PALM DESERT, Calif. -- The George Fox women's golf team's 2025-26 season came to a close on Wednesday, as the Bruins finished below the cut line on day two; Fox ultimately finished their season 18th in their 16th straight NCAA appearance.

Top Performances
Fox entered the day in a tie for 19th, 10 strokes back of 15th-place Illinois Wesleyan. In order to qualify for the final two days of the tournament, the Bruins would need to finish 15th or better.

Reyna Naranjo ended as the top Bruin for the tournament, finishing in a tie for 75th position with a 155 (+11) overall. All five of the Bruins began their day on hole nine, and the junior began with a bogey. However, as she reached the back nine, Naranjo came alive — she did not record a bogey on the entire back nine, and birdied the par-three 11th hole to shoot a 35 (-1) on the back. Ultimately, the sophomore finished her day with a 77 (+5).

While Naranjo had the best tournament score, Abby Matelski had the lowest score on day two. The junior began her day with a birdie on hole seven, and then rattled off eight straight pars. When all was said and done, Matelski finished with a 74 (+2), the lowest score for any Bruin over the two days, rocketing up 38 spots to 90th overall with a 158 (+14).

Katelyn Lam finished in 90th alongside Matelski, ending her second nationals appearance with a 158 (+14). Like on Tuesday, Lam started strong, shooting one-under in her first three holes thanks to a birdie on hole nine. The sophomore finished her day with a day-two 80 (+8) overall.

Ashlyn Johnson was next up for Fox, finishing with a 76 (+4) on day two. Johnson had an eventful start to her round, beginning with two bogeys before bouncing back with a birdie on the ninth hole. After a bogey on hole 13, the freshman became the pillar of consistency; Johnson parred her final 11 holes, ending with a par on hole six, to end in a tie for 95th thanks to an overall score of 159 (+15).

Rounding out the five Bruins was Samara D'Silva, who ended her second day with an 84 (+12). The sophomore had a team-high two birdies, one on the par-three eighth hole and one on the par-five 12th. D'Silva finished in 114th place with a 162 (+18).

As a team, the Bruins shot 307 (+25) overall, 10 strokes better than their second day performances to end with a 624 (+48). Unfortunately for Fox, they were only able to move up one spot in the rankings. Grinnell College was the final team to advance to days three and four, shooting a 615 (+39) to take 15th place. Top-ranked Emory leads the team standings into the final two rounds, while three players (Washington & Lee's Washington and Lee's Toral Bhatt, Trinity (Texas)'s Jessica Mason, and NYU's Jiayi Fu are in the lead in the individual standings at 141 (-3).

Coach's Thoughts
"I'm really proud of our effort and resilience today," Bruin head coach MaryJo McCloskey said, "Our comeback showed a lot of heart and belief. It wasn't quite enough in the end, but this is a young team that is learning, growing and incredibly motivated for what's ahead."

What Happens Next
While the Bruins weren't able to make the cut in 2026, the team still performed admirably in a year that featured such a young roster. All five of the athletes who competed in the 2026 NCAA Championships will be back in the fall of 2026 to look to make their 17th straight national appearance.