ANWA champ Carla Bernat Escuder leads Kansas State to first NCAA tournament berth
ANWA champ Carla Bernat Escuder leads Kansas State to first NCAA tournament berth
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Kansas State women's golf coach Stew Burke on the Wildcats' NCAA bid
Kansas State women's golf coach Stew Burke talks about the Wildcats qualifying as a team for the NCAA Regional in Lexington, Ky.
Kansas State women's golf team advances to nationals for the first time in program history after tying for second at the NCAA Lexington Regional.
Carla Bernat led the Wildcats with a 6-under 66, winning individual medalist honors and tying the school's 54-hole record.
K-State shot a team score of 10-under-par, tying Georgia Southern for second place behind Florida State.
The Wildcats will compete in the NCAA Championship in Carlsbad, California, starting May 16.
Carla Bernat Escuder and her Kansas State women's golf teammates saved their best for last. They made history in the process.
Bernat Escuder shot a 6-under-par 66 Wednesday to claim individual medalist honors as the Wildcats produced the day's best team score at 10-under to tie for second in the NCAA Lexington Regional at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky. By finishing in the top five, K-State advanced to nationals for the first time ever, May 16-21 in Carlsbad, California.
More: NCAA Women's Golf Regionals: Golfweek recaps, highlights from final round at every site
"Moments like this are why we do all the work," K-State coach Stew Burke said. "It was a pleasure to be out there today with them. They were composed, confident, and determined. Nobody was going to give it to us, so we just had to go out there and take it."
Bernat Escuder's round, which included a double-eagle 2 on the par-5 fifth hole and four birdies, vaulted her from third place to a two-stroke victory (-12, 204 total) over team champion Florida State's Lottie Woad and Mirabel Ting. The Wildcats also got a 5-under 67 from freshman Nanami Nakashima, which moved her into an 11th-place tie alongside Alenka Navarro at even par for the tournament.
Noa van Beek added a 1-over 73 and Sophie Bert a 3-over 75 to complete the Wildcats' round for the day.
Top seed Florida State won the team title at 15-under for the three rounds, while K-State gained five strokes to tie Georgia Southern for second at 10-under. The Wildcats' 278 total Wednesday tied for eighth lowest in program history over 54 holes.
Bernat Escuder, a senior from Castellon, Spain, who was the Big 12 player of the year, tied Bert's 54-hole school record with her 12-under-par 204.
More: Augusta National Women's Amateur champion celebrates with wine, two kinds of steak
"Carla really had a great tournament and built well into the week," Burke said of Bernat Escuder. "Winning a regional against the No. 1 and 2 players not just in the country but the world is no easy feat.
"It was special to see her albatross at hole 5, and it came right when we needed it as a team. To win once in college golf is an unbelievable achievement, but eight times is truly remarkable. She has a bright future ahead of her after college, but let's first try and add to that total in California."
The NCAA Championship, which starts Friday, May 16, features four rounds of stroke play to determine the individual champion as well as the top eight teams that will advance to match play May 20-21.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Elle Bobe of South Knox wins 2025 Wooden/MCL citizenship award
The video above is from previous coverage of the South Knox Lady Spartan's winning the IHSAA Class 2A state championship. KNOX COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — South Knox girls basketball player Elle Bobe has been named a winner of the Wooden/MCL Citizenship award for 2025. During her senior season, Bobe led the South Knox girls' basketball team to a 28-2 record and the Class 2A state championship, while averaging 19.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Bobe has also set school records for career points (1,756), season points (581 as a senior) and points in a single game (37 points). She also holds records for career three-pointers, career assists and free throw percentage. South Knox girls coach honored as Coach of the Year Bobe is a three-time IBCA Small School All-State selection, a four-time all-Blue Chip Conference selection, a three-time Vincennes Sun-Commercial first-team All-Area and Player of the Year and two-time Evansville Courier & Press all-Southwestern Indiana. Bobe plans to major in physical therapy at the University of Southern Indiana, after being named class valedictorian. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and President of her school's Business Club. Bobe was also a vice president and participant in Student Council, Key Club and Interact Club. Hollie Eaves named IBCA District 3 Coach of the Year The Wooden/MCL Citizenship Award has been presented to one All-Star boy and one All-Star girl annually since 1992. The award is named after the late John Wooden, a former player at Martinsville High School and Purdue University, and later a 10-time NCAA championship coach at UCLA. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
18 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Western's Solo, Aquinas' Brunette are Broward 7A-5A Softball Pitcher, Player of the Year
Ali Solo was part of a revival of the softball program at Western High. Victoria Brunette was part of a similar build at St. Thomas Aquinas. Both seniors leave winning legacies behind as they move on to the collegiate level this fall. And both are this year's Miami Herald's Broward County softball Players of the Year for Classes 7A-5A. Solo, who will pitch this fall for Florida Southwestern University in Fort Myers, is the 7A-5A Pitcher of the Year after another stellar season in the circle for the Wildcats. She went 18-4 with 175 strikeouts in 153 innings and compiled a 2.10 ERA. She also hit four home runs and three doubles and had 17 RBI. Solo was pivotal for a Western team, which struggled a bit this season, but persevered to get back to the Class 7A state final four. Unfortunately for Solo, the Wildcats were unable to repeat as state champions after losing to Oviedo Hagerty in the state semifinals. 'It didn't finish the way we hoped, but it was a great season,' Solo said. 'I broke the strikeout record for the school and was named Female Athlete of the year at the school. I feel like I accomplished a lot during my high school career.' Hard to argue that after Solo led Western to a state title in 2024 and three trips to the state final four overall. 'Winning a state championship showed the underclassmen it's possible and they're in a great place to get there again,' Solo said. 'It helped that we won and it set a goal for every season. Never give up. A lot of people doubted us as a whole and we've grown and shown anything's possible.' Brunette helped a once-proud Aquinas program back to prominence as the Raiders made it to the state semifinals in Class 5A. It was the Raiders' first advancement to state since 2017 after winning four state titles overall. Brunette's steady glove at third base and production at the plate with three home runs, 20 runs scored and 22 RBI were instrumental in Aquinas' surge this season. Brunette's strong career earned her a scholarship to continue to play softball at Jacksonville University. 'In the beginning of the season, we were rocky, but by districts and regionals we came together and things started going great,' Brunette said. 'All-around I feel like my game got better. We have a lot of younger girls on the team so it was good to show them what it was like to get to state.'
USA Today
19 hours ago
- USA Today
Iowa football makes final five for 2026 cornerback out of Arizona
Iowa football makes final five for 2026 cornerback out of Arizona Iowa football is among the final five for class of 2026 cornerback Mason Lewis. The 6-foot, 197 pound cornerback announced that Iowa is among his final five schools alongside Cal, Kansas State, Minnesota and Vanderbilt. Lewis also revealed that he will announce his college commitment on July 1. Iowa originally offered Lewis on Jan. 21 and is slated to host the Basha High School product for an official visit on June 20. Lewis just visited Kansas State and he also has a visit to Minnesota slated for June 13. Lewis is a consensus three-star prospect according to 247Sports, On3 and Rivals. 247Sports ranks Lewis as the No. 5 player in the state of Arizona and as the No. 52 cornerback in the 2026 class. According to On3, Lewis is the 10th-ranked player in Arizona and the No. 79 cornerback. In addition to his final five schools, Lewis also picked up offers from fellow Power Four programs Arizona State, Iowa State, Kansas and from the Pac-12's Washington State. Iowa currently has nine commitments in the 2026 class. Iowa has pledges from offensive linemen Carson Nielsen, Hudson Parliament, Owen Linder, Gene Riordan and Colin Whitters, from wide receivers Brody Schaffer and Diondre Smith, defensive back Marcello Vitti and quarterback Cash Herrera. Here's a look at Lewis' highlights: Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF
