Wake Forest University
NCAA Championship
Wake Forest Tops USC, 3-1, to Win 2023 National Championship
5/24/2023 9:10:00 PM | Women's Golf
The Demon Deacons got points from Kuehn and Migliaccio with Walsh providing the clinching point in Wake Forest’s first National Championship in program history.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - For the first time in program history, the Wake Forest women's golf team captured the National Championship, defeating USC in the title match, 3-1, Wednesday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The No. 2 ranked Demon Deacons jumped out to early advantages in multiple matches led by graduate student Emilia Migliaccio who won the very first hole of the first match on the course. Seniors Rachel Kuehn and Lauren Walsh also gained an early advantage on hole No. 1.
All three of the matches proved vital for the Deacs National Championship aspirations.
Migliaccio and Walsh both took multi-hole advantages on No. 3 and Walsh continued to stretch her lead out from there. She went on to win hole No. 4 and hole No. 7 to take a commanding 5UP lead at that point.
Kuehn also hit her stride around the turn winning three consecutive holes on No. 7, No. 8 and No. 9 to go 3UP against her Trojan opponent. Kuehn continued to build on her advantage, winning hole No. 11 to go 4UP with seven holes left to play.
On hole No. 14, Migliaccio made a huge birdie putt that helped swing the match in her favor with four hole to play. The left-to-right breaker from 15 feet found the center of the center of the cup, putting her 2UP.
The very next hole Migliaccio all but put her match away with an incredible second shot that nearly went in the hole from the fairway. She finished off the 3-foot birdie to go 3UP with three holes to play.
Kuehn continued to play well throughout the back nine, winning holes No. 11, No. 13 and No. 14 to win 6&4 and put the first point on the board for the Demon Deacons.
Migliaccio claimed the second point just minutes later on No. 16, winning her match 4&2 with an impressive par on the par three. At that point, the Deacs were in the lead in two more matches on the course.
Walsh much like she did a year ago in the 2022 ACC Championship victory clinched the national championship for the Demon Deacons on hole No. 16, winning her match against her Trojan opponent, 3&2.
Rhodes was on the No. 17 looking to close out her match, but with Walsh completing her match it went unfinished.
This marks the first national championship in program history and women's golf becomes the sixth Demon Deacon program to win a national championship, the first since men's tennis in 2018 and the 10th overall for the school:
Wake Forest National Championship Teams
- 2023 - Women's Golf
- 2018 - Men's Tennis
- 2007 - Men's Soccer
- 2004 - Field Hockey
- 2003 - Field Hockey
- 2002 - Field Hockey
- 1986 - Men's Golf
- 1975 - Men's Golf
- 1974 - Men's Golf
- 1955 - Baseball
Wake Forest becomes the only school with less than 5,500 current undergraduates to have won NCAA team titles in six unique sports.
A charter member of the ACC, Wake Forest is one of seven ACC schools to win 10 or more NCAA National championships, tying Florida State.
The Demon Deacons have had a historic year during the 2022-23 season with six team titles and two individual titles from back-to-back ACC Player of the Year Rachel Kuehn. The six titles is one more than the previous program record which was set last season.
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 (Sept. 14, 2022)
- Mercedes Benz Intercollegiate (Sept. 20, 2022)
- UCF Challenge (Feb. 7, 2023)
- Nexus Collegiate (Feb. 15, 2023)
- Valspar Augusta Invitational (March 12, 2023)
- National Championship (May 24, 2023)
Since becoming the head coach ahead of the 2018-19 season, the Wake Forest women's golf program has seen an immense amount of success under the direction of Kim Lewellen. The Demon Deacons have won 22 team titles in that time. This includes postseason titles at the 2019 ACC Championship, 2022 ACC Championship and the 2023 NCAA Championship.
In her first season in Winston-Salem in 2018-19, she led the Deacs to the National Championship match and a runner-up finish, the furthest the program had gone to date. The team was led by a pair of first-team All-Americans, Jennifer Kupcho and Emilia Migliaccio. Kupcho won the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur and Migliaccio won the 2019 ACC individual title.
The success has only continued to grow over her five seasons. During those five seasons at Wake Forest, the Demon Deacons have had 16 individual champions, 16 All-ACC honorees, 11 All-American honorees, three ACC Player of the Years, three finalists for the ANNIKA Award and an Augusta National Women's Amateur Champion.
Coach's Comments
"We are absolutely thrilled to bring a trophy back to Wake Forest University and the community there in Winston Salem. What better way to do it than to have Emilia Migliaccio who came back for her six year to be sitting beside me and sharing that experience with." - Head Coach Kim Lewellen
From Emilia Migliaccio
"It really is an amazing feeling. You just feel so good because we have such a special community at Wake Forest. There were so many supporters. I have so many messages from people that I don't know that are just affiliated with Wake Forest. It just feels so good to have made my teammates, I am proud of my coaches and everyone in the Wake family who came and watched today who watched on TV. It just feels amazing." - Graduate Student Emilia Migliaccio
Championship Match Results
- Emilia Migliaccio (WF) def. Kou (4&2)
- Carolina Chacarra (WF) lost to Park (3&1)
- Rachel Kuehn (WF) def. Avery (6&4)
- Mimi Rhodes (WF) def. Wang (2UP)
- Lauren Walsh (WF) def. Navarrosa (3&2)
Order of finish: Migliaccio, Kuehn, Chacarra, Walsh
Unfinished: Rhodes
Semifinals Match Results
- Emilia Migliaccio (WF) def. Z. Slaughter (TAMU) 2&1
- Carolina Chacarra (WF) tied J. Park (TAMU)
- Mimi Rhodes (WF) def. B. Fernandez Garcia-Poggio (TAMU) 1UP
- Lauren Walsh (WF) tied A. Cernousek (TAMU)
- Rachel Kuehn (WF) def. H. Cooper (TAMU) 4&2
Quarterfinals Match Results
- K. Williams (FSU) def. Emilia Migliaccio (WF) 3&1
- Rachel Kuehn (WF) def. A. Williamson (FSU) 20 holes
- Carolina Chacarra (WF) def. L. Woad (FSU) 2&1
- Mimi Rhodes (WF) def. A. Hodge (FSU) 1UP
- Lauren Walsh (WF) tied C. Heath (FSU)
Season Highlights
The Demon Deacons have had a historic year during the 2022-23 season with six team titles and two individual titles from back-to-back ACC Player of the Year Rachel Kuehn. The six titles is one more than the previous program record which was set last season. Additionally, the five regular season victories are the most in program history.
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 (Sept. 14, 2022)
- Mercedes Benz Intercollegiate (Sept. 20, 2022)
- UCF Challenge (Feb. 7, 2023)
- Nexus Collegiate (Feb. 15, 2023)
- Valspar Augusta Invitational (March 12, 2023)
- National Championship (May 24, 2023)
In addition to Kuehn becoming the first player in program history to be a two-time ACC Player of the Year, Kuehn, Emilia Migliaccio, Lauren Walsh, Carolina Chacarra and Mimi Rhodes all earned a spot on the All-ACC Team. This marked the first time in program history that all five lineup players have earned All-League honors.
Kuehn, Migliaccio and Walsh are all now three-time All-ACC honorees and Chacarra and Rhodes are two-time honorees.
Kuehn was also named a finalist for the annual ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel, given annually to the top Division I women's golfer. This is the second-consecutive year she has been named a finalist for the prestigious award.
During the season, three Demon Deacons played for one of the most prestigious titles in women's amateur golf, representing Wake Forest at the Augusta National Women's Amateur. Migliaccio advanced to the final day where she got her third opportunity to play at historic Augusta National.
2022-23 Women's Golf Championship Recaps
This marks the sixth title during what has been a historic season for the Demon Deacons' women's golf program. The six titles mark a program record and two-time ACC Player of the Year Rachel Keuhn captured two individual titles along the way at the Stephen's Cup and Augusta Nexus:
- Team Title No. 1: ANNIKA Intercollegiate (Sept. 14, 2022)
- 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.
- Team Title No. 2: Mercedes Benz Intercollegiate (Sept. 20, 2022)
- 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.
- Team Title No. 3: UCF Challenge (Feb. 7, 2023)
- 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.
- Team Title No. 4: Nexus Collegiate (Feb. 15, 2023)
- 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.
- Team Title No. 5: Valspar Augusta Invitational (March 12, 2023)
- 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)
- 2022-23 Titles:
- 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)
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no collegiate golf in the spring or fall of 2020.
- 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)
- ANNIKA Intercollegiate (Fall 2019)
- 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.
- Team Title No. 6: NCAA Championship (May 24, 2023)
- 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.
Players Mentioned
