By Cameron Jourdan – Golfweek
Summer is in the rearview mirror, and college golf’s 2025-26 season is here. That means it’s time to rank the teams heading into the season.
The chase to win the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship is on. Next spring, the championships will again be held at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, the third year of what is now essentially a five-year contract.
Last year, Northwestern captured its first national championship in school history, knocking off top-ranked Stanford in the match-play final to win the title. Northwestern has a talented freshman coming in to replace one of its players who left in the transfer portal, but Stanford returns all five of its starters (and more) from its team that didn’t lose in stroke play all season long.
Here’s a look at Golfweek’s 2025-26 women’s college golf preseason rankings.
Golfweek’s 2025-26 women’s college golf preseason rankings
1 – Stanford
The defending national runners-up return all five starters from a team that last season didn’t lose a single stroke play event (and hasn’t since the spring of 2024). Stanford has four players ranked inside the top 10 in the world, including the U.S. Women’s Amateur champion in senior Megha Ganne and Women’s Amateur Championship and European Ladies Amateur winner in junior Paula Martin Sampedro. This season, it’s the Cardinal against the field.Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle
2 – Oregon
The Ducks are another team that return every starter from a semifinal team a year ago. They’ll be lead by world No. 1 amateur Kiara Romero, who had a stellar finish to her sophomore season and is one of the favorites to win the Annika Award this season. Also returning for Oregon are Suvichaya Vinijchaitham and Karen Tsuru, and incoming freshman Sophie Han could contribute, too.
3 – Texas
The second year under coach Laura Ianello could be special in Austin. The Longhorns also return four of five starters from the team that made match play in the NCAA Championship in May. However, juniors Farah O’Keefe and Lauren Kim are expected to contend for Player of the Year honors. Angela Heo and Cindy Hsu provide excellent depth to a team expecting a big season.
4 – USC
USC has been one of the best teams in the country for a while, though last spring was a bit underwhelming for the Trojans, even with a match-play appearance. However, sophomore Jasmine Koo and senior Catherine Park are both back after All-America seasons, as is Bailey Shoemaker and Kylie Chong. USC is also bolstered by the addition of Elise Lee, who was a member of Northwestern’s national championship team last season.
5 – Arizona State
The Sun Devils return plenty of experience from last season’s team, including redshirt sophomore Patience Rhodes, junior Paula Schulz-Hanssen and junior Beth Coulter. A new key contributor could be freshman Pimpisa “Fai” Rubrong, who looks to get plenty of playing time early and could elevate Arizona State back into match play at NCAAs.
6 – Duke
Graduate student Andie Smith is the lone “vet” on the Blue Devils’ roster, but perhaps a pair of freshmen will be the reason Duke gets back into the NCAA Championship picture this season. Rianne Malixi, the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior champion, and Avery McCrery are each expected to make big contributions early in Durham.
7 – Texas A&M
Depth is a big piece of Texas A&M’s 2025-26 team, with the Aggies having six players in the field at the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur. Sophomore Vanessa Borovilos and junior Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio will have big expectations, but a talented freshman class, including Scarlett Schremmer, Natalie Yen and Avery Zweig, could bolster Texas A&M even higher.
8 – LSU
Could a pair of sophomores lead the Tigers back into match play at the national championship? Rocio Tejedo had a breakout season as a freshman and was one of the best players in the country. Now in the fold is Francesca Fiorellini, a UCLA transfer who never found form in Los Angeles. If the Italian can find her groove in Baton Rouge, watch out for the Tigers.
9 – Northwestern
The defending national champions return three players from last season’s championship match: Dianna Lee, Hsin Tai Lin and Ashley Yun. However, incoming freshman Arianna Lau could be the Wildcats’ best player this season. She had an incredible summer and looks to keep Northwestern in the national championship conversation.
10- Arkansas
Junior Maria Jose Marin returns for the Razorbacks, and she’s known as one of the best players in the country (for good reason). She’s the defending individual national champion, and she also won medalist honors at the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur. Senior Reagan Zibilski also returns, but who else is going to step up for Arkansas?
Nos. 11-30
- 11 – Vanderbilt
- 12 – Florida
- 13 – Wake Forest
- 14 – South Carolina
- 15 – Ohio State
- 16 – North Carolina
- 17 – Virginia
- 18 – Florida State
- 19 – Auburn
- 20 – Oklahoma State
- 21 – Mississippi State
- 22 – Michigan State
- 23 – Ole Miss
- 24 – TCU
- 25 – UCLA
- 26 – Arizona
- 27 – SMU
- 28 – Iowa State
- 29 – NC State
- 30 – Kansas
