Wake Forest women's golf

The Path to a National Championship

5/24/2023 10:49:00 PM | Women's Golf

The Wake Forest women’s golf season was truly special as they captured their first national championship in program history and the 10th title in Wake Forest history.

By: Andrew Kovar

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest women's golf season was truly special as they captured their first national championship in program history and the 10th title in Wake Forest history.

The season was filled with special moments that included six team titles in three different time zones and two different countries, two individual titles, five All-ACC honorees, an ACC Player of the Year and a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

Remembering a special year that started back in September.

September 2, 2022

Three Deacs Named to ANNIKA Award Preseason Watch List

  • The Wake Forest women's golf program was one of only two teams in the country to have at least three players named to the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel Preseason Watch List.
  • Returning graduate student Emilia Migliaccio, senior and reigning ACC Player of the Year Rachel Kuehn and sophomore, reigning ACC Freshman of the Year, Carolina Chacarra were all named as players to watch for the prestigious award given to the top collegiate female golfer at the conclusion of the season.
    • All three players have been named to the watch list multiple times and all have been finalists for the award throughout their collegiate careers.

September 6, 2022

Wake Forest Ranked No. 2 to Begin the Season

  • With four players returning from the 2021-22 lineup and the fifth in Emilia Migliaccio choosing to return to the team for one final season, the Demon Deacons entered the season with high expectations and aspirations.
  • In the preseason, the Women's Golf Coaches Association ranked the Demon Deacons as the No. 2 team in the country and they did not disappoint all season long.

September 14, 2022

Team Title No. 1: ANNIKA Intercollegiate | Lake Elmo, Minn.

  • The Wake Forest women's golf team took home the title of the 2022 ANNIKA Intercollegiate. Led by three veterans, the Deacs won by a four-stroke margin after starting the day six strokes off the lead.
  • Senior Lauren Walsh was the high finisher for the Deacs, finishing in a tie for second place. After starting the event one over par, she shot a collegiate-low 66 in the second round to propel her up the leaderboard. A final round 70 secured her spot in the top three. Her 54-hole score of 209 is the lowest 54-hole of her collegiate career and two strokes better than her previous best of 211.
  • Her final round began with two birdies on her first nine holes, the par-four third and the par-five ninth. She finished the day with two more, one on the par-four 15th and one to end the day on the par-five 18th.
  • Senior Rachel Kuehn and graduate student Emilia Migliaccio each finished even par for the tournament and shot under par on the final day. Kuehn came into the day one over par and recorded three birdies in a row on her final three holes to finish the day one under. Migliaccio came into the final round two under par and was able to preserve her position on the leaderboard with back-to-back birdies on her second nine to get back to two over for the day and even par for the event. Kuehn and Migliaccio finished in a tie for 10th on the individual leaderboard.
  • Sophomore Carolina Chacarra started hot on the final day and tied Kuehn with the most birdies for the Deacs with five on the day. She started her final round with consecutive birdies on her first two holes and had two more consecutive on the eighth and ninth holes to make the turn at four under for the day. She recorded one more on her second nine to stay two under for the day and finish the event three over.

September 20, 2022

Team Title No. 2: Mercedes Benz Intercollegiate | Knoxville, Tenn.

  • The Wake Forest women's golf team took home the team title with a tournament-record 272 in the final round of play Tuesday. The Deacs also recorded the second-lowest team score in tournament history with their 21-under-par 831.
  • Senior Rachel Kuehn's 64 in the second round is the lowest single-round score for a player in the 25-year history of the event. Kuehn's 54-hole total of 10-under-par 203 is the second-lowest individual 54-hole score in the history of the event as well. The Asheville native followed up her second-round 64 with a final-round score of 68. She finished in a tie for second place on the individual leaderboard, just one stroke off the winner, Tundra Piddon from UCF.
  • Sophomore Carolina Chacarra finished one stroke behind Kuehn, with a nine-under score of 204. All three of Chacarra's rounds were sub-70 for the second time in her collegiate career.
  • Birdies from Kuehn, Chacarra and graduate student Emilia Migliaccio, one from each on each of their final three holes, sealed the win for the Deacs as they were tied with UCF at -18 prior to those three shots. Migliaccio shot a team-low 67 in the final round, going bogey-free and tallying four birdies.
  • Junior Mimi Rhodes also had her best score of the week in the final round, recording four birdies for a final-round 68.
  • Wake Forest led all teams in scoring on par-four and par-five holes and also led the field in total pars for the event, registering 183. The team recorded the third-most birdies, coming in with 51. Kuehn and Chacarra each tallied 13 birdies and 38 pars over the course of their rounds.

October 10, 2023

Kuehn Claims Fifth Collegiate Individual Title | Juno Beach, Fla.

  • Senior Rachel Kuehn led the way for the Deacs at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup at historic Seminole Golf Club, earning her fifth-career individual title with a tournament score of 10-under 206. The reigning ACC Player of the Year showed up big for the Deacs in their first appearance in the tournament, claiming medalist honors for the first time during her senior season:
    • ANNIKA Intercollegiate (Fall 2019)
    • Palmetto Intercollegiate (Spring 2021)
    • Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invite (Fall 2021)
    • Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge (Spring 2022)
    • Jackson T. Stephens Cup (Fall 2022)

February 7, 2023

Team Title No. 3: UCF Challenge | Orlando, Fla.

  • The Wake Forest Women's golf team won its first tournament of the spring season at the UCF Challenge at Eagle Creek Golf Club for the second year in a row.
  • In 2022, the Deacs recorded a program-record 45-under-par score of 819 and this season the team's winning score was 42-under-par. Both scores are top 5 in NCAA history. The Deacs' 42 under and team score of 822 are both the second-lowest team 54-hole scores in program history.
  • Wake Forest led all teams in scoring on par four and par fives while recording 60 birdies and 189 pars throughout the three-day event. Rachel Kuehn had a team-high 17 birdies. Lauren Walsh was close behind with 14.
  • Walsh turned in a perfect scorecard with zero bogeys in her final round. Walsh had four birdies, two of which back back-to-back to end her round and put her at four under on the day and 12 under for the event.
  • Kuehn led the team at 15 under for the event. Her final round consisted of four birdies, three of which came on her second nine holes and all of which came after her only bogey of the round. Carolina Chacarra also only had one bogey on her final 18 holes, finishing the day two under and eight under for the event. Kuehn, Walsh and Chacarra all finished inside the top 15.
  • Emilia Migliaccio rounded out the Deacs inside the top 20, with an even-par round on the final day to keep her at five under for the tournament. After a tough start with two bogeys on her first four holes, she had three birdies in a row on her second nine holes.
  • Mimi Rhodes improved each day of play, shooting two under in her final round to finish two under for the event. After cracking the top 40 after the second round, her three birdies in her final round helped her crack the top 32 by the end of the tournament.
  • Playing as an individual, freshman Anne-Sterre den Dunnen had her best day on the final day, shooting two under with back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th holes.

February 15, 2023

Team Title No. 4: Nexus Collegiate | New Providence, Bahamas

  • The No. 2 Wake Forest women's golf team has won its second team title of the spring and fourth of the 2022-23 season at the Nexus Collegiate, hosted by Auburn. The Deacs took the title by seven strokes.
  • Wake Forest led all teams in scoring on par fours and par fives and led the field in pars (169) and birdies (43).
  • Senior Lauren Walsh recorded her highest collegiate finish, coming in second place and one of just two players to finish under par for the event. The winner, Latanna Stone of LSU, finished six under while Walsh shot a one-under 215 for the event. Walsh had the steadiest final round for the Deacs, with just two bogeys and one birdie in addition to her 15 pars.
  • Rachel Kuehn finished in the top six for the event, coming in sixth place with a four-over 220. After going four over on her first nine holes of the day, the Asheville native was just one over on her final nine holes. Rounding out the Deacs in the top 10, Mimi Rhodes finished T7 just one stroke behind Kuehn. After making the turn at four over, Rhodes' final nine holes were highlighted by three birdies in row on holes 13, 14 and 15 to finish her round.
  • Emilia Migliaccio jumped 10 spots on the leaderboard in the final round and also birdied three holes in a row on her second nine holes, going three under over holes 14, 15 and 16. The veteran finished her round as the only Deac to shoot even par on the final day. Carolina Chaccara finished just one stroke behind Migliaccio on the leaderboard.
  • Playing as individuals, Caroline Smith finished 49th and freshman Anne-Sterre den Dunnen finished tied for 50th.

March 9, 2023

Three Deacs Named to ANNIKA Spring Watch List

  • Coming off the second team title of the spring and the fourth of the season, the Demon Deacons were living up to their preseason acclaim as one of the best teams in the country. Individually, three Wake Forest women's golfers were recognized for their accomplishments on the course, being named as Spring Watch List members for the ANNIKA Award.
  • The award is given to the best Division-I collegiate women's golfer in the country.

March 12, 2023

Team Title No. 5: Valspar Augusta Invitational | Augusta, Ga.

  • The No. 2 Wake Forest women's golf team has won its fifth regular-season team title of the 2022-23 year at the Valspar Augusta Invitational. Due to weather conditions, the tournament was called at the beginning of the third round. Final scores are reflected through the first two rounds only.
  • During the 2021-22 season, Wake Forest won four regular-season titles, which tied the program record from 2019-20. Prior to that, the last time the Deacs won three regular season titles was in 1994-95 and 1995-96.
    • 2022-23 Titles:
      • ANNIKA Intercollegiate (Fall)
      • Mercedes Benz Intercollegiate (Fall)
      • UCF Challenge (Spring)
      • Nexus Collegiate (Spring)
      • Valspar Augusta Invitational (Spring)
  • Senior Rachel Kuehn took home the individual title by three strokes for her sixth career victory. She is one of just four players in program history to win six or more individual titles:
    • 10 wins - Stephanie Neill (1992-95)
    • 9 wins - Jennifer Kupcho (2016-19)
    • 6 wins - Brenda Corrie (1983-86)
    • 6 wins - Rachel Kuehn (2019-present)
      • ANNIKA Intercollegiate (Fall 2019)
      • Palmetto Intercollegiate (Spring 2021)
      • Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invite (Fall 2021)
      • Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge (Spring 2022)
      • Jackson T. Stephens Cup (Fall 2022)
      • Valspar Augusta Invitational (Spring 2023)
  • Carolina Chacarra recorded her third top-10 finish, finishing in a tie for sixth. Emilia Migliaccio and Lauren Walsh finished in a tie for 14th. It was Migliaccio's fifth top-15 finish of the season and Walsh's sixth. Mimi Rhodes recorded her fifth top-25 finish of the season, ending in a tie for 22nd.

March 24, 2023

Three Deacs Represent Wake Forest at Augusta National Women's Amateur

  • In one of the most prestigious tournaments of the year at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, Wake Forest was well represented with three Deacs in the 70-player field.
  • Emilia Migliaccio reached the final day of the competition, making her third cut at the event and playing at historic Augusta National.

April 25, 2023

Three Demon Deacons Selected to Arnold Palmer Cup Teams

  • Three Wake Forest women's golfers were selected to represent their countries at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.
  • Veteran Emilia Migliaccio will be making her record-fifth appearance in the event, while Rachel Kuehn will be making her fourth. It will be Lauren Walsh's second appearance in the event.

May 1, 2023

Kuehn Wins ACC Player of the Year; Five Deacs Named All-ACC

  • Wake Forest women's golfer Rachel Kuehn became the first player in program history to be a two-time ACC Player of the Year, as the Atlantic Coast Conference announced the season-end awards.
  • Along with Kuehn, Emilia Migliaccio, Lauren Walsh, Carolina Chacarra and Mimi Rhodes all earned a spot on the All-ACC Team. This marks the first time in program history that all five lineup players have earned All-League honors. Last season was the first time Wake Forest had four players earn the honor. Kuehn, Migliaccio and Walsh are all now three-time All-ACC honorees and Chacarra and Rhodes are two-time honorees.

May 10, 2023

Deacs Punch Ticket to NCAA Championships

  • The No. 1 ranked Wake Forest women's golf team clinched a spot in the NCAA Championship field for the fifth consecutive year, shooting even par for the week to qualify by nine strokes above the cutline.
  • This will be the Deacs fifth-straight appearance at NCAA Championships, highlighted by a runner-up finish in 2019, and the 19th appearance for the program since 1993.

May 22, 2023

Demon Deacons Advance to Match Play Quarterfinals of NCAA Championships

  • The No. 2 Demon Deacons have advanced to the quarterfinals of match play at the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club. This is the first time the Deacs have advanced to match play at Grayhawk. The last time Wake was in match play at NCAA Championships, they advanced to the final match against Duke for a program-best runner up finish in 2019.
  • Across the four rounds of stroke play, Wake Forest led all teams in the field in scoring on par three holes, going eight under. The team recorded the most pars of any school in the field, with 141, and recorded 63 birdies, good for third-most in the field.
  • Senior Lauren Walsh was second in scoring on par threes, going three under, and second on par fours, also going three under. Graduate Emilia Migliaccio recorded the most pars of any player in the field, with 54, and Walsh had the third-most birdies, with 18.
  • For the second day in a row, sophomore Carolina Chacarra led the Deacs with the low round, shooting her best score so far with a four-under 68. She had back-to-back birdies before making the turn on holes seven and eight and recorded two more back-to-back coming out of the turn on holes 10 and 11. She also birdied the par-three 16th hole before closing out her round.

May 23, 2023

Wake Forest Advances to Final Match of NCAA Championships

  • The No. 2 Demon Deacons have advanced to the final match of the NCAA Championship for the second time in four events. The Deacs will face the USC Trojans Wednesday afternoon for the 2023 NCAA title.
  • Wake Forest entered the back nine of the semifinal tied or trailing in four of the five matches before turning on the heat. Once taking control of the match, the Deacs only trailed following four of the 41 holes that were completed on the back nine and were never more than one down.
  • Playing in the leadoff position, graduate Emilia Migliaccio overcame losing the opening hole to score the first point for Wake. Migliaccio broke a run of seven consecutive halved holes with wins on No. 13 and No. 14 to carry her way to a 2&1 decision.
  • Senior Rachel Kuehn scored the team's second point after winning the first hole and never trailing on her way to a 4&2 decision. Kuehn only dropped two holes in the match and followed each with a win on the ensuing hole. She picked up two points on the day after winning her quarterfinal match in extra holes.
  • Junior Mimi Rhodes flipped her match by winning No. 12 and No. 13 to go from one down to one up with five to play. She closed the win – her second of the day – by halving those last holes, including the clinching par on the 18th.

May 24, 2023

Team Title No. 6: NCAA Championship | Scottsdale, Ariz.

  • A historic season for the Demon Deacons' women's golf program was capped off by winning the first National Championship in program history, defeating No. 6 USC in the National Championship match. After finishing third in the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Ariz., the Demon Deacons defeated Florida State in the quarterfinals, 3.5-1.5, and Texas A&M in the semifinals, 4-1, to earn a spot in the championship against USC.






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Players Mentioned

Carolina Chacarra

/ Women's Golf

Rachel Kuehn

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Rachel Kuehn

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Emilia Migliaccio

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Emilia Migliaccio

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Mimi Rhodes

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Caroline Smith

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Lauren Walsh

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Lauren Walsh

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