No. 4 Texas A&M women’s golf secured its spot in the NCAA Championship after a second-place finish in the Waco Regional on Wednesday, May 13. The Aggies were able to celebrate the monumental achievement just hours from home, before they head to the West Coast for the NCAA Championship.
One Aggie in particular stole the spotlight. No. 11 sophomore Vanessa Borovilos claimed first place in the individual regional competition, solidifying herself as the second to ever do so in A&M history. She set a program record for lowest regional score ever, finishing with an incredible 10-under three-day total.
“She was starting to label herself as someone who couldn’t close a tournament,” head coach Gerrod Chadwell said. “The No. 1 golfer in the world was in the field, and she went toe-to-toe with her for two days in the same pairing. Vanessa looked the part this week.”
On Day 1 of the tournament, the Fightin’ Farmers found themselves tied for second place with No. 8 Oregon by the end of the opening 18 holes. No. 21 SMU led the tournament with a team total of 3-under while the pair in second followed closely behind with an even-par total. Of course, Borovilos had an incredible first round, finishing -4, which was tied for first at the time.
A&M took the opportunity to take a hold of sole second place in the following round, not wanting to share the position with anyone else. The Aggies finished Day 2 as the stand-alone second-place team, with a second-round total of 6-under, still trailing eight strokes behind SMU, who hadn’t lost sight of first place. Oregon had a rocky second day as it lost its spot,dropping to fourth and finishing behind No. 36 LSU.
“This feels amazing,” Chadwell said. “We had one of the low rounds of the day, but this is more about this team 365 days ago when we did not advance through Lubbock. Our hearts were broken. We had a lot of new faces on this team with golfers that had not been through a week like this. This team coming together the way it has is what makes this so special.”
In the third round, the magic happened as the Maroon and White took a dominant lead in the battle for second, while Borovilos distanced herself from the individual opponents. She holed four straight birdies in a row, which landed her a spot as the true first place champion with a three-day total of 10-under. The Aggies finished at 11-under as a team, making the cut and advancing to the NCAA Championship.
“It has been tough the last couple of months because I feel like I have been right there every week,” Borovilos said. “My mind has gotten in the way in the past. These last few holes, I just kept reminding myself that my family and my team are so much more important than winning. We tend to lose sight of that when we are in the moment.”The Aggies will face several familiar faces on Friday, May 22–27, when they compete in the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California.
