Women’s Golf: UVA advances to NCAA match play for first time in nearly a decade

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The No. 10 Virginia women’s golf team secured the final match play spot at the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships with a 72-hole score of 15-over 1167, advancing for the first time since 2016. Megan Propeck led the Cavaliers with a fifth-place finish to mark the second-best individual performance at the NCAA Championships in program history on Monday at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calif.

The Cavaliers will face top-ranked Stanford in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round of match play, starting at 9:50 a.m. eastern time. For live scoring, click here. The Cardinal won the tournament at 27-under 1125. The winner of that match will advance to the semifinals which will be contested on Tuesday afternoon. The match play final is scheduled for Wednesday.

Propeck matched her best round of the tournament posting a bogey-free round of 3-under 69 which ranks as the fourth lowest round by a Cavalier at the NCAA Championships. She finished the tournament tied for fifth at 6-under 282. The only Cavalier to record a better finish at the NCAA Championships is Leah Wagner who finished as the runner-up in 2005.

Amanda Sambach turned up in the clutch for the Cavaliers sinking a crucial birdie on the eighth hole. That birdie would prove to be the difference in her team advancing to match play as Virginia edged Arizona State by a single stroke.

Sambach carded 1-over 73 and finished 30th overall at 3-over 291. Freshman Kennedy Swedick saved her best for last posting even-par 72. She finished in a tie for 54th place at 10-over 298 along with teammate Jaclyn LaHa who carded 5-over 77 on the day.

Virginia’s 72-hole total (15-over 1167) marked its second best four-round total at the NCAA Championships. The only time UVA has recorded a better score at the NCAA Championships was in 2016 — the lone season in which Virginia has advanced to match play since its introduction in 2015. The Cavaliers fell to Washington in the quarterfinals that season.

Virginia is making its 15th NCAA Championships appearance in the 22-year history of the program. UVA’s best finishes at the NCAAs were back-to-back fourth-place showings in 2011 and 2012.

NCAA Championships
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
Carlsbad, Calif.
Par 72, 6,164 yards
Third Round Results

TEAM RESULTS

VIRGINIA RESULTS