NC State women’s golf wins City of Oaks Collegiate to end regular season

Daniel Susann, Assistant Sports Editor • Mar 25, 2026

Freshman Lindsay McGrath holds a thumbs-up after a putt during the City of Oaks Collegiate at Lonnie Poole Golf Course on Monday, Mar. 23, 2026. At the end of Monday’s play, McGrath, Sullivan, and Hildreth were part of a five-way tie for seventh place. After the second round, the Wolfpack was in first place with a score of +6.

It’s easy to win a tournament when three-fifths of your whole lineup finishes in the top 10. It’s easier when your best player beats second place by six strokes.

Extending the program record which she broke earlier this year, sophomore Marie Eline Madsen secured her fifth-career victory and led the Wolfpack to its first victory at the City of Oaks Collegiate, hosted by NC State at Lonnie Poole Golf Course. Madsen at 2-under-par blew away the competition in the final tournament of the regular season in the way that Pack fans have come to expect — long drives, Par 5 scoring and late-round consistency.

Madsen shot a combined 5-under on Par 5s and nearly went bogey-free in the final round to solidify her placement, with one blemish counteracted by a birdie on the next hole.

Last season, Madsen finished 11th in the ACC Championship, won the Charlottesville regional and at one point, led in the NCAA Championship with a flurry of birdies in the first 11 holes before missing the cut to close the competition. There has not been a sophomore slump as she added two more victories this season, so expect a great showing from Madsen in the postseason.

Next up on the leaderboard was senior Vania Simont, who secured a third-place finish at 5-over. To this point, Simont has put together a solid final campaign with her sixth top 20. A rock-solid 2-under-par 70 sandwiched between a 76 and 75 on the home course provided Simont the best finish of her career.

Rounding things out, the trio of freshmen Ellie Hildreth, Lindsay McGrath and Betsy Sullivan all were on pace to finish in the top 10 after Round 2, each sitting at 4-over par. But Round 3 went haywire as Hildreth finished the final 18 holes with a 77, Sullivan shot 82 and McGrath scored 85. Hildreth placed in a tie for ninth, Sullivan fell to a tie for 16th and McGrath dropped to a tie for 31st.

The Pack closed the regular season on a win, admittedly against a field lacking any world-beaters. No other ranked teams joined No. 44 NC State. Other Power Four schools included Rutgers and Boston College, while North Carolina locals in Coastal Carolina and East Carolina joined the fray and placed in the top five.

On the flipside, competition will be fierce at the next event for the Wolfpack — the ACC Championship. No. 1 Stanford, No. 9 Wake Forest, No. 11 Duke, No. 12 North Carolina, No. 18 Florida State and No. 30 SMU will be competing.

The ACC Championship will be held in Wilmington, North Carolina at Porters Neck Country Club April 16-19.