SIMPSONVILLE, Ky. — The No. 18 Iowa State Women’s Golf team has once again etched their name into the media guides by securing a spot in the NCAA National Championships for the second year in a row and the third time in the team’s history.
Entering the NCAA Louisville Regional as the third seed, the team delivered a strong performance to finish in a tie for fourth place, which successfully punched their ticket to the upcoming national tournament scheduled for May 22-27 at the Omni La Costa Resort
and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
This achievement follows a landmark season last year where the Cyclonitas achieved a tie for 22nd place at the championships, marking the highest finish the program has ever seen. The team’s consistency on the regional stage is further highlighted by their final score of 855 over 54 holes, which stands as the lowest 54-hole NCAA score in school history, narrowly eclipsing the previous record of 860 set in 2023. This fourth-place regional finish is now recorded as the second-best in program history, trailing only the third-place result they achieved at the NCAA Lubbock Regional a year prior.
Individual excellence was a cornerstone of the team’s success in Louisville, led by sophomore Nichakorn Pinprayoon, who secured a tie for 13th place overall. Pinprayoon’s three-round total of 214 represents the fourth-best NCAA score in the school’s history, and her performance is tied for the 10th-highest finish ever by a Cyclone in a regional event.
The team’s veteran leadership was also on full display as seniors Pammy Chookaew and Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn both concluded their final rounds with scores of 72, finishing in a tie for 20th place with matching totals of 215. For both seniors, this 215 set a personal best across their four career trips to NCAA Regionals and currently stands as the sixth-best NCAA score in program history. Chul-Ak-Sorn particularly excelled on long holes, leading the entire field with a remarkable scoring average of 4.33 strokes on par 5s. Rounding out the lineup, Isabella Yan and Alexandra Vidal both carded a three-round total of 217 to tie for 30th place, a score that ranks as the ninth-best in school history for an NCAA event.
Collectively, the Cyclonitas demonstrated incredible precision and consistency throughout the tournament, recording the third-most birdies in the field with 49 and the second-most pars with 177. Their collective effort allowed them to finish alongside Ole Miss in fourth, narrowly trailing No. 7 Auburn, who won the regional with an 847, as well as Houston and Arkansas.
NCAA Louisville Regional
May 11-13
University of Louisville Golf Club
Simpsonville, Kentucky
Team Scores (Total-Round 1-Round 2-Round 3) (-/+):
1. No. 7 Auburn 847 (286-273-288) (-17); 2. No. 30 Houston 853 (282-275-296) (-11); 3. No. 6 Arkansas 854 (284-281-289) (-10); T-4. No. 18 Iowa State 855 (287-276-292) (-9); T-4. No. 19 Wisconsin 855 (282-287-286) (-9); 6. No. 37 Virginia Tech 860 (286-282-292) (-4); 7. No. 40 Kansas State 864 (289-286-289) (E); 8. No. 45 Indiana 867 (292-287-288) (+3); 9. Xavier 874 (284-288-302) (+10); 10. Charleston 876 (289-288-299) (+12); 11. Western Kentucky 904 (292-306-306) (+40); 12. Murray State 920 (313-298-309) (+56).
Iowa State Results:
Finishing place – Round 1-Round 2-Round 3 – (-/+)
T-13 – Nichakorn Pinprayoon – 71-70-73 (-2)
T-20 – Pammy Chookaew – 76-67-72 (-1)
T-20 – Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn – 72-71-72 (-1)
T-30 – Alexandra Vidal Rivera – 72-69-76 (+1)
T-30 – Isabella Yan – 72-70-75 (+1)
