BRYAN, Texas – Entering the day trailing the qualification line by two strokes, Vanderbilt women’s golf carded an 8-under-par 280 to finish fourth at the NCAA Bryan Regional and secure the Commodores’ place in the NCAA Championships.
The Dores’ 280 marked the lowest round of the regional, helping Vandy charge past Ohio State and Texas A&M to earn a third-consecutive berth to the NCAA Championships.
“What a day for Vanderbilt women’s golf,” said head coach Greg Allen. “Words can’t express how proud I am of these girls. They absolutely came out ready to play today, got locked in early and stayed that way until the end – very impressive.”
Graduate student Celina Sattelkau tied for the low round of the day as an individual, producing a 4-under 68. The veteran birdied three of her first four holes on the day to lead Vandy’s climb up the leaderboard. Her strong final round earned Sattelkau a top-10 finish with a 1-under 215 for the regional.
Senior Virginie Ding carded a 2-under 70 in her final round. Ding finished all three rounds under par to tie for third with a 7-under 209 on the week. The Commodores’ leader finished the regional with 12 birdies and an eagle across the three rounds.
“Our seniors were huge and played like they didn’t want their season ending today,” said Allen. Celina looked like “Celina again and Ding continues to play really good golf.”
Freshman Ava Merrill bounced back following bogeys on each of the day’s first two holes to finish at 3-under 69 in the final round. Merrill’s big day included an electric closing stretch, as she sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 seventh and followed by chipping in for birdie at the eighth. Merrill finished the tournament in 34th individually.
“I’m so proud of Ava and how she came back from the first round,” Allen said. “She played with a lot of heart and determination.”
Sophomore Tillie Claggett rounded out the day three scoring with a 1-over 73. After back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th, Claggett birdied the 18th and then played even-par on Tradition Club’s challenging front nine to help the Dores advance. Fellow sophomore Lynn Lim finished the day at 3-over 75. Lim tied for 28th at the regional with a 6-over 222.
Vanderbilt began the day two strokes behind Ohio State in the fifth and final qualifying spot and 12 strokes behind the fourth-place Aggies. The Dores ended the round five shots ahead of Texas A&M and 10 clear of the Buckeyes. The Commodores’ 280 final round is tied for the fifth-lowest regional round in program history.
Vandy will be one of 30 teams to compete in the NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California, beginning May 17. The Dores are making their third-straight NCAA Championships appearance and the 13th in program history.
LSU claimed the regional title at 8-under on the week. SMU, Clemson and Texas A&M joined the Dores in the top five to advance to the NCAA Championships.
