Cal Poly Captures Big West Women’s Golf Championship Crown; LBSU’s Le Goes Wire-to-Wire for Individual Medalist Honors
LAHAINA, Maui — The Cal Poly women’s golf team triumphed in the 2026 Big West Women’s Golf Championship at the Royal Ka’anapali Course, securing the title with a cumulative score of 866 (+2).
Entering the final round with a two-stroke advantage over their nearest competitors, the Mustangs capitalized on a strong final round – their best 18 of the Championship at 3-under 285 – to claim a six-stroke victory and their fifth Big West title. The win marks a fourth trophy in the last six seasons, with all of their wins coming since the 2017 season.
With the victory, Cal Poly claims The Big West’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division I Golf Championships regional round, learning their location and seeding on April 29 at 3 p.m. on the Golf Channel.
In the individual standings, Madison Le of Long Beach State captured the spotlight by winning the individual title in wire-to-wire fashion with an impressive total score of 8-under 208, one stroke shy of The Big West Championship record set in 2011 (Alice Kim; UC Davis). The performance was highligted by an opening round of 9-under 63 to set a high standard, and Le was able to fend off a charging Xanh to earn individual medalist honors by one stroke. Le is the seventh LBSU individual winner, and the sixth in the last eight Championships contested.
Le earns The Big West’s individual exemption into the regional field and will join the Mustangs in awaiting a guaranteed spot in the national postseason. The league will be watching the selections closely for additional at-large team or individual possibilities based on overall season performance.
Big West Women’s Golf Championship returns to Hawai‘i in April
For just the fourth time since 1987, The Big West Women’s Golf Championship was played in Hawai‘i from April 18–21, 2026. Kā‘anapali Golf Courses and the University of Hawai‘i hosted nine Big West teams (45-player field) across three days of stroke play competition featuring 18 holes per day.
Both the conference title and league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Regional field are at stake. Standout individual and team performers can also earn at-large NCAA Regional selections.
TEAMS
Cal Poly, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Hawai‘i, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine and UC Riverside.
Defending Team Champion: Cal State Fullerton
Defending Individual Champion: Kaitlyn Zermeno Smith, Cal State Fullerton
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
Venue: Royal Kā‘anapali
The 2024-25 season was a banner year for the conference. Cal State Fullerton won their first-ever Big West title, advanced to the NCAA Regional and ultimately reached the NCAA Championships. UC Davis also earned a team bid.
Three individuals qualified for NCAA Regionals. Big West Golfer of the Year Kaitlyn Zermeno Smith is a senior who will be back to defend her individual title with Cal State Fullerton. Also earning berths were twin sisters Janae and Jasmine Leovao from Long Beach State. Jasmine was a back-to-back first-team selection and back-to-back Big West Championship individual medalist (2023 and 2024).
Additionally, four of the five all-tournament team performers are back from last year, as well as nine of the top 10 finishers. They include four from Cal State Fullerton – Zermeno Smith, Xanh, Dahl, Ali; two from UC Davis – Kariminal, Bai; one from Long Beach State – Lee; one from CSUN – Soldswisch; one from UC Irvine – Gerbing.
