Sala powers SWOSU to Central Region title, RSU also punches ticket to National Championship
ST. JOSEPH, MO. – Southwestern Oklahoma State 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.
Freya SalaThe 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.
Rogers State, which led through two rounds, finished third to also punch its ticket to the NCAA Division II National Championship. The championship will take place May 12-16 at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The University of Central Oklahoma placed ninth to see its season conclude.
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, shooting rounds of 77-76-76.
Daniela Espinoza opened with an 84 before firing back-to-back rounds of 78 on days two and three. London Wilson (+26) and Nerea Anton (+26) each finished in the top half of the field.
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.
Rogers State punched its ticket to nationals with a third-place finish. The Hillcats have now qualified for the fourth time in six years.
Senior Brianna Maddux achieved her best individual regional finish, tying for eighth place with a three-round score of 229 (+13). The Owasso native recorded a final-round score of 77 (+5), finishing even par on 13 holes. Maddux will make her second appearance at the NCAA Championships next week representing the Red and Navy.
Junior Lauren Anderson achieved a regional best finish, tying for 15th in the tournament with a three-round score of 232 (+16). Anderson shot an 80 (+8) in the final round, closing out the competition with a birdie on hole 18. She will also appear at the NCAA Championship for the second time in her career.
Sophomore Milena Andres improved from a 41st-place finish at last year’s regional tournament, tying for 24th this year with a three-round score of 237 (+21). Freshman Clara Ledun finished her first regional championship tied for 40th with a score of 241 (+25), while fellow freshman Lou Fourdan rounded out the team, tying for 62nd with a total of 245 (+29).
Central Oklahoma’s season came to an end Wednesday following a ninth-place finish. The Bronchos finished ninth with a 54-hole team score of 955, posting rounds of 320, 316, and on Wednesday, a 319.
“We felt like we had a good chance to finish high enough to extend our season, but it didn’t work out this week,” UCO head women’s golf coach Michael Bond said. “There were a lot of really high scores this week and we couldn’t find a way to get up to where we needed to be.
“It was a good year for us,” Bond continued. “We had some ups and downs and had a really good finish to the regular season.”
Freshman Grace Hall led the Bronchos with a sixth-place finish at regionals. The rookie shot a 12-over-par 228 this week, lowering her score each round. Hall started with a 7-over 79 on Monday, then posted a 4-over 76 on Tuesday.
Layne Ailshie finished 40th with a 241 (77-83-81) and Estela Castillo was 49th with a 242 (82-80-80). MaKaylee Cowan (245) and Scarlet Sturch (252) also competed.