ST. JOSEPH, MO. – SWOSU Women's Golf captured the 2026 Central Region Championship behind
Freya Sala's first-place finish, marking the first time in program history that a Lady Bulldog has won the Central Regional individual title.
The Lady Dawgs survived a late push by Nebraska Kearney to win the title by two strokes after not holding the team lead until the back nine on the final day. Entering the week, UNK had won its last four tournaments, including the MIAA Championship.
Sala won the GAC Championship last season and can now add the NCAA Central Region title to her list of career victories. After an opening-round 76, she took the lead on day two by firing a tournament-best 71 (-1), which propelled her into the top spot heading into the final 18 holes.
A slow start on day three caused her to surrender her three-shot cushion as she went +3 through the first four holes, but she quickly settled in, playing even par the rest of the way until the final hole. Entering hole 54, she was tied at +6 with Southeastern's Carley Button, needing a par to force a playoff or a birdie to win outright. Ultimately, Sala decided it was time for the week to end, securing the biggest birdie of the year to capture the regional title outright.
The final hole was a 480-yard par 5, a type of hole she was comfortable on all week, as she played the par 5s at -3 across her three rounds, the best mark among all competitors.
Maria Velilla ended the week tied for eighth, earning her eighth top-10 finish of the season. She proved just as important to the team as anyone, as she went birdie-birdie over her final two holes of the tournament to help the Lady Dawgs maintain their lead over the Lopers down the stretch. She totaled eight birdies on the week and shot rounds of 77-76-76.
Daniela Espinoza opened with an 84 before firing back-to-back rounds of 78 on days two and three. She recorded eight birdies across the three rounds and found the most success at the start of the back nine, where she played holes 10-12 at five under over the final two days.
London Wilson (+26) and
Nerea Anton (+26) each finished in the top half of the field. Wilson had a great stretch of play through the opening 12 holes of round three, playing even-par golf to help the Lady Dawgs steady the ship en route to their championship-clinching performance. Anton used a 78 on day two, highlighted by a birdie, to provide a low-scoring round during SWOSU's best team round of the week.
With the win, SWOSU has now secured its spot in the NCAA Division II National Championship for the fourth time in program history and the first since 2024, when the Lady Dawgs finished 14th. The championship will take place May 12-16 at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
2026 Central Region Championship
Monday-Wednesday, May 4-6
St. Joseph, Mo. (St. Joseph CC)
Complete Results (website link)
