PALM DESERT, Calif. -- Competing in their 16th consecutive NCAA Championship, the George Fox women's golf team finished the first day of the 2026 edition near the cut line; after one round, Fox is 10 strokes back of the cut in 19th place after a 317 (+29).

Top Performances
Three Bruins lead the way in the field, with all three finishing in a tie for 68th position with a 78 (+6). Samara D'Silva was the first to tee off for Fox, and began with a bogey before five pars in six holes. The sophomore also had a stretch of seven pars in eight holes on the back nine en route to her score.

Next up was Reyna Naranjo, competing in her second NCAA Championship and first since her freshman season in 2024. Naranjo began with six pars in the first seven holes, and like D'Silva, had a solid stretch on the back nine. The junior shot a 39 (+3) on both the front and back nine.

Like Naranjo, Katelyn Lam was competing in her second championship. The sophomore got off to a hot start, birdieing two par fours, hole four and six, to move into the top 10 on the leaderboard in the initial stages. Lam had four pars on the back nine to end in a tie with her teammates.

Rounding out the scoring Bruins was Ashlyn Johnson. The freshman recovered from an early stretch of bogeys with a birdie on the par-five seventh hole, and finished with an 83 (+11). Johnson is in a tie for 123rd.

Abby Matelski finished out the Bruins' squad, shooting an 84 (+12) on the day. The bright spot for the junior came on the fifth hole, where she recorded a birdie. Matelski sits in a tie for 128th after day one.

In the packed nationals field, the Bruins sit in a tie for 19th with Grinnell with a day-one 317 (+29), in danger of missing the cut. The top 15 teams after day two will continue on with the tournament, while the bottom 19 teams will head home. Fox is 10 strokes back of a tie for 14th place between Illinois Wesleyan and Sewanee, who shot a 317 +10). No. 3 Carnegie Mellon leads with a 291 (+3), while Washington & Lee's Toral Bhatt is in first place individually thanks to a 68 (-3).

What Happens Next
George Fox will be back in action as Samara D'Silva tees off at 7:50 am on Wednesday, May 20. Fox will shift from the Firecliff Course to the Riverside Course on day two as they try to make the cut and contend for another trophy.