Six NC State golfers made the trip to Charlottesville, Virginia to compete in the NCAA Charlottesville Regional — but one stood above the rest.
Star freshman Marie Eline Madsen secured the individual title at the NCAA Charlottesville Regional, punching her ticket to the National Championship in Carlsbad, California May 16-18.
A final round 68 propelled Madsen past Round 2 leader Paula Fransico of the University of Florida. As the pair jostled for first place on the back nine of the final round, Madsen kept composed on the difficult Birdwood Golf Course, which saw just three players shoot under-par for the tournament. She closed her round with six straight pars while Fransisco made two bogeys in the final stretch, and in the end, the Wolfpack freshman finished on top. For head coach Darby Sligh, her poise is not surprising despite her youth.
“She plays like a much older player,” Sligh said back in March. “They look at her like a Danish freshman, but I mean, [Madsen] — she’s a woman. It’s fun to watch.”
Before her clutch final round, Madsen had already put herself in position to win. A first round even-par 71 kept her in the fold, and a second round 69 put her in a tie for fourth, giving the Viborg, Denmark native a chance to win.
Madsen is the first player to win an NCAA regional tournament in NC State women’s golf history, and the first to win two tournaments as a freshman. She is also set to break the record for season scoring average as she currently sits at 71.14, with the current record being 72.17. With that said, Madsen’s season isn’t over yet as she has a chance to continue to build on her freshman year resume at the NCAA National Championship.
To qualify for the National Championship, a team must finish in the top-5 in their respective regional tournament, of which there are six. The top finishing individual not on an already-qualified team also gets a bid, so Madsen will be one of six individuals competing in Carlsbad.
As a team, the Pack fell just short, placing sixth with a team score of 24-over par — seven strokes back from the cut line. While Madsen was cruising at the top of the leaderboard, the rest of the squad struggled to keep pace.
Senior Lauren Olivares Leon also finished in the top half of the 61 player field, placing T21 at 5-over par. The Pack needed its best players to be firing on all cylinders to hoist the team into the National Championship field, and while Madsen was booming, Olivares sputtered. Decent rounds of 72, 74 and 72 were not enough for Olivares to get her second and final crack at the national title.
Graduate Jaclyn Kenzel looked to be the deciding factor in determining NC State’s fate, sitting at 4-over par through two rounds, greatly outplaying her expected performance as her season scoring average going into the regional was 77.85. But Kenzel could not keep it up in the final round, posting an 11-over 82, making the path to Carlsbad way steeper. She finished the tournament at 15-over par along with junior Vania Simont, both tying for 43rd.
Senior Caitlin Whitehead finished the tournament placing 50th at 18-over par.
The season has concluded for the team as a whole, but after her top placement as an individual, Madsen will head to Carlsbad, California, representing the Pack in the NCAA National Championship at Omni La Costa Golf Course May 16-18.
