Northwest Wayne News

The Wayne State University women's golf team has been selected to participate in the NCAA East Regional for the seventh time. The event will take place from May 5 to May 7 at The Meadows Golf Course in Allendale, Michigan, hosted by Grand Valley State University. Wayne State is seeded ninth in the region.

The NCAA announced Wayne State's selection on April 28. In previous appearances at the NCAA East Regional, Wayne State has finished with varying results, including a high of fourth place out of fifteen teams in one instance.

The regional tournament is one of four across different regions—East, Central, South, and West—each consisting of 54 holes. A total of 18 teams and six individual players not affiliated with those teams will compete. The top five teams from the East and West regionals and the top four from the Central and South regionals will advance to the national finals. Additionally, two individuals not on advancing teams will also qualify for the finals.

At the national finals, participants will complete another 54 holes of stroke play to determine an individual champion and other top finishers based on cumulative scores. The top eight teams after this stage will enter a bracket for medal match play to determine team champions.

Wayne State's lineup includes Claudia Portillo from Madrid, Spain; Ting-Yu Kuo from Taipei, Taiwan; Sabel Imesch from Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan; Sophia Wygonik from Westland, Michigan; and Orianna Bylsma from Montague, Michigan. Portillo, Kuo, and Wygonik are making their debuts at this regional event while Imesch and Bylsma are participating for their third consecutive year.

The tournament field features several nationally ranked teams such as Findlay (#5), Grand Valley State (#10), Missouri-St. Louis (#19), Indianapolis (#37), Tiffin (#38), Ferris State (#42), Ashland (#52), along with Wayne State ranked at #68.