TULSA, Oklahoma – Arkansas Tech won its first Great American Conference Women’s Golf Championship title since 2019 as the Golden Suns completed a wire-to-wire victory on Wednesday from Stone Creek Course at Page Belcher Golf Course. Tech’s Ellen Spigner won medalist honors by six shots.
Spigner shot a 2-over par 72 to post 1-over 214 for the week. She became the sixth GAC Player of the Year to go on to win the GAC Championship title. Former Golden Suns Rebecka Surtevall won in 2012 and 2014 and Peerada Piddon won in 2018. Henderson State’s Gracen Blount and Allie Bianchi pulled off the double in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
The Golden Suns’ Jessie Jane Norman and Jaylee Castro secured top-10 finishes. Norman birdied her final two holes to shoot a 1-over 72 and earn a third-place finish. Castro, a First-Team All-GAC performer, also posted a 1-over 72. She tied two others for fifth. Averi Mickelson placed 17th.
Henderson State clipped Southwestern Oklahoma State on the final hole to finish as the runner up. Lily Nelson, a First-Team All-GAC honoree, posted a 3-over 74 to claim fourth - the fourth top-10 finish of her career at the GAC Championships. Lora Jones added a 4-over 75. Paulina Narvaez and Isabella Ferreira each recorded top-20 finishes.
The Bulldogs’ Maria Velilla, the league’s Freshman of the Year, finished in eighth. Daniela Espinoza and First-Team All-GAC selection Freya Sala carded SWOSU’s low rounds of the day - 5-over 76s.
Oklahoma Baptist matched its best finish by taking fourth while Northwestern Oklahoma State placed fifth for the third-straight year. The Bison’s Morgan Simmons moved up to 11th after a 4-over 75. Emilee Pierce tied for 14th. The Rangers’ Gracie Doke registered the best individual finish at the GAC Championship in program history after she placed alone in second. She became the school’s second-ever All-Tournament performer, joining Romane Lacoste, who tied for second in 2024. Tess Linden shot her low round of the week, a 1-over 72 to move up 13 spots to 13th.
For the second-straight day, Harding improved its team score as the Lady Bisons shot a 20-over 304 to move into sixth. Madeleine Wilson matched the low round of the day with a 1-under 70. She jumped 11 spots into a tie for fifth to claim an All-Tournament spot.
Arkansas-Monticello closed in seventh. Two Blossoms - Tori Milton in Renata Abad - tied for ninth to give them two top-10 finishers in school history. Southeastern Oklahoma State passed Southern Arkansas for eighth. The Savage Storm’s
Carley Button joined Wilson with a 1-under round and in a tie for fifth. SAU’s Emma Hester tied for 18th.
Southern Nazarene and East Central rounded out the team leaderboard.
The Golden Suns secured the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships. The NCAA announces the regional selections on Sunday, April 26. Southwestern Oklahoma State, Henderson State, Harding, Oklahoma Baptist and Southeastern Oklahoma State appeared in the most recent rankings.