Washington Women's Golf Wins National Championship

For just the seventh time in the history of UW Athletics, Washington has claimed the mantle of National Champions.

In a thrilling upset over the reigning champions from Stanford, Washington claimed their first national title in Women's Golf. Coach Mary Lou Mulfur, who has coached UW golf for 33 years, guided her team to a stunning outcome with a club that few expected to be a real threat.

It almost was not to be.

In a match play format, UW and Stanford fought neck and neck throughout a grueling round. Senior Ying Luo holed out a 90-yard wedge shot on the 18th hole to give UW a 2-1 advantage. With the contest coming down to crunch time, two pairings were left in the field: two UW freshmen against two UW seniors.

Freshman Sarah Yee caught fire at just the right time against Stanford star senior Mariah Stackhouse. Yee made remarkable shot after remarkable shot before finally falling to after 20 holes.

In the end, it came down to freshman Julianne Alvarez against Stanford senior Lauren Kim. With the players even going into 18, Alvarez hit a beautiful wedge on her third to get within a foot of the pin. Stanford conceded the par leaving Kim with a 15-footer in order to keep the match alive. Her putt was just off and it gave UW the championship.

The Dawgs will return home from Eugene as national champions on what will officially be recorded as the first day on the job for new Washington Athletic Director Jen Cohen. Not a bad start.

Spectacular Hole Out

National Championship Highlights