MESA, Ariz. — The South Dakota women's golf team closed out the 2025-26 slate at the Summit League Championships over the last three days with a team score of 903 (+51) and a fifth-place team placement behind a top-10 finish from Catie Nekola in her final collegiate event and the program's fourth-lowest Summit League Championships single round score of 291 in Round 3. Junior Ella Greenberg had the team's lowest round with a 70 (-1) on Tuesday, the only golfer in the field to be under par in Round 3.

"I'm proud of the season that was. Our season didn't end quite in how we wanted to, but we proved that we could put up rounds that compete at the top of this conference. This group competed at the tops of the leaderboards and that was displayed again this week," noted head women's golf coach Brett Bennett. "I'm excited for the growth that will come from the returners over the summer and look forward to next season with more experience."
 
ROUND ONE
A stellar day on the course for the first round of the 2026 Summit League Championships for South Dakota saw the Coyotes post the fifth-lowest team round score at the Championships in the Summit League era. As a team, South Dakota shot a 300 (+16) to sit two strokes behind South Dakota State after the first 18 holes.
 
The Yotes made a push midway through the day sitting fifth on the leaderboard all the way up to second-place to end the day on the back nine, highlighted by five of the nine team birdies coming on the back nine.
 
A strong start to the championships from sophomore Eva Greenberg in her first-career round at the Summit League Championships. She finished the day with a 73 (+2) with a birdie on 18 to sit T2nd after the first 18 holes. She started strong going par on the front nine.
 
Junior Ava Schroeder carded a solid first round for South Dakota, shooting a 75 (+4). She posted one birdie on the 8^th hole as she sits T8th after the first day of golf.
 
Also in her first-career Summit League Championships round, freshman Morgan Rupp led the team with her four birdies on the afternoon to sit with a 76 (+5) scorecard, sitting just outside the top-10 at T11th in the field.
 
Senior Catie Nekola also carded a 76 (+5) to sit T11th after the first 18 holes. She picked up a pair of biridies on eight and 18 on the round.
 
Ella Greenberg sits 22^nd after the first 18 holes, scoring a 79 (+8) on the day with a birdie on the 13^th hole.
 
ROUND TWO
Day 2 proved to be the toughest day on the course for the Coyotes. South Dakota combined for six birdies on the day but fell to sixth place through the first 36 holes of the championship.
 
Nekola carded the best round of the day with her 72 (+1). Schroeder and Ella Greenberg recorded a 77 (+6) and 78 (+7), respectively.
 
ROUND THREE
Beginning the final round in sixth place, the Coyotes put on one of the best rounds of the field in the third round with a 291 (+9). The Yotes moved up a spot, sliding past St. Thomas by seven strokes in total (eight-stroke advantage in Round 3), to secure a fifth-place finish.
 
Led by the most birdies as a team in the round with 12 in the final 18 holes, three Yotes moved up the individual leaderboard in the final day. Highlighted by Second Team All-Summit League golfer Ella Greenberg's best round of the championship (70, -1), and moving up nine spots into a top-20 finish overall.
 
Schroeder slid up three spots on Tuesday, finishing top-15 on the tournament (T13th) with a 74 (+3) in the final round with a pair of birdies.
 
Joining her sister, Eva moved up for spots with the second-best round of the day with a 72 (+1). She finished 27^th overall, moving up four spots on the final day, with a +19 and carding a pair of birdies on back-to-back holes (four and five).
 
COYOTE RESULTS (Place)

1. (T7th) Catie Nekola – 76-72-75 = 223 (+10)
2. (T13th) Ava Schroeder –  75-77-74 = 226 (+13)
3. (T17th) Ella Greenberg –  79-78-70 = 227 (+14)
4. (27^th) Eva Greenberg – 73-87-72 = 232 (+19)
5. (32^nd) Morgan Rupp – 76-85-77 = 238 (+25)

 
 
TOURNAMENT NOTES:

• Catie Nekola and her T7th place finish became the ninth Coyote to earn a top-10 individual finish at the Summit League Championships and the first since 2023.
• She ties Danica Badura for the most top-10 finishes at the Summit League Championships in program history (2).
• The Round 3 scorecard of 70 (-1) from Ella Greenberg is the third-lowest individual round score at the Summit League Championships in program history.
• Ella also becomes the program leader in career under-par rounds at the Summit League Championships with today's -1 being her third.
• The 291 Round 3 team score is now the fourth-lowest championships single-round team score in program history.
• It's also just the fifth sub-300 championships round in the Division I era for the Yotes and the first time ever doing it in back-to-back seasons.
• All five of the best rounds at the Summit League Championships have come under head coach Brett Bennett and within the last five seasons.
• Ella Greenberg (R3) had the most birdies in a single round with five, followed by four from and Morgan Rupp (R1) in her first-career Summit League Championships.
• The T13th finish for Ava Schroeder sets a high finish at the Summit League Championships for her.

 
South Dakota State took the team title and Summit League's auto berth with an 882 (+30). The Jackrabbits took home the team title with a six-stroke lead over defending champions Denver in their final Summit League women's golf championships before departing the league. SDSU's McKenzie Mages took home the individual title with a 212 (-1) score with rounds of 73, 68, and 71 on the tournament.