navarrosa (Southern California) def. Sydney Roberts (Clemson), 7&5
Annabelle Pancake (Clemson) def. Cindy Kou (Southern California), 4&3
Semifinals
#6 UCLA def. #7 Oregon, 3-1
Caroline Canales (UCLA) def. Karen Tsuru (Oregon), 7&5
Meghan Royal (UCLA) def. Ching-Tzu Chen (Oregon), 4&3
Natalie Vo (UCLA) def. Minori Nagano (Oregon), 2&1
Kate Villegas (UCLA) vs. Ting-Hsuan Huang (Oregon), Unfinished
Kiara Romero (Oregon) def. Zoe Campos (UCLA), 4&3
#1 Stanford def. #4 Southern California, 3-1
Amari Avery (USC) def. Rachel Heck (Stanford), 2&1
Sadie Englemann (Stanford) def. Cindy Kou (USC), 6&5
Paula Martin Sampedro (Stanford) vs. Bailey Shoemaker (USC), Unfinished
Megha Ganne (Stanford) def. Brianna Navarrosa (USC), 2&1
Kelly Xu (Stanford) def. Catherine Park (USC), 3&2