Women’s skeleton slides into spotlight at 2022 Winter Olympics

By Lisa AntonucciFeb 10, 2022, 8:00 PM EST

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Women’s skeleton celebrates the 20th anniversary since its debut in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and this year marks the first time the same number of women as men – 25 – will compete in the event.

While Germany’s women have captured the last five skeleton world titles, they’re still searching for their first Olympic gold in the women’s competition and are in prime position to capitalize on the retirement of 2014 and 2018 Olympic champion Lizzy Yarnold (GBR). Germany boasts the medal favorite in four-time world champion Tina Hermann, who won the last three worlds (2019-21) to go along with her 2016 title.

MORE SKELETON COVERAGE: Can Narracott hold on to win Australia’s first ever sliding medal?

Before taking a closer look at the other medal contenders, as well as an introduction to the U.S. women, On Her Turf offers a head-first look (wink!) at women’s skeleton.

What’s the difference between skeleton and luge again?

Skeleton is considered the “slowest” of the three sliding sports, which include bobsled and luge, with speeds reaching more than 80 miles per hour as athletes lie prostrate on a small sled and slide head-first down an icy racecourse.

Like bobsled, skeleton athletes get a running start before diving onto their sleds, while luge is the only sliding discipline where athletes begin their runs already in the sled. To start a run, athletes are seated in the sled and use their hands to push against the ice and move forward to start their run. Luge athletes lay with their back against the sled and race feet first down the course with speeds reaching as high as 90 mph.

Skeleton and luge are similar in that all competitors get three runs before the field is cut to the top 20 for the fourth and final run. The racers with the lowest aggregate time over all four runs wins.

And why is skeleton called skeleton?

The name “skeleton” may be derived from the incorrect translation of the Norwegian word “kjelke,” or “sled,” while others believe it came from the appearance of a new metal sled said to resemble a skeleton.

How does the skeleton track compare to other venues?

Skeleton races (as well as bobsled and luge) take place at the Yanqing National Sliding Center on the Xiaohaituo Bobsled and Luge Track, known as “The Snow Dragon.” It’s one of just three tracks in all of Asia and the first of its kind China, built specifically for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The track is considered long, measuring roughly a mile (1.6 km) and dropping 397 feet in elevation with the steepest section being a fierce 18-percent grade. It also features 16 curves highlighted by a 360-degree turn, known as a “Kreisel.”

In the women’s trials event held during the international training weeks, Germany’s Hermann took the win over teammate and Junior Worlds champion Hannah Neise, with Russian Olympic Committee’s Yelena Nikitina finishing third.

Meet the U.S. women competing in skeleton at the 2022 Winter Olympics:

The U.S. women are led by five-time Olympics veteran Katie Uhlaender, the 2012 world champion and two-time World Cup overall champion. Her best Olympic result was fourth in 2014, when the Colorado natvie just missed the podium after finishing four one-hundredths of a second behind Russia’s Nikitina, who was stripped of her bronze medal in 2017 for doping violations. Ultimately, Nikitina’s medal was reinstated in 2018, and Uhlaender, 37, has been a vocal advocate across the Olympic movement for “penalties for countries that skirt doping laws.” She finished fifth in the October test event.

She’s joined by 33-year-old Kelly Curtis, who is making her Olympics debut and finished 18th in the test event. The Princeton, N.J., native was an heptathlete in college and competed in bobsled in graduate school and didn’t make her debut in skeleton until 2016 at age 27. Curtis made her World Cup debut in January 2021, three days before her 32nd birthday, and has recorded three career top-10 World Cup finishes this season. Her best was a sixth in the final race of the season in St. Moritz, Switzerland, which clinched her Olympic spot. She will become the first Black athlete to represent the U.S. in the sport of skeleton.

“I didn’t really have too many people to look up to in the skeleton world, but I did in bobsled,” Curtis said. “I’m standing on the shoulders of giants and trying to inspire the next generation.”

The only Olympic skeleton medals for U.S. women came in 2002, when Tristan Gale won gold and Lea Ann Parsley won silver.

Who is favored to win gold in women’s skeleton?

Germany has won three Olympic medals in skeleton, but they’re aiming for a first-ever women’s gold behind Hermann, who has won two World Cup races this season. But so have her closest competitors, Netherlands’ Laura Deas and ROC’s Nikitina.

Kimberley Bos captured the 2022 World Cup title to become the first Dutch slider to do so, finishing on the podium in six of eight races. Great Britain’s Laura Deas, the 2018 bronze medalist, is looking to extend her country’s streak in skeleton: Team GB has won a skeleton medal at every Olympic Winter Games since the sport was reintroduced at Salt Lake City in 2002.

Will China have an advantage as host nation?

In men’s skeleton, there is a long history of host nation success: a South Korean athlete (Yun Sung-Bin) won at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, a Russian athlete (Aleksandr Tretiyakov) won at the 2014 Sochi Games, a Canadian athlete (Jon Montgomery) won at the 2010 Vancouver Games, and an American (Jim Shea) won at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

On the women’s side, however, the host nation has only won gold once: American Tristan Gale in 2002.

The 2022 Winter Olympics mark the first time that China is fielding a women’s Olympic team, but little is known about their medal potential. The pre-Olympic World Cup was cancelled due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic, and no Chinese athletes took part in the races held there during the international training weeks last October.

In training runs earlier this week, 19-year-old Zhao Dan finished in the top-three in three of six training runs. Zhao, a Youth Olympian who was one of the flag bearers for Team China at the Opening Ceremony, made her World Cup debut this season, with a best finish of 15th. China’s other entrant, Li Yuxi, was much less consistent in this week’s training runs.

While Zhao and Li may not have much experience themselves, they’ve got a veteran in coach Andy Schmidt, who coached Great Britain to the last three consecutive Olympic women’s skeleton gold medals.

How to watch women’s skeleton at the 2022 Winter Olympics:

For viewers in the United States, you have some options:

Peacock will be the streaming home of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Live streaming coverage and full replays of every event will be available on Peacock’s premium tier. Click here to watch.
You can also stream events via NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.
Games will also air on NBC, USA Network, and CNBC. Preliminary TV listings can be found here and the most up-to-date schedule with TV and streaming info can be found here.

You can also keep up-to-date on how to watch every women’s and mixed gender event using On Her Turf’s official guide to the Winter Games.

Women’s Skeleton Schedule at the 2022 Winter Olympics

Event	Date/Time (U.S. Eastern Time)	Date/Time (Beijing, China)
Women’s Skeleton (Runs 1 & 2)	2/10/22 8:30 PM	2/11/22 9:30 AM
Women’s Skeleton (Runs 3 & 4)	2/12/22 7:20 PM	2/13/22 8:20 AM

MORE FROM ON HER TURF: 2022 Winter Olympics Schedule – How to watch every women’s event

On Her Turf editor Alex Azzi and the NBC Olympics Research team contributed to this report.

Sloane Stephens gets candid about turning 30, favorite self-care practices and freezing her eggs ahead of 12th French Open

By Lisa AntonucciMay 27, 2023, 12:57 PM EDT

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Sloane Stephens calls the French Open – the second Grand Slam of the tennis season – one of her favorite events of the year, and it’s not hard to understand why: The 30-year-old Stephens owns 32 victories on the “terre battue” in Paris, where she finished runner-up in 2018. The current world No. 35 looks to increase that number when she faces off against No. 16 Karolina Pliskova in first-round action, which begins Sunday.

Roland-Garros is Stephens’ most successful major in terms of match wins at 32-11. Her record at the U.S. Open, where she won the title in 2017, currently stands at 24-10, while she’s 14-11 at Wimbledon. She stands 12-11 at the Australian Open, where she fell in the first round earlier this year to Russia’s Anastasia Potapova.

The Florida native arrives in Paris with 11 events in 2023 under her belt, including her first WTA 125 title at the L’Open 35 de Saint Malo earlier in May. Stephens entered the tournament last-minute following a first-round loss at the Madrid Open, but she rebounded by dropping just one set in four matches en route to the clay-court final, which she won in straight sets over Greet Minnen on May 7.

On Her Turf sat down with Stephens ahead of the 2023 French Open to talk about a wide range of topics including Rolland-Garros, turning 30, mental health advocacy, her favorite self-care practices, freezing her eggs and more.

You can watch the 2023 French Open on NBC, the Tennis Channel and Peacock. Click here for the full schedule.

RELATED: 2023 French Open — Dates, schedule, how to watch on NBC and Peacock

This Q+A has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

On Her Turf: Let’s start with some general takeaways… What are your thoughts on your season so far?

Sloane Stephens: Definitely started off slow, but we’ve been here before, so not too worried. …I was able to go play in St. Malo, which was great, because I needed to get a bunch of matches, and I was able to pick up a title there, which was really nice. Clay-court season is my favorite season, so I’m really happy to be able to play a lot of matches at the beginning (of the season). … It’s been a tough start this season. I haven’t done as well as I would have liked to, but again, that’s just tennis. And I think now I’ve kind of picked up some momentum. And yeah, playing in my favorite season of the year, the clay-court season is always nice. And being able to win matches and collect a lot of points is always good. So just been trying to keep the momentum going from here.

OHT: Regarding what you just said – “It’s just tennis” – Could you talk a little more about your perspective, dealing with that up-and-down start to a season? Knowing it’s a long season, how do you keep yourself from judging your whole year based on how it started?

Stephens: I think having perspective instead of over-analyzing. Only one person can win every week, right? … It’s all about finding that balance: It’s not getting overly happy and joyous when you’re winning and not getting so depressed that you want to quit tennis when it’s not going well. … And part of it is managing the workload and managing the travel and the logistics. You know, you don’t work a nine-to-five (job), you don’t go into work every day. And it’s the same thing for everyone. Like everyone’s routines are messed up, everyone’s schedule is different. Everyone’s losing their bags, everyone’s flights are super expensive. There’s all of these things that go into it that you really can’t get so upset about, because it’s happening to everyone. Everyone’s managing it, and whoever is managing the very best is probably the No. 1 player in the world. And there can be someone who’s managing really great and they’re No. 50 in the world. So it’s all about perspective.

OHT: Speaking of managing stress, can you talk about how wearing fitness technology (Stephens has been a brand ambassador for WHOOP since 2021) has helped you, and how do you incorporate it into your routine?

Stephens: I think for myself, as a professional athlete, it really helps you gauge where your body is in its recovery and how it’s recovering. WHOOP actually gives you the data … and I think that’s where the stress monitor comes in. Because like I said, like, you can already see like if your body’s recovering or not recovering, and then on top of it, how much stress are you putting on your body with a 10-percent recovery day? What does that look like? Are you gonna get injured? Are you gonna get sick? Are you going to be a couch potato? For myself, I know if I have two days that are in the red and I’m going really hard, I’m gonna have three days where I’m like, “Don’t call me; I’m not going to be able to do anything.” And before, I never really knew why that was happening, so I’m able to just be way more alert and attentive to like what my body needs, especially now that I’ve gotten older. I wish I had this when I was 21, because then I’d be the hero of self-care and recovery and HRV (heart rate variability) and monitoring — all of these things. Whereas now I’m old, and it really does make a difference. I really actually need to be paying attention to these things.

OHT: Speaking of self-care… what are some of your current self-care practices and how did it feel to hit the milestone of turning 30 this year (which by the way is not old!)?

Stephens: It’s been totally fine. I don’t feel any different at all, really, which is good. I think in terms of “old,” I’m definitely not old, but in tennis terms I am. There are girls on tour who are 17 and 16, and I don’t even remember what it was like when I was 16 playing on the tour — it was just so long ago. …My self-care journey has changed as I’ve gotten older, as I’ve experienced more things, as I’ve traveled the world. When I get to a new city and I’m needing to relax, I’ll try to find where can I get a facial? Where can I get my nails done? I like to do things alone — I don’t know why, I think it’s just part of being a tennis player. I’m used to having to do things alone. So for me, I can take my headphones and my show and go get my nails done, go have lunch by myself, all of those things. To me, that’s very relaxing, and I love it. …But being on the road — so much has really changed how I view self-care. I’ve definitely made it my mission to be more active when I’m on the road, to implement those things I love throughout my day and then be more active in terms of finding places to get facials or get my hair done and just kind of going for it.

OHT: I want to ask about your mom: She was a standout collegiate athlete (Sybil Smith was an All-American swimmer at Boston University) and a Harvard-educated psychologist. How has she informed your approach to self-care and mental health as a professional athlete?

Stephens: My mom, she’s so freakin’ cool. She’s so awesome. We actually do a lot of (self-care) stuff together. We really look forward to like doing those things and having self-care days. …But I think she also knows how important it is to have that time to take care of yourself and have that time alone, too, to recharge and regroup. She’s encouraged me both ways, just because she knows how helpful it can be.

OHT: You mentioned that you like doing things alone when you’re on the road, but I read in a recent article where you note that being a professional tennis player can be very lonely and can take a toll on your mental health, which is a topic you regularly address. Why is it important to you address mental health awareness and where does that comfort level talking about it come from?

Stephens: I would definitely say my mom. I’ve obviously been in therapy pretty much in my whole life, so I’m very open with that. And I think being a tennis player, traveling the world, it’s a very unique experience. I travel with a coach, a physio, sometimes a friend, so it’s like I’m never truly alone. …But during COVID, we weren’t allowed to leave our rooms for probably a better part of a year and a half, and I think that’s when the loneliness came in. All through COVID I was seeing a therapist and post COVID, still continuing to see my therapist, and really just finding the balance in my life. That makes the most sense for me.

Our health depends heavily on our connections with one another. The new @Surgeon_General ’s Advisory highlights evidence that meaningful relationships are beneficial to our individual and collective health and well-being. #Connect2Heal https://t.co/sXP17NRPil pic.twitter.com/50o8PqLKIC

— sloanestephens (@SloaneStephens) May 3, 2023

OHT: It also appears that you have a good relationship with your followers on social media. In particular, it’s been really interesting to follow your journey through freezing your eggs and talking about your reproductive health. Why has that been important for you to engage in that conversation publicly?

Stephens: I’ve always been scared of childbirth, and since I was like 18, I’ve thought I’m definitely having a surrogate, like, this is what I’m putting my mind to, I’m going to freeze my eggs. And now, as I’ve gotten older and have read more about it, and really educated myself about the maternal mortality rate for black women – it’s a very scary thing. For me, egg freezing is something that I’ve always wanted to do, I’ve always been very interested in it, and now I get to share (what I’ve learned). There are so many girls on the tour who are interested. But for a female tennis player, the process takes like three weeks, which is a bit long. You know, men are free to do whatever they want, whenever they want. They don’t have to stop working. Their wives are at home, they’re having babies, and a lot of them now – some younger than me — bring their kids to the tournaments. And I’m like, “I’m 30, I have no kids.” And I totally envisioned having a baby at 27 or 28 and living a normal life. But for a professional tennis player, it’s not ideal. It’s just not possible. We do have a lot of moms on tour, which is the best. It’s just very complicated. The reproductive system is a very complicated thing … I’m on the player council, so I’m very invested in the girls on tour and their health and how they take care of themselves, and this was just something that fits into that — being able to freeze your eggs. Like Michelle Obama said the recently, “You can have it all, just not at the same time.”

OHT: Looking ahead to the 50th anniversary of the WTA this year, what are your thoughts as the organization celebrates this milestone?

Stephens: The WTA has come a long way, and it’s something I’ve been really proud to be a part of. I think obviously when Billie (Jean King) started the tour 50 years ago, I’m sure she didn’t think it would look like what it looks like now. So just being able to be a part of something like that, and I think we all want to leave the tour and tennis better than we found it. There are more initiatives, the pension program is better, there’s free egg freezing, and all of the other things that we want on our tour – those things are possible and we’re able to make that happen.

MORE FROM ON HER TURF: Q+A with Katherine Legge: Her decision to contest her third Indy 500, why the race is ‘bonkers’ and what she hopes to achieve

2023 NCAA DI women’s golf championships: Wake Forest captures team title, Stanford’s Rose Zhang wins individual crown

By Lisa AntonucciMay 25, 2023, 9:30 AM EDT

Update: No. 3 Wake Forest captured its first-ever NCAA DI women’s golf national title on Wednesday, defeating No. 5 Southern California 3-1-0. Demon Deacons players Emilia Migliaccio, Rachel Kuehn and Lauren Walsh won their respective matches to clinch the 2023 title. Of note, Walsh took down USC’s Brianna Navarossa in the day’s anchor match — a day after Navarrossa beat Stanford’s Rose Zhang, who won the individual title on Monday. Wake Forest finished third in the stroke play portion of the competition to advance to match play. The Demon Deacons beat No. 6 Florida State in the quarterfinals before downing No. 7 Texas A&M to reach the national championship match, where they beat USC.

The 30-team field is set for the 2023 NCAA DI women’s golf championships, set for May 19-24 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, with defending champion Stanford leading the charge among the six regional qualifying tournaments that wrapped on Wednesday. The Cardinal recorded both the best team and individual scores of the week, posting a combined for 50-under par to win the Pullman (Washington) regional by 17 shots.

Stanford sophomore Rose Zhang, who won the 2022 individual NCAA title, led the Cardinal with a score of 19-under over three rounds, highlighted by an 8-under 64 in her first round on Monday. Zhang set a new NCAA record for the low 54-hole score at Regionals by three shots at Palouse Ridge Golf Club, while her team obliterated the NCAA 54-hole team scoring mark by 17 strokes. The Pullman Regional produced the five lowest team scores of the week, as four teams (Stanford, Clemson, Southern California, Baylor) shot better than 20-under.

Other notable performances came from Arizona, which rallied on Wednesday to win the Raleigh Regional, while the Georgia defended its home course in the Athens Regional, holding off a late push from South Carolina. Also advancing out of Athens was No. 11 seed Augusta, who will make its first appearance at nationals in program history. In the Westfield Regional, Mississippi State won its first-ever regional tournament, while Michigan State won the Palm Beach Regional to also mark a program first. Pepperdine and SMU finished tied atop the leaderboard in the San Antonio Regional.

This year marks the first time in women’s tournament history that that five teams will advance from each regional rather than four (increasing the field from 24 to 30 teams). In January, the NCAA gained approval to increase the number of schools moving on to nationals, aligning it with the number of teams in the men’s championships.

The Stanford Cardinal are the defending champions, beating the Oregon Ducks in the 2022 finals at Grayhawk GC. Stanford sophomore Rose Zhang will aim to defend her individual title as well, and looks to keep the momentum rolling this spring after wins at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and Pac-12 Championships, where she claimed her 10th career collegiate title to set a new Cardinal record.

Read on as On Her Turf breaks down all you need to know about this year’s championships, and be sure to check back here for updates and results as the tournament progresses.

Matchups and results

On Monday, Stanford sophomore Rose Zhang became the first women’s player to ever win consecutive NCAA individual titles on Monday at Grayhawk Golf Club. Zhang finished at 10-under 278 after 54 holes, beating USC’s Catherine Park and San Jose State’s Lucia Lopez-Ortega by one stroke. Complete scoring details can be found here.

Quarterfinals matchups and results:

Match 1: No. 7 Texas A&M defeats No. 2 Texas, 3-1
Match 2: No. 3 Wake Forest defeats No. 6 Florida State, 3-1
Match 3: No. 1 Stanford defeats No. 8 Pepperdine, 3-1
Match 4: No. 5 Southern California defeats No. 4 South Carolina, 3-1

Semifinal matchups and results:

Match 5: No. 3 Wake Forest defeats No. 7 Texas A&M, 3-0-0
Match 6: No. 5 Southern California defeats No. 1 Stanford, 3-1-0

Championship matchup and results:

Match 7: No. 3 Wake Forest defeats No. 5 Southern California, 3-1-0

How to watch the 2023 NCAA DI women’s golf championships

You can watch the 2023 NCAA DI women’s golf championships on Golf Channel, Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. Check out the complete TV and streaming schedule:

Monday, May 22: 5 p.m. ET (final round, individual stroke play), Golf Channel and Peacock
Tuesday, May 23: Noon ET (quarterfinals, team matches) and 5 p.m. ET (semifinals, team matches), Golf Channel and Peacock
Wednesday, May 24: 5 p.m. ET (national championship team match), Golf Channel and Peacock

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Who’s playing in the 2023 NCAA DI women’s golf championships?

UPDATE: Stanford, Texas, Wake Forest, South Carolina, Southern California, Florida State, Texas A&M and Pepperdine advanced to match play.

FINALS FIELD

Thirty teams — five from each of the six regions — qualified for the finals, May 19-24 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Also qualifying were six individuals (one from each regional site) whose teams did not advance. They are:

Athens Regional:

1. Georgia
2. South Carolina
3. San Jose State
4. Ole Miss
5. Augusta
Individual: Leon Takagi – Kent State

Palm Beach Gardens Regional:

1. Michigan State
2. Duke
T-3. Texas
T-3. Northwestern
5. LSU
Individual: Sara Byrne – Miami (FL)

Pullman Regional:

1. Stanford
2. Clemson
3. Southern California
4. Baylor
5. Texas Tech
Individual: Tiffany Le – UC Riverside

Raleigh Regional:

1. Arizona
2. NC State
3. Wake Forest
4. TCU
5. Florida State
Individual: Dorota Zalewska – Chattanooga

San Antonio Regional Site:

T-1. Pepperdine
T-1. SMU
T-3. Oklahoma State
T-3. Texas A&M
5. New Mexico
Individual: Camryn Carreon – UTSA

Westfield Regional:

1. Mississippi State
2. Oregon State
3. Vanderbilt
4. Virginia
5. Tulsa
Individual: Isabella McCauley – Minnesota

Past NCAA DI women’s golf champions

The NCAA DI women’s golf championships went to a combination stroke-play and match-play format in 2015. The previous format was strictly stroke play (72 holes) from the championships’ inception in 1982 through 2014.

YEAR	TEAM CHAMPION	COACH	SCORE	RUNNER-UP	INDIVIDUAL CHAMP (school, score)	LOCATION
2022	Stanford	Anne Walker	3-2	Oregon	Rose Zhang (Stanford, 282)	Grayhawk Golf Club, Scottsdale, AZ
2021	Ole Miss	Kory Henkes	4-1	Oklahoma State	Rachel Heck (Stanford, 280)	Grayhawk Golf Club, Scottsdale, AZ
2020	n/a (pandemic)	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
2019	Duke	Dan Brooks	3-2	Wake Forest	Maria Fassi (Arkansas, 211*)	Blessings Golf Club, Fayetteville, AR
2018	Arizona	Laura Ianello	3-2	Alabama	Jennifer Kupcho (Wake Forest, 280)	Karsten Creek Golf Club, Stillwater, OK
2017	Arizona State	Missy Farr-Kaye	3-1-1	Northwestern	Monica Vaughn (Arizona State, 275)	Rich Harvest Farms, Sugar Grove, IL
2016	Washington	Mary Lou Mulflur	3-2	Stanford	Virginia Elena Carta (Duke, 272)	Eugene Country Club, Eugene, OR
2015	Stanford	Anne Walker	3-2	Baylor	Emma Talley (Alabama, 285)	The Concession Golf Club, Bradenton, FL

*Stroke play shortened to three rounds.

What format is used for the 2023 NCAA DI women’s golf championships?

Thirty teams and six individuals will make up the field for the 2023 NCAA DI women’s golf championships, set for May 19-24 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, and hosted by Arizona State and The Thunderbirds. All teams and individual competitors will compete in 54 holes of stroke play (May 19-21), with the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team moving on for one additional day of stroke play (May 22), which will determine the eight teams for the match-play competition as well as the individual champion.

Any ties after 54 holes – either to determine the teams or individuals who’ll advance to the final round of stroke-play – will be broken by sudden-death playoff. Additionally, ties to determine the eight teams advancing to match play — as well as the individual champion — also will be broken by sudden-death playoff.

Following the conclusion of 72 holes of stroke play, the top eight teams will advance to single-elimination match play, with seeds determined by the team results. A total of five points will be available in each round, with the first team to three points winning. Once a team has won three individual matches, any remaining individual matches will be halted at that point, and the score recorded as it currently stood. Quarterfinals and semifinals are set for May 23, with the finals on May 24.

Regionals rewind: 72 teams take aim at qualifying for nationals

Regional action took place May 8-10 at six regional sites, featuring 72 teams and 36 individuals (396 competitors total). Twenty-seven conferences received automatic bids to regional championships, with each regional site hosting 12 teams and six individuals. The top five teams and the low individual not on an advancing team from each regional site moved on to the national championships, set for May 19-24 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Committee announced the teams and individuals for each of six regional tournaments on April 26, with Stanford, Wake Forest, LSU, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Texas A&M all earning No. 1 seeds. The SEC led the way with 13 conference programs securing spots in the regional fields (including four No. 1 seeds), followed by the Big Ten and Pac-12 with eight each, and the ACC and Big 12 with seven.

Each regional hosted 12 teams and six individuals competing in a 54-hole tournament, with the top five teams — along with the low individual not on an advancing team — from each site qualifying for nationals at Grayhawk. The six regional sites, including selected teams and individuals, were as follows (includes seeding; conference automatic qualifiers indicated in parentheses):

PULLMAN REGIONAL

Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Washington; hosted by Washington State

Teams:

1. Stanford
2. Baylor
3. Southern California (Pac-12 Conference)
4. Clemson (Atlantic Coast Conference)
5. Kentucky
6. Texas Tech
7. Houston
8. North Carolina
9. UNLV
10. Sacramento State (Big Sky Conference)
11. Cal Poly (Big West Conference)
12. Green Bay (Horizon League)

Individuals:

Camille Boyd, Washington
Tiffany Le, UC Riverside
Harriet Lynch, Fresno State
Darcy Habgood, Washington State
Stefanie Deng, Washington
Cassie Kim, Gonzaga

WESTFIELD REGIONAL

The Club at Chatham Hills Golf Course in Westfield, Indiana; hosted by Indiana and Indiana Sports Corp

Teams:

1. Mississippi State
2. Oregon
3. Vanderbilt
4. Iowa State
5. Virginia
6. Tulsa
7. Tennessee
8. Michigan
9. Oregon State
10. Xavier (Big East Conference)
11. Lipscomb (ASUN Conference)
12. Morehead State (Ohio Valley Conference)

Individuals:

Isabella McCauley, Minnesota
Carmen Griffiths, Louisville
Luisamariana Mesones, Minnesota
Sofia Torres, Colorado State
Lauren Beaudreau, Notre Dame
Sabrina Coffman, Cleveland State (Horizon League)

RALEIGH REGIONAL

Lonnie Poole Golf Course in Raleigh, North Carolina; hosted by NC State

Teams:

1. Wake Forest
2. Arizona State
3. Florida State
4. Florida
5. Arizona
6. North Texas (Conference USA)
7. TCU
8. NC State
9. Purdue
10. Nebraska
11. Campbell (Big South Conference)
12. Richmond (Patriot League)

Individuals:

Dorota Zalewska, Chattanooga
Kendall Turner, James Madison
Mallory Fobes, UNCW
Morgan Ketchum, Virginia Tech
Becca DiNunzio, Virginia Tech
Sarah Kahn, High Point (Big South Conference)

ATHENS REGIONAL

University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Georgia; hosted by Georgia

Teams:

1. South Carolina
2. San Jose State
3. Ole Miss
4. Ohio State
5. Georgia
6. Maryland
7. Kent State (Mid-American Conference)
8. Charleston (Colonial Athletic Association)
9. Kansas
10. Furman (Southern Conference)
11. Augusta (Southland Conference)
12. Sacred Heart (Northeast Conference)

Individuals:

Carla Bernat, Tulane
Mathilde Delavallade, Penn State
Mikhaela Fortuna, Oklahoma
Catie Craig, Western Kentucky (Conference USA)
Christy Chen, Boston U (Patriot League)
Isabella Gomez, Harvard (The Ivy League)

SAN ANTONIO REGIONAL

TPC San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas; hosted by UTSA and San Antonio Sports

Teams:

1. Texas A&M (Southeastern Conference)
2. Auburn
3. Pepperdine
4. Oklahoma State (Big 12 Conference)
5. SMU (American Athletic Conference)
6. UCLA
7. New Mexico (Mountain West Conference)
8. Denver (The Summit League)
9. Illinois (Big Ten Conference)
10. Sam Houston (Western Athletic Conference)
11. ULM (Sun Belt Conference)
12. Missouri State (Missouri Valley Conference)

Individuals:

Victoria Gailey, Nevada
Allysha Mae Mateo, BYU
Haley Vargas, Kansas State
Camryn Carreon, UTSA
Jasmine Leovao, Long Beach State (Big West Conference)
Alex Giles, Incarnate Word (Southland Conference)

PALM BEACH GARDENS REGIONAL

PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; hosted by Florida Atlantic and Palm Beach County Sports Commission

Teams:

1. LSU
2. Texas
3. Northwestern
4. UCF
5. Duke
6. Michigan State
7. California
8. Arkansas
9. Alabama
10. South Florida
11. Penn (The Ivy League)
12. Quinnipiac (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)

Individuals:

Christin Eisenbeiss, North Florida
Sara Byrne, Miami (FL)
Yanjun Liu, Princeton
Karissa Kilby, FIU
Leah Onosato, Old Dominion (Sun Belt Conference)
Katherine Lemke, Creighton (Big East Conference)

Last year at Grayhawk Golf Club

The No. 1-ranked Stanford Cardinal captured their second national title — and first since 2015 — with a 3-2 win over the No. 2 Oregon Ducks at Grayhawk Golf Club, marking the first time that a No. 1 seed won the title since the tournament switched to match play in 2015. The Cardinal also became the first team since Arizona State in 2017 to win both the team and individual championship in the same year.

In the championship matches, Stanford’s Brooke Seay and Aline Krauter each won to give the Cardinal a 2-0 edge, but Oregon’s Briana Chacon and Tze-Han Lin tied it up with wins over Sadie Englemann and Rachel Heck, respectively. Stanford’s hopes rested on Rose Zhang, who closed out Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen on the 17th hole, 3 and 1, and secured Stanford’s team title.

Earlier in the week, Zhang also secured the individual NCAA title, finishing four rounds of stroke play at 6-under 282. Despite a 3-over 75 in the final round, Zhang won by three shots over SJSU’s Natasha Adrea Oon, who finished solo second, followed by Texas A&M’s Jennie Park and LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad, who tied for third. Zhang became the second consecutive Cardinal to win the title following teammate Heck’s win in 2021. Heck and Zhang are the only two Stanford women to win the individual national championship, and each did so as freshmen.

More about Grayhawk Golf Club’s Raptor Course

This year marks the third straight year that the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club will host the women’s NCAA golf championships. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, less that 20 miles from the Arizona State campus, Grayhawk was designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 1995. The Raptor Course will play as a par 72 (36-36), stretching 6,384 yards, and is known for its generous fairways, large and undulated greens, and deep bunkers, which are especially noteworthy considering Fazio sculpted these features from what started as a flat piece of desert land.

Grayhawk GC also will host the men’s NCAA tournament May 26-31, but both tournaments move to the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s Champions Course in Carlsbad, California, for 2024. This year marks the eighth consecutive edition of the NCAA Division I Golf Championships that one course will host both the women’s and men’s championships in the same year in consecutive weeks.

The NBC Sports golf research team contributed to this report.

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