STARKVILLE — The Bulldogs sat firmly in the driver’s seat headed into the third and final round of the Westfield Regional of the NCAA women’s golf championships.
It was a position Mississippi State was unfamiliar with, but with unfamiliarity came a chance at history.
Holding an eight-shot lead over Oregon State, it was plenty of cushion for the Bulldogs to secure their first-ever regional championship and a spot in the finals at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona on Friday.
“They were able to really keep their focus in the right place and just accept that it was going to be a challenging week,” Mississippi State head coach Charlie Ewing said. “That’s what really allowed us to perform really well in rounds one and two and focus on what it meant to compete for a regional title.”
Mississippi State has consistently been one of the best women’s golf teams in the country this season, maintaining a top-5 ranking during the fall and keeping pace in the spring.
The Bulldogs had two top-two finishes in tournaments this spring and reached the team match play finals of the SEC championships, losing 3-2 to Texas A&M.
It was all a precursor to last week’s performance in Indiana, with the Bulldogs taking home both team and individual regional titles.
“We had a really good opportunity that evening and the next day to really soak it in and enjoy the success,” Ewing said. “I think that’s a really important thing to do. That’s the reason we compete. That’s the reason we play: to experience the highs of competition, to experience the successes.”
Carrying the freight during regionals was sophomore Julia Lopez Ramirez, the 2022-23 SEC women’s golf Player of the Year, the individual champion at SEC championships, and the No. 2 golfer in Division I according to Golfstat.
Lopez shot a program-record 13-under at regionals, winning the individual title. She also broke Ally Ewing’s program record with 25 rounds in the 60s, doing so in just two years’ time.
“She has a much better understanding of how she’s able to put her tools to play, which is a lot harder than building the physical skill set in my opinion,” Ewing said. “… That’s been a really cool thing to watch over the last couple of years. She’s a much smarter player. She’s a much more patient player. She’s still an aggressive player, but she knows how to be aggressive and smart at the same time.”
Just behind Ramirez was senior Hannah Levi, shooting 12-under at regionals, second only to Ramirez.
With the Bulldogs finishing at 19-under overall, those two created a one-two punch that was unmatched by the 11 other teams competing.
The dust has settled following much-deserved celebrations, and now, Mississippi State finds itself as one of 30 teams remaining to compete for a national championship.
“We definitely don’t want to act like this tournament is just like any other golf tournament,” Ewing said. “… At the same time, we understand things are going to be heightened at the national championships … This is the one that we’ve been working for. This is the one that we’ve built up to. This is the one we’ve had our sights set on. Our ultimate goal is to be the No. 1 team in the country by the end of this golf tournament.”
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