After three rounds, NC State women’s golf sat in a three-way tie for fourth place at the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional. The top five teams qualify for the NCAA Championship final, so NC State entered a playoff with Virginia and Michigan State.

Senior Vania Simont played four strokes on her hole, and freshman Ellie Hildreth played three strokes on hers, but the rest of the team lagged behind and the Wolfpack totaled 26 in the one-round playoff. Virginia and Michigan State shot 23 each, and NC State’s season was over just like that.

Although she didn’t shine in the playoff, the Wolfpack wouldn’t have gotten so far without sophomore Marie Eline Madsen’s one-over-par score through three rounds, good for 13th place at the regional.

NC State started round one strong with a three-over-par score and a sixth-place position. Madsen and Hildreth were tied at fifth place, and the team was right on the edge of its first championship site visit since 2023.

In round two, the Wolfpack pounced at that opportunity, shooting the fourth-best team score of four-over-par and moving to fourth place, the right side of the championship cutoff. Madsen even-parred and Simont crept up to a tie for 20th with a one-over round two. Hildreth struggled, playing five-over and moving back to 26th-place, but NC State was almost qualified.

On the third day, Hildreth righted the ship and shot one-over par, but everything else fell apart for the Wolfpack. The team hit 11-over-par over the last 18 holes, sinking into a fourth-place tie with Virginia and Michigan State. With no choice but to playoff, the five members of the three fourth-place teams played one hole each, and each team’s score was tallied up. Virginia, 23. Michigan State, 23. NC State, 26.

One fewer stroke was all that separated the Wolfpack from a dance with the best in Carlsbad, California. Instead, the team goes home with its season at a close.