SMU women’s golf made a major postseason statement by reaching the ACC Championship match before falling to top-ranked Stanford in Wilmington.
DALLAS - SMU women’s golf continued its impressive rise by reaching the ACC Women’s Golf Championship final, though the Mustangs’ strong run ended Sunday with a 3-0 loss to No. 1 Stanford at Porters Neck Golf Course in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Even with the defeat, SMU’s performance added another major accomplishment to a season that continues to build momentum toward the NCAA postseason.
The Mustangs entered match play as the No. 2 seed after finishing second in 54 holes of stroke play, a big jump from their first ACC Championship appearance a year ago.
SMU then backed it up in the semifinals by beating North Carolina 3-1 behind victories from Grace Jin, Celine Chen and Kirra St-Laurent.
That set up a title match against a Stanford lineup loaded with elite talent, and the Cardinal showed exactly why they’re the top-ranked team in the country.
Grace Jin dropped the opening point against Meja Örtengren, who closed out a 4&3 win. Stanford added another point when Mackenzie Lee fell 3&2 to Megha Ganne, putting the Mustangs in a difficult spot.
The deciding point came from Stanford’s Paula Martín Sampedro, the ACC individual champion, who defeated Emily Odwin 4&3 to secure the team title.
SMU still had chances elsewhere, with Celine Chen locked in a tight battle against Andrea Revuelta and Kirra St-Laurent still competing with Kelly Xu, but those matches ended unfinished once the result was decided.
Head coach Lauren Mason said the final didn’t go the way SMU wanted, but she emphasized how much growth the program showed during the week.
That perspective makes sense. The Mustangs didn’t just survive the ACC field, they played their way into the championship match against one of the best teams in college golf.
Now SMU turns its attention to the NCAA Regional selection show on April 29. With a runner-up finish in one of the toughest conferences in the country, the Mustangs look more than capable of making even more noise in May.
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