Lansing Sun

Michigan State University's women's golf team is set to compete in the NCAA Championships for the 16th time in its history. The event begins on Friday, May 17, at the La Costa Champions Course in Carlsbad, California. The Spartans will start their round at 7:57 a.m. PT, playing alongside Purdue and Baylor.

The team secured its spot in the championships after finishing third at the NCAA East Lansing Regional last week. This marks their third appearance in four years under Head Coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll.

The lineup for Michigan State includes Leila Raines, Katie Lu, Paula Balanzategui, Brooke Biermann, and Shannon Kennedy with Valentina Rossi as an alternate.

The championship format involves 54 holes of stroke play qualifying. The top 15 teams and nine individuals not on advancing teams will then compete for individual honors and a place among the top eight teams that advance to match play. Match play will occur over two days starting May 21.

Senior Leila Raines led her team at the East Lansing Regional with a fourth-place finish overall at six-under-par 210—a record for a Spartan in an NCAA Regional. Junior Katie Lu also had a strong performance throughout the season with an average score of 71.20.

All six players on this year's roster participated in last year's NCAA Championship as well as previous regional competitions. Raines has made history by being the first player from Michigan State to appear in four NCAA Championships.

In their regional recap, Michigan State finished with a score of four-under-par 860 across three rounds—its lowest ever score in an NCAA Regional. Top-seeded USC won that regional followed by Oklahoma State and Northwestern among others who advanced to the championships.

Head Coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll has seen several current players achieve notable scoring averages during her tenure including Raines, Rossi, Biermann, and Lu—all ranking among Michigan State's all-time bests.