McCrery helps Duke earn a share of the team title with host Northwestern in Windy City Collegiate

 

   The arrival of Avery McCrery, a native of Wilmington, Del., as a member of the Duke women’s golf team in August was a little overshadowed by the presence of her fellow freshman, Rianne Malixi of the Philippines.

   It was Malixi who had completed the rare double of capturing titles in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in one summer in 2024.

  Not that McCrery was a slouch. After all, she had captured the title in another major junior championship, the Girls Junior PGA Championship, in the summer of 2024 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

   McCrery had been a scholastic standout at the Tower Hill School, but finished out her schooling in the ICL Academy, the on-line arm of the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), which allowed her to pursue her academic and golf ambitions simultaneously.

   With Malixi, who is No. 12 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), out of the lineup while representing the Philippines in the World Amateur Team Championship in Singapore this week, McCrery made a major contribution for the Blue Devils, finishing in the group tied for 18^th place with an even-par 216 total, as the Dookies got a piece of the team title with tournament host and reigning national champion Northwestern in the Windy City Collegiate Challenge, which wrapped up Tuesday at the Glen View Club in Golf, Ill.

   It was a rare NCAA Championship at the La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. last spring with Duke not among the qualifiers. The Blue Devils, winners of seven NCAA Division I women’s golf crowns, finished in 11^th place as a five seed in the Norman Regional.

   But head coach Dan Brooks knew better times were ahead with Malixi and McCrery headed for Durham to join the Duke program.

   And McCrery has had an immediate impact. She was in the lineup when Duke opened the wraparound 2025-2026 season by finishing in ninth place in an elite 12-team field in the Annika Invitational Sept. 8^th to 10^th at the Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo, Minn.

   McCrery closed out the Annika Invitational with an even-par 72 as she finished among the group tied for 36^th place with an 8-over 224 total.

   This week at the Windy City Collegiate, McCrery finished up with a 1-under 71 over the 6,368-yard, par-72 Glen View layout in Tuesday’s final round to help the Blue Devils erase a seven-shot deficit and earn a share of the team title with Northwestern.

   Duke, an Atlantic Coast Conference power, had opened with a solid 5-under 283 and added a 1-under 287 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round. The Blue Devils then closed with a 7-under 281 to catch Big Ten power Northwestern, each landing on 13-under 851.

   Northwestern had gotten the jump on the field with an opening round of 10-under 278 and added a 2-under 285 in Monday afternoon’s second round. But an even-par 288 in Tuesday’s final round wasn’t quite enough to hold off the charge by Duke as the Wildcats were forced to settle for a share of the team crown in their home event.

   SMU, another ACC entry, finished another seven shots behind Duke and Northwestern in third place with a 6-under 858 total. The Mustangs got off to a solid start, opening with a 6-under 282 and adding a 5-under 283 in Monday afternoon’s second round before stumbling a little in the final round with a 5-over 293.

   SMU failed to advance to the NCAA Championship last spring as six seed in the Columbus Regional.

   A pair of Big Ten representatives, UCLA and Michigan State, and Iowa State, out of the Big 12, finished in a tie for fourth place in the 11-team field, each ending up a shot behind SMU with a 5-under 859 total.

   The Bruins matched par in the opening round with a 288 and added a 3-under 285 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 2-under 286. UCLA reached last spring’s NCAA Championship at La Costa by finishing in fifth place as a five seed in the Charlottesville Regional.

   UCLA was led by the individual champion as Jenny Lee, a sophomore from South Korea playing in just her second tournament as a Bruin after transferring from Baylor, sandwiched a 4-under 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 2-under 70s to finish with an 8-under 208 total.

   The Spartans also matched par in the opening round with a 288 and added a solid 7-under 281 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 2-over 290. Michigan State advanced to the NCAA Championship by finishing in third place as a four seed in the Norman Regional last spring.

   Michigan State was led by Ana Sofia Marcia, a junior from Colombia who finished in third place in the individual standings with a 6-under 210 total that left her a shot behind Iowa State’s Pammy Chookaew, a senior from Thailand.

   Murcia was only a shot behind UCLA’s Jenny Lee, the eventual winner, after opening with a sparkling 4-under 68 and adding a 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round. Murcia finished up with a second straight 1-under 71.

   After opening with a 5-over 293, the Cyclones added a 7-under 281 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 3-under 285. Iowa State also earned a trio to La Costa for the NCAA Championship by finishing in third place as a five seed in the Lubbock Regional last spring.

   Chookaew led the way for Iowa State as she, like Murcia, trailed UCLA’s Jenny Lee by just a shot after adding a 3-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 70. Chookaew added another 3-under 69 in the final round to finish a shot behind Jenny Lee in second place with a 7-under 209 total.

   Duke had three players finish among the top six, led by Anna Canado Espinal, a sophomore from Spain who shared fourth place in the individual standings with Virginia’s Kennedy Swedick, a sophomore from Albany, N.Y., with a 5-under 211 total.

   Canado Espinal opened with a 4-under 68 and added a 1-over 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a solid 2-under 70.

   Backing up Canado Espinal for Duke were Katie Li, the talented junior from Basking Ridge, N.J. and Andie Smith, a graduate student from Hobe Sound, Fla. and No. 52 in the Women’s WAGR, both of whom landed among a group of five players tied for sixth place at 5-under 212.

   Li sandwiched a 2-under 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 1-under 71s.

   After opening with a 1-over 73, Smith, who reached the round of 16 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at the Bandon Dunes Resort on the rugged Oregon coastline in August, tallied a 2-under 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round before contributing a 3-under 69 to the Blue Devils’ final-round surge.

   McCrery had opened with a 1-under 71 and added a 2-over 74 in Monday afternoon’s second round before adding her second 71 in the final round to join the group tied for 18^th place at even-par.

   Rounding out the Duke lineup was Carla De Troia, a sophomore from France who finished among a trio of players tied for 59^th place with a 232 total. After opening with a 5-over 77, De Troia added an 80 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 75.

   Northwestern was led by Dianna Lee, a senior from San Diego, Calif. and No. 97 in the Women’s WAGR, and Arianna Lau, a freshman from China and No. 36 in the Women’s WAGR, both of whom were in the group along with Duke’s Li and Smith tied for sixth place at 4-under.

   Dianna Lee was the hero of Northwestern’s stunning run to the national championship last spring, earning the winning point in both the Wildcats’ semifinal victory over Oregon and in the Final Match against Stanford.

    Dianna Lee contributed a solid 3-under 69 to Northwestern’s strong start and added a 1-under 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Lau, who reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes in August, matched Dianna Lee’s splits, opening with a 3-under 69, adding a 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round and matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Northwestern got a strong showing from sophomore Megan Meng, who starred scholastically at Hopewell Valley Central High in South Jersey. Meng first got on my radar when, playing out of Jericho National Golf Club in Bucks County, she captured the Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship in the pandemic summer of 2020.

    Meng will be counted on to fill the void created by the departing seniors from Northwestern’s national championship team and it looked like she was ready to fulfill that role in the Windy City Collegiate as she finished among the group tied for 11^th place with a 3-under 213 total.

   Meng was the low Wildcat with her opening round of 4-under 68 and added a 1-over 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Hsin Tai Lin, a sophomore from Taiwan, finished among the group tied for 28^th place for Northwestern as she opened with a solid 2-under 70 and added a 4-over 76 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 1-over 73.

   Rounding out the Northwestern lineup was Ashley Yun, a junior from West Covina, Calif. and No. 71 in the Women’s WAGR, as she finished in the group tied for 35^th place with a 5-over 221 total. Yun sandwiched a 1-under 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 3-over 75s.

   Dianna Lee, Tai Lin and Yun were in the lineup for Northwestern’s epic 3-2 upset of Stanford in the NCAA Championship’s Final Match at La Costa last spring.

   Northwestern also had a couple of players competing as individuals in its home tournament.

   Jiayi Wang finished among the group tied for 40^th place with a 6-over 222 total as she opened with a 2-over 73 and added a 75 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 74.

   Lauren E. Lee, a freshman from Irvine, Calif., finished in a tie for 62^nd place with a 233 total as she opened with a 5-over 77 and added an 80 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 76.

   Swedick had a strong showing for Virginia by getting a share of fourth place with Duke’s Canado Espinal at 5-under. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Swedick added a sparkling 4-under 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 71.

   Rounding out the quintet tied for sixth place at 4-under was Stanford’s Kelly Xu, a senior from Claremont, Calif. and No. 30 in the Women’s WAGR who was competing as an individual.

   Xu had a share of the individual lead with UCLA’s Jenny Lee going into the final round after adding a 4-under 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 70. But she closed with a 2-over 74 to fall back into the five-way tie for sixth place.

   Normally, Stanford would be competing in the team chase in the Windy City Collegiate, but no less than four members of the Cardinal are representing their respective countries in the World Amateur Team Championship in Singapore.

   That group includes junior Paula Martin Sampedro, No. 2 in the Women’s WAGR, and sophomore Andrea Revuelta, No. 3 in the Women’s WAGR, both of whom are playing for Spain, senior Megha Ganne, No. 5 in the Women’s WAGR and winner of the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes playing for the United States, and sophomore Meja Ortengren, No. 6 in the Women’s WAGR playing for Sweden.

   Ganne and the United States are in second place behind South Korea going into Saturday’s final round and Martin Sampedro and Revuelta and Spain are tied for fourth place.

   But you read that right. Stanford’s lineup has Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 6 in the Women’s WAGR. If none of them turn pro between now and next spring, Stanford figures to be right in the mix for the national championship, just like always.