Lansing Sun

Michigan State's women's golf team concluded the second round of the NCAA Championships on Saturday with a 16-over par 304, placing them in 19th among 30 teams. The championship is taking place at the La Costa Champions Course in Carlsbad, California.

The tournament will continue with the final round of stroke play qualifying on Sunday. The top 15 teams and nine individuals not on advancing teams will proceed to an additional round to determine individual and team standings. On May 21, match play will begin for the top eight teams, culminating in a match play championship on May 22.

Coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll noted that conditions varied between rounds: "I think the observation was that the teams that played in the afternoon round today really had different conditions than the teams that played in the morning." She acknowledged challenges due to strong winds but remained optimistic about their standing.

Texas A&M currently leads at 11-under par 565, followed by Stanford and Clemson. Michigan State sits at a total of 16-over par 592, just five shots from qualifying for further rounds.

Senior Leila Raines led Michigan State with a score of 1-over par 73 on Saturday. Junior Katie Lu shot a 3-over par, while teammates Brooke Bierman and Shannon Kennedy also contributed to the team's efforts despite challenging conditions. Sophomore Paula Balanzategui faced difficulties in her round.

The Spartans are set to start their third round alongside South Carolina and Oregon State. Coach Slobodnik-Stoll emphasized determination: "You have years of experience with these young players...the lesson (tomorrow) is to play hard and play like Spartans."