Cowgirl Golf 2026 Season Preview

January 23, 2026 | Cowgirl Golf

Veteran-led Cowgirls aiming for sixth-straight NCAA Championship bid

STILLWATER - The No. 19-ranked Oklahoma State women's golf team enters its first spring season under the leadership of head coach Annie Young with one common ambition: to "get on the wall" at Karsten.

"Get on the Wall"
An unofficial mantra – and a genuine goal – for the 2025-26 Cowgirl Golf squad, the message refers to earning a spot for their team photo in the trophy room at Karsten Golf Club, a feat only achievable by winning a conference or national championship. The Pokes are poised to make a run at both this year after placing third at the Big 12 Championship and 15th at the NCAA Championship in 2025.

Back in the Saddle
Returning all six members of the Oklahoma State lineup at last year's NCAA Championship, the Cowgirls enjoyed a productive fall slate that included top-5 finishes in three of their four events. A 7-stroke victory at the Schooner Fall Classic (Sept. 20-21) highlighted the season, marking the program's 106th team tournament victory and its first since Apr. 23, 2023. Additionally, the team's final mark of 822 set a new school record for lowest 54-hole score.

Oklahoma State enters the spring as the Big 12's third-highest-ranked team, trailing only No. 12 UCF and No. 13 Arizona State in the official NCAA rankings. OSU was also ranked No. 19 in the Women's Golf Coaches Association's Nov. 14 poll, which marked the program's highest end-of-fall ranking since 2022.

Meet the Cowgirls
Ellie Bushnell is the Cowgirls' highest-ranked golfer in the Scoreboard by Clipp'd Division I individual rankings, sitting at No. 60. The junior produced a breakout fall campaign in which she led OSU in stroke average (71.18), average scoring against par (+0.4) and birdies (41). Bushnell also tied for the team-lead in top-10 finishes (2) and had the second-most rounds in the 60s (3).

The Granite Bay, California, native's standout performance came in the second round of the Schooner Fall Classic, where she carded a 5-under 65 to earn a share of the third-lowest 18-hole score in program history.

Fellow upperclassmen Marta Silchenko (Jr.) and Grace Kilcrease (Sr.) also contribute elite resumes to the Cowgirl lineup. The pair is ranked No. 79 and No. 80, respectively, after combining for 8 rounds in the 60s and 11 rounds at par-or-better in the fall. Kilcrease's T-3 finish at the Schooner Fall Classic and Silchenko's T-4 effort at the Prairie Dunes Invitational (Oct. 6-7) stand as the two best placements by a Cowgirl so far this season.

Additionally, Kilcrease will join elite company in April when she competes in the prestigious Augusta National Women's Amateur. Earlier this month, Kilcrease became the sixth Cowgirl ever to be invited to play in the tournament. Held at the world-renowned Augusta National Golf Club, the home of the Masters tournament, the event hosts 72 of the world's premier women amateurs from Apr. 1-4. The Springdale, Arkansas, native looks to become the first Cowgirl golfer to win the tournament.

Junior Sammie Miller rounds out OSU's quartet of upperclassmen, providing three years and 29 rounds of experience in the orange and black.
The team's trio of sophomores - Lucy Darr, Summer Lee, Tarapath Panya - return after each appearing in the 2025 NCAA Championship as freshmen. In the fall, Lee notably appeared in all four of the team's events, Panya played 3 of her 8 rounds at par-or-better, and Darr excelled at the Lady Clerico (Sept. 15-16), playing as an individual and tying for third place at 5-under.

Finally, a pair of freshmen completes this year's Cowgirl Golf squad. Yu-Chu Chen played in two of the team's four fall events and later represented her home country of Taiwan at the 2025 World Amateur Team Championships. Fellow freshman Sophia Ellestad has not yet made her collegiate debut, but continues to garner valuable amateur experience across the country. The Houston, Texas, native most recently played in the Sunshine State Amateur (Nov. 24-26) and the Women's California State Open (Dec. 17-19), placing top-10 in both.

Meet the Coaches
Head coach Annie Young and associate head coach Daniel Park enter their first spring season as a coaching duo with no shortage of experience.

Calling Young no stranger to Stillwater is perhaps an understatement. A former All-American, Big 12 Player of the Year, and two-time Big 12 individual champion as a player at OSU from 2002-05, Young returned to Oklahoma State in an assistant coaching role during the 2024-25 season. Prior to her return to Stillwater, Young earned a reputation as one of the nation's top head coaches, with stops at Cal State Northridge (2011-12), Colorado State (2012-18) and Tulsa (2018-24). In June 2025, she was announced as the Cowgirls' newest head coach, reprising the role she held from 2008-11. Her prior stint at the helm in Stillwater included a Big 12 Championship in 2008 and the program's first and only individual NCAA champion, Caroline Hedwall, in 2011.

Joining Young's staff is Daniel Park, a former standout golfer at Alabama State with over seven years of Division I coaching experience. Oklahoma State is Park's third stop at the collegiate level, following successful stints at UTSA (2018-21) and Houston (2021-25). Park also served as an assistant coach for the victorious Team International at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Cup.

The Schedule
The Cowgirls will cover plenty of ground this spring, beginning their campaign south of the border in Guadalajara, Mexico, before heading out west to Tucson, Arizona. Following are trips to Jacksonville, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada, before the Pokes make the short trip down I-35 for three straight tournaments in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Full schedule details – including tournament names, dates and venues – are listed below.

Collegiate Invitational
1/30-31 | Guadalajara Country Club | Guadalajara, Mexico

Thunderbird Intercollegiate
2/9-10 | Tucson Country Club | Tucson, Ariz.

UNF Collegiate
2/23-24 | Jacksonville Golf and Country Club | Jacksonville, Fla.

Lady Luck Invitational
3/2-3 | Las Vegas Country Club | Las Vegas, Nev.

Charles Schwab Invitational
3/23-24 | Colonial Country Club | Fort Worth, Texas

Huntington Bank Collegiate
4/6-7 | Trinity Forest Golf Club | Dallas, Texas

Big 12 Championship
4/23-25 | Dallas Athletic Club | Dallas, Texas

NCAA Regional
5/11-13 | TBD | TBD

NCAA Championship
5/22-27 | Omni La Costa Resort & Spa | Carlsbad, Calif.

With a strong fall season and plenty of experience at every level, the Cowgirls enter Spring 2026 with a clear goal in mind and the pieces in place to achieve it. The path to getting on the wall begins next Friday in Guadalajara.

25 conference titles. 31 NCAA Championship appearances. 44 All-Americans. For the latest news and updates on Oklahoma State Women's Golf, visit okstate.com or follow @CowgirlGolf on Instagram/Facebook and @OSUCowgirlGolf on X.