With new stars emerging and a top global recruit incoming, the defending champs are poised to reload.
With a national championship now in hand, Northwestern women’s golf has momentum, talent and a powerful recruiting pitch heading into next season.
While colder weather has traditionally made Midwestern schools a tougher sell, the ‘Cats counter with a world-class indoor practice facility and multiple winter training trips to Florida. As they look to defend their title, the team’s mix of returning stars and incoming talent makes the future look bright.
Northwestern will graduate just one player — but it’s a big one. Lauryn Nguyen, currently ranked No. 34 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and second on the team in Clippd ranking (30th), had a tremendous senior season. She played all 34 rounds, posting a 71.88 stroke average, the second-best on the team.
Nguyen earned All-Big Ten First Team honors for the third consecutive year and was named an Honorable Mention All-American. Her season highlight was a dominant win at the Silverado Showdown. She also had eight top-15 finishes and went 2–1 in NCAA Championship match play, including a clutch win over eighth-ranked Paula Martín Sampedro. She leaves behind a remarkable legacy and will turn professional after graduation.
Sophomore Ashley Yun returns as the team’s top player. She led Northwestern with a 71.65 scoring average and played in all 34 rounds. Like Nguyen, she was named to the All-Big Ten First Team and earned All-American Honorable Mention. Her season included a win at the St. Andrews Links Collegiate and a second-place finish at the NCAA Norman Regional. Yun also earned a match play win against Oregon’s Suvichaya Vinijchaitham.
Dianna Lee, the hero of the NCAA Championship run, is also back. The rising senior averaged 73.21 and won her first collegiate title at the PING/ASU Invitational. She added a third-place finish at St. Andrews and was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team. Lee went 2–1 in NCAA match play, notching wins over No. 2 Kiara Romero and No. 7 Andrea Revuelta — both on the final hole.
Northwestern will lose standout first-year Elise Lee to USC. While it’s a tough loss, it makes sense — Lee is from Irvine, California and will now play just 40 minutes from home. Lee was instrumental this season, playing all 34 rounds and posting a 73.38 scoring average. She earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors, had a third-place finish at St. Andrews and was NU’s best finisher ever at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (14th). She went 2–1 in match play and showed remarkable poise throughout the postseason.
First-year Hsin Tai Lin had an excellent debut season. She averaged 73.76 and earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Her top finishes were fifth at both the Big Ten Championships and Windy City Collegiate. In NCAA match play, she went 2–1, including a huge win over NCAA individual champion Maria José Marin and another over top-ranked Meja Örtengren in the final.
Megan Meng, also a first-year, showed promise in limited action. A former top-10 national recruit and two-time Rolex Junior All-American, her best finish was 27th at the PING/ASU Invitational. She’s expected to take a step forward in year two.
Junior Jiayi Wang played nine rounds this season, with a standout 17th-place finish at St. Andrews. She’ll aim to expand her role as a senior.
Northwestern is adding a major talent in Arianna Lau of Hong Kong — the 47th-ranked amateur in the world. Lau has won the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation’s Junior Championship two years in a row and has five total victories in the past two years. She also competed in this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur. At just 17 years old, she’s expected to make an immediate impact for the defending champions.
The loss of Lauryn Nguyen and Elise Lee will be felt, but the Wildcats return a deep, experienced core and welcome one of the world’s top young players in Arianna Lau. With national attention now squarely on the program, Northwestern has a chance to build a new era of sustained success — one that’s not limited by weather, but defined by talent, toughness and a title to defend.