Northwestern Outshines Stanford to Claim Unprecedented NCAA Championship Title
Northwestern pulled off a jaw-dropping upset at the 2025 NCAA Division 1 final, nestled in the sunny climes of Omni La Costa Resort, California. The underdog team, the Wildcats, took down the mighty Stanford Cardinal, the no.1-seeded powerhouse, and claim their maiden women's national golf championship.
The Final Showdown
Northwestern's Dianna Lee, the 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, demonstrated an iron will, withholding a formidable challenge from Andrea Revuelta on the 18th hole with a clutch 4ft par putt. Down 3up after 12, Lee's advantage narrowed, but she held her ground against the Spaniard, a 4th rank in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, to secure the historic victory.
The Tactical Victory
Northwestern edged out Stanford 3-2, with impressive wins from Lauryn Nguyen, Hsin Tai Lin, and Lee. Stanford's Megha Ganne and Kelly Xu earned the Cardinal's two points. The Cardinal had, after all, won the NCAA title in 2022 and 2024 and held the no.1 seed after a dominating 21-stroke win in the stroke-play portion.
Northwestern entered the week ranked 11th in the country, but they were relentless in their march to the final, eliminating No.6 Arkansas and No.2 Oregon.
Coach Emily Fletcher celebrated the victory, emphasizing, "More than doing what people didn't think you could is this group believing what it thought it could do."
Ready for the Next Challenge
With the women's title secured, attention shifts to the men's NCAA finals, kicking off on Friday.
Women's NCAA National Championship Match scores:
- Megha Ganne (Stanford) defeated Ashley Yun (NU), 5&4
- Lauryn Nguyen (NU) defeated Paula Martin Sampedro (Stanford), 1UP
- Hsin Tai Lin (NU) defeated Meja Örtengren (Stanford), 3&2
- Kelly Xu (Stanford) defeated Elise Lee (NU), 1UP
- Dianna Lee (NU) defeated Andrea Revuelta (Stanford), 1UP
Northwestern 3-2 Stanford
Catch the Action Live!
Recent Developments
In an exciting turn of events earlier in the week, Arkansas' Jose Maria Marin won the individual honors at the tournament. Marin, a Colombia native with a 11th rank in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, bested Florida State University's Mirabel Ting by two strokes.
Golf enthusiasts, mark your calendars! Following their historic win in the women's NCAA National Championship, Northwestern is set to face formidable opponents in the men's finals, starting on Friday. And with their success in sports, particularly golf, the Wildcats are certainly not a team to underestimate.
