LaHa claims individual title, leads Virginia to team crown in Terps Invitational with conference championships on the horizon

 

   The road to the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa is about to enter the home stretch with conference championships teeing off later this month.

   Virginia, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, took that road all the way to the match-play bracket at La Costa a year ago before the Cavaliers finally fell to powerful Stanford in the quarterfinals.

   It says here, if you’re one of those last eight teams standing for match play at the NCAA Championship, you were a great team and you had a great season.

   Virginia’s final tuneup before the ACC Championship gets under way April 16 at Porter’s Neck Country Club in Wilmington, N.C. came in the Terps Invitational, which wrapped up Monday at the University of Maryland Golf Course in College Park, Md.

   Virginia, behind individual champion Jaclyn LaHa, a junior from Pleasanton, Calif., overtook Kentucky, out of the Southeastern Conference, to capture the team crown, its first of the wraparound 2025-2026 season with a 4-under-par 860 total.

   LaHa was in the lineup for Virginia in that quarterfinal match with Stanford nearly a year ago and delivered the lone full point the Cavaliers earned.

   An Easter Sunday double round was played in changeable conditions. Pretty sure it was still fairly warm in the morning with rain bringing in a change in the weather – and a brief interruption of play -- during the first round. By the end of the day, the temperatures were falling and some wind was bringing in a return to more March-like conditions.

   LaHa struggled a little in the morning with a 2-over 74 over the 6,244-yard, par-72 University of Maryland layout, but unfurled the best individual round of the tournament, a 5-under 67, to take a three-shot lead into Monday’s final round.

   A final round of 1-under 70 in chilly, windy conditions gave LaHa a 5-under 211 and a four-shot victory, her first collegiate win.

   Virginia, No. 37 in the latest Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, opened with a 3-over 291 and, fueled by LaHa’s sparkling effort, added a 6-under 282 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 1-under 287 in Monday’s final round.

   Virginia ended up with four top-10 finishers in the Terps Invitational.

   Kennedy Swedick, a sophomore from Albany, N.Y., finished among a trio of players tied for third place with a 1-over 217 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Swedick added a 2-over 74 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before contributing a critical 1-under 71 to the Cavaliers’ closing push.

   Elsie MacCleery, a freshman from Crozet, Va., and Mira Berglund, a junior from Sweden, finished among a group of five players who landed in a tie for sixth place at 2-over 218.

   MacCleery added a solid 1-under 71 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round to her opening round of 2-over 74 before closing with a 1-over 73. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Berglund added back-to-back 1-over 73s in the final two rounds.

   Kentucky, the highest-ranked team in the Terps Invitational field at No. 33 in the Scoreboard rankings, was right on Virginia’s heels the whole way.

   After matching Virginia’s opening round of 3-over 291, the Wildcats matched par in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round with a 288 that left them six shots behind the Cavaliers going into the final round.

   Kentucky actually had the lead at one point in Monday’s final round and its 5-under 283 was the best round of the day. But the Wildcats’ 2-under 862 total left them two shots behind Virginia in second place.

   Virginia and Kentucky were the only two teams to finish in red figures in the team competition.

   Kentucky was led by Karlie Campbell, a sophomore from Ethridge, Tenn. who was the only other player to finish under par as she earned runnerup honors with a 1-under 215 total that left her four shots behind LaHa.

   After struggling to a 4-over 76 in the opening round, Campbell carded a sparkling 3-under 69 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 2-under 70.

    The Wildcats had two other top-10 finishers in the individual standings.

   C.A. Carter, a sophomore home girl from Lexington, Ky., closed with a 3-under 69 to join Virginia’s Swedick and High Point’s Makayla Grubb, a freshman from Stafford, Va., in the tie for third place at 1-over. Carter had opened with a 1-over 73 before adding a 3-over 75 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round.

   Kentucky’s Raleygh Simpson, a sophomore from Kerrville, Texas, landed in the group tied for sixth place at 2-over as she matched par in the final round with a 72 after posting a pair of 1-over 73s in Sunday’s double round.

   The Wildcats would appear to be in pretty good shape to earn an at-large bid to an NCAA regional after failing to hear their name called a year ago when Kentucky hosted the Lexington Regional on its home course.

   The SEC Championship, the most competitive conference championship in the country, tees off April 17 at the Pelican Golf Club Belleair, Fla.

   It was 23 shots back from Kentucky to host Maryland, No. 72 in the Scoreboard rankings, in third place in the team standings with a 21-over 885 total.

   After opening with a 10-over 298, the Terrapins, a Big Ten representative, added a 5-over 293 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 294.

   Maryland was led by Anna Pillard, a sophomore from France who landed among the quintet of players tied for sixth place at 2-over. Pillard sandwiched an even-par 72 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round with a pair of 1-over 73s.

   High Point, a Big South Conference entry, finished two shots behind Maryland in fourth place with a 23-over 887 total. The Panthers, No. 62 in the Scoreboard rankings, bounced back from an opening-round 304 with a 5-over 293 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round and a 2-over 290 in the final round.

   High Point was led by Grubb, who closed with a solid 2-under 70 to join Virginia’s Swedick and Kentucky’s Carter in the tie for third place at 1-over. Grubb had opened with a 3-over 75 before matching par in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round with a 72.

   The Panthers will tee off in the Big South Championship April 19 at the Fripp Island Golf Resort on Fripp Island, S.C.

   A couple more Big Ten entries, Wisconsin and Michigan, accounted for the next two spots in the team standings as the Badgers, No. 91 in the Scoreboard rankings, finished in fifth place with a 24-over 888 total, and the Wolverines, No. 57 in the Scoreboard rankings, ended up sixth with a 28-over 892 total.

   Wisconsin bounced back from an opening-round 302 with a 4-over 292 in Sunday afternoon’s second round and a 294 in the final round.

   After opening with a 300, Michigan put together a solid 2-over 290 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 302.

   Delaware, No. 110 in the Scoreboard rankings, capped a pretty solid wraparound 2025-’26 season by finishing three shots behind Michigan in seventh place with a 31-over 895 total.

   The Blue Hens added an 11-over 299 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round to their opening-round 303 before closing with a solid 5-over 293.

   Delaware will tee it up in the Conference USA Championship for the first time beginning April 20 at Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco, Texas.

   Penn State, No. 73 in the Scoreboard rankings, was another six shots behind Delaware in eighth place with a 37-over 901 total as the Nittany Lions opened with an 11-over 299 and added a 304 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 298.

   The Nittany Lions, playing out of the Big Ten, were led by sophomore Hannah Rabb, the Pennsylvania high school champion in Class AA in 2022 as a junior at Warrior Run and the reigning Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur champion, as she rounded out the fivesome tied for sixth place at 2-over.

   Rabb, who has been solid for Penn State after transferring from James Madison, sandwiched a 4-over 76 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round with a pair of 1-under 71s.

   It was the final tuneup for the Big Ten contingent in the field for the Terps Invitational -- host Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan and Penn State -- before the conference championship, which, in a nod to the conference’s new West Wing, heads west and will tee off April 24 at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale, Calif.

   Richmond, which claimed the Atlantic 10 team title in its first year in the conference a year ago, finished five shots behind Penn State in ninth place in the 16-team field with a 32-over 906 total.

   After opening with an 11-over 299, the Spiders, No. 143 in the Scoreboard rankings, added a 302 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 305.

   Richmond will open defense of its A-10 title back at the Evermore Resort in Orlando, Fla. where it captured the crown and the Charlottesville Regional bid that went with it last spring, when the conference championship tees off April 20.

   Rounding out the lineup for Virginia was Remi Bacardi, a freshman from Miami, Fla. who finished in the group tied fore 14^th place with a 5-over 221 total. Bacardi added a 1-under 71 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round to her opening round of 1-over 73 – both counters for the Cavaliers – before closing with a 77.

   Miranda Lu, a freshman from Canada, competed as an individual for Virginia and finished among the group tied for 28^th with a 9-over 225 total. Lu added a 2-over 74 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round to her opening-round 76 before finishing up with a 75.

   Leading the way for Delaware was sophomore Kate Roberts, the District One Class AAA champion in 2023 as a senior at Phoenixville who finished among the trio tied for 25^th place with an 8-over 224 total.

   Roberts, who earned a runnerup finish while competing as an individual for Delaware in last month’s Nashville Invitational at the Presidents’ Reserve Golf Club in Hermitage, Tenn., sandwiched a 4-over 76 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round with a pair of 2-over 74s.

   It was another solid showing for junior Marissa Marosh, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at South Fayette who finished in the group tied for 28^th place with a 9-over 225 total. Marosh added a 3-over 75 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round to her opening-round 78 before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Junior Mary Grace Dunigan, who helped Unionville claim a state team crown in Class AAA as a sophomore in 2020, finished in the group tied for 34^th place for the Blue Hens with a 226 total. Dunigan struggled in Sunday’s double round, adding an 80 to her opening round of 4-over 76, but finished strong, closing with a 2-under 70.

   Anushka Sawant, a sophomore from South Brunswick, N.J., finished in the group tied for 43^rd place with a 228 total as she opened with a 3-over 75, added a 76 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round and closed with a 77.

   Rounding out the Delaware lineup was Hyunji Kim, a sophomore from England who finished in a tie for 67^th place with a 233 total. Kim bounced back from an opening-round 81 by matching par in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round with a 72 before struggling again in the final round with an 80.

   Backing up Rabb for Penn State was Audrey Lam, a freshman from Belgium who finished among the group tied for 28^th place with a 9-over 225 total. Lam, who has been solid all season for the Nittany Lions, recorded a pair of 1-over 73s in Monday’s double round before closing with a 79.

   Mara King, a freshman from Lake Mary, Fla., finished in the group tied for 43^rd place at 228 as she added a 6-over 78 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round to her opening-round 76 before closing with her best round of the tournament, a 2-over 74.

   Jiratchaya Jiratthitinun, a sophomore from Thailand, finished among the group tied for 63^rd place with a 232 total. Jiratthitinun added a 5-over 77 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round to her opening-round 80 before finishing up with her best round of the tournament, a 3-over 75.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup was Lillian Guleserian, a freshman from Westwood, Mass. who finished in a tie for 84^th place with a 239 total. After opening with a 7-over 79, Guleserian struggled to an 82 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 78.

   Penn State head coach Kristen Simpson brought along Lauren Thompstone, a sophomore from France, to compete as an individual and Thompstone just might have earned herself a spot in the starting lineup for the Big Ten Championship as she finished alone in 13^th place with a 4-over 220 total.

   After opening with a 4-over 76, Thompstone added a 1-over 73 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before finishing strong with a 1-under 71 in Monday’s final round.

   Lam had led the way by finishing in a tie for 11^th place in the individual standings as Penn State finished in seventh place with a 28-over 892 total in the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, which wrapped up March 30^th at the University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga.

   Lam closed with a solid 1-under 71 to end up with a 3-over 219 total.

   When Richmond tees it up in the A-10 Championship at the Evermore Resort, senior Hannah Lydic, who starred scholastically at Sussex Academy, will be defending the individual title she won a year ago that sparked the furious rally that gave the Spiders the conference championship.

   Lydic tuned up for her title defense by finishing among the group tied for 43^rd place with a 228 total in the Terps Invitational. Lydic opened with a solid 1-over 73, but struggled a little after that, adding a 78 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 77.