PALM DESERT, Calif. - The University of Dubuque women's golf team opened up the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championships on Tuesday at the Firecliff course. The Spartans shot a 311 (+23) in the opening round and currently sit 16th, just four strokes back of the cut line. Leah Balsbaugh is tied for 18th on the individual leaderboard with a 73 (+1) in round one.

The Spartans played the tougher of the two courses today. The Spartans ended the day with the second-best score on the Firecliff course on Tuesday with a 311 (+23) as 18 of the 34 teams played the Firecliff course. The Spartans finished with nine birdies in round one, with seven of them coming from the duo of Hoffer (4) and Balsbaugh (3).

Balsbaugh (Sussex, Wis. / Hamilton HS) carded the second-best score on the Firecliff course today with a 73 (+1) to sit in a tie for 18th on the leaderboard. Drew Hoffer (Oregon, Wis. / Oregon HS) shot a 76 (+4) today and finds herself inside the top-50 in a tie for 45th.

Kaycee Newman (Eldridge, Iowa / North Scott HS) is currently tied for 96th after round one with an 80 (+8). Gracie Russell (Woodhull, Ill. / Alwood HS) is tied for 114th with an 82 (+10), and Payton Morton (Twin Lakes, Wis. / Wilmot HS) rounded out the five for the Spartans with an 86 (+14) and tied for 140th.

Hear from Dustin Bierman
"The team played solid today and did a great job of hanging tough mentally. These courses are not easy, and you have to be locked in and committed on each shot, and I feel like we did that for the most part. Drew played great today and rolled it great on the greens. Our leader, Leah, did what she always does and got us a great score with a 73 today. Got to play even better tomorrow if we want to keep this thing going. Should be a lot of fun."

The Spartans will play the Mountain View course tomorrow starting at 9:45 a.m. (CT) / 7:45 a.m. (PT) and will be looking to make a push to make the 36-hole cut for the first time in program history. After the conclusion of Wednesday's second round, the field will be cut to 15 teams, and the top six individuals not on one of those teams will compete in the final two rounds on Thursday and Friday this week.


UD Individual Standings
T18. Leah Balsbaugh (73)
T45. Drew Hoffer (76)
T96. Kaycee Newman (80)
T114. Gracie Russell (82)
T140. Payton Morton (86)

Team Standings
1. Carnegie Mellon (291)
2. Washington & Lee (292)
3. Emory (293)
4. New York (296)
5. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (297)
6. Middlebury (298)
T7. Amherst (300)
T7. Randolph-Macon (300)
9. Pomona-Pitzer (303)
T10. WashU (304)
T10. Redlands (304)
T12. Williams (306)
T12. Carelton (306)
T14. Sewanee (307)
T14. Illinois Wesleyan (307)
16. University of Dubuque (311)
T17. Mary Hardin-Baylor (312)
T17. Denison (312)
T19. George Fox (317)
T19. Grinell (317)
T21. Saint Mary's (IN) (319)
T21. Piedmont (319)
T23. Ohio Northern (322)
T23. Marymount (VA) (322)
25. LeTourneau (323)
26. York (PA) (325)
27. Aurora (326)
28. UW-Stout (327)
29. Northwestern-St. Paul (334)
30. Washington & Jefferson (344)
31. Catholic (DC) (347)
32. Transylvania (349)
33. SUNY Cortland (365)
34. Suffolk (372)