NIL
Kansas State University
CARLSBAD, Calif. – Sophomore Alenka Navarro and freshman Nanami Nakashima each tallied under-par rounds to lead the Kansas State women’s golf team during the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Championship on Friday at the par-72, 6,330-yard Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. The Wildcats recorded a first-round total of 1-over par 289 as […]
CARLSBAD, Calif. – Sophomore Alenka Navarro and freshman Nanami Nakashima each tallied under-par rounds to lead the Kansas State women’s golf team during the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Championship on Friday at the par-72, 6,330-yard Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.
The Wildcats recorded a first-round total of 1-over par 289 as they are in seventh place in the 30-team field. K-State is one shot back of a tie for third place, while the Cats are two shots ahead of an eighth-place tie between Tennessee and Northwestern.
Navarro finished her first round at 2-under par 70 and is tied for 10th place, while Nakashima was one shot back and is tied for 17th.
“There were a couple of nervy moments starting out today, but we just hung in there,” head coach Stew Burke said. “We didn’t let it get away from us thanks to a couple of nice birdies toward the end. We are in a fairly good position. I am really proud of the effort today. Now, it’s all about getting some good rest. We were up at 4:45 a.m., having breakfast. We will be able to sleep in a little bit in the morning, make sure we have a good warm up and go again tomorrow.”
The Wildcats tied for third in the first round by carding 15 total birdies on a course that is averaging 4.69 strokes over par per player.
Navarro parred each of the first nine holes before her first birdie of the day on the par-4 11th. After a bogey on No. 15 to bring her score back to even, the Mexico City product birdied two of her final three holes – including a five-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the day – for her eighth under-par round of the season.
The sophomore finished the first round by tying for 11th in the 156-player field with 14 pars, while she is tied for first with only one bogey on the day.
Nakashima entered the NCAA Championship with momentum after a final-round total of 67 in the NCAA Lexington Regional. She used that momentum in the opening round as she birdied two of her first four holes. After running into trouble with consecutive bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8, the Kani, Japan, native was able to rebound with a birdie at No. 9 to close out the front at 1-under par. A bogey at No. 13 lowered her to even par before a birdie on No. 16 and pars on the final two holes put her in the clubhouse with her 11th under-par round of the year.
Senior Carla Bernat is tied for 27th place after a first-round score of even par. She bogeyed No. 4 but responded with birdies on three of her next four holes to make the turn at 2-under par. She got to 3-under par with a birdie on No. 10, but two bogeys and a double bogey – along with a birdie on No. 17 – made her 2-over par on the back. She finished the first round tied for seventh with five birdies.
Senior Sophie Bert went 4-over par 76 as she enters the second round in a tie for 98th place, while junior Noa van Beek is tied for 144th place at 8-over par 80.
Vanderbilt holds the 18-hole lead at 6-under par 282, two shots ahead of Oklahoma State. Bailey Davis of Tennessee is atop the individual leaderboard at 5-under par 67.
Kansas State starts its second round of the 2025 NCAA Championship with tee times beginning at 12:12 p.m. (PT) off the 10th tee, and the Wildcats will once again be paired with Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt. Live results can be followed on SCOREBOARD powered by Clippd.
The Wildcats recorded a first-round total of 1-over par 289 as they are in seventh place in the 30-team field. K-State is one shot back of a tie for third place, while the Cats are two shots ahead of an eighth-place tie between Tennessee and Northwestern.
Navarro finished her first round at 2-under par 70 and is tied for 10th place, while Nakashima was one shot back and is tied for 17th.
“There were a couple of nervy moments starting out today, but we just hung in there,” head coach Stew Burke said. “We didn’t let it get away from us thanks to a couple of nice birdies toward the end. We are in a fairly good position. I am really proud of the effort today. Now, it’s all about getting some good rest. We were up at 4:45 a.m., having breakfast. We will be able to sleep in a little bit in the morning, make sure we have a good warm up and go again tomorrow.”
The Wildcats tied for third in the first round by carding 15 total birdies on a course that is averaging 4.69 strokes over par per player.
Navarro parred each of the first nine holes before her first birdie of the day on the par-4 11th. After a bogey on No. 15 to bring her score back to even, the Mexico City product birdied two of her final three holes – including a five-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the day – for her eighth under-par round of the season.
The sophomore finished the first round by tying for 11th in the 156-player field with 14 pars, while she is tied for first with only one bogey on the day.
Nakashima entered the NCAA Championship with momentum after a final-round total of 67 in the NCAA Lexington Regional. She used that momentum in the opening round as she birdied two of her first four holes. After running into trouble with consecutive bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8, the Kani, Japan, native was able to rebound with a birdie at No. 9 to close out the front at 1-under par. A bogey at No. 13 lowered her to even par before a birdie on No. 16 and pars on the final two holes put her in the clubhouse with her 11th under-par round of the year.
Senior Carla Bernat is tied for 27th place after a first-round score of even par. She bogeyed No. 4 but responded with birdies on three of her next four holes to make the turn at 2-under par. She got to 3-under par with a birdie on No. 10, but two bogeys and a double bogey – along with a birdie on No. 17 – made her 2-over par on the back. She finished the first round tied for seventh with five birdies.
Senior Sophie Bert went 4-over par 76 as she enters the second round in a tie for 98th place, while junior Noa van Beek is tied for 144th place at 8-over par 80.
Vanderbilt holds the 18-hole lead at 6-under par 282, two shots ahead of Oklahoma State. Bailey Davis of Tennessee is atop the individual leaderboard at 5-under par 67.
Kansas State starts its second round of the 2025 NCAA Championship with tee times beginning at 12:12 p.m. (PT) off the 10th tee, and the Wildcats will once again be paired with Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt. Live results can be followed on SCOREBOARD powered by Clippd.