The Youngstown State women's golf team will open the 2025-26 season on Monday when it competes in the Tiger Classic hosted by Clemson at The Walker Course in Clemson, S.C.

Monday's event will begin a six-tournament fall schedule for the Penguins that will conclude in late October before the season resumes in the spring.

The tournament field at the Tiger Classic will feature 10 other schools including Augusta University, Campbell, Charlotte, Clemson, Gardner-Webb, Holy Cross, UNC Asheville, USC Upstate, Western Carolina and West Georgia.

The teams are scheduled to play 36 continuous holes on Monday in the one-day event. Play is scheduled to begin with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. The course will play approximately 6,209 yards and par is 72. Live scoring will be available via Scoreboard through links posted on YSUsports.com.

Head Coach Nate Miklos has announced that YSU's five-player lineup will feature Sofia Perez Escarcena, Neeranuch Prajunpanich, Bella Saur, Maddi Shoults and Valentina Peña Anaya. In addition, redshirt freshman Matilyn Zines will make her collegiate debut while competing as an individual for the Penguins.

Season Preview

Looking to Build on Successful 2024-25

• Youngstown State will be looking to build on a successful 2024-25 season that saw the Penguins claim a school record-tying five tournament victories and a runner-up finish at the 2025 Horizon League Championship.
• YSU matched the single-season school record with five tournament victories during the 2024-25 season. The Penguins picked up three wins during the fall portion of the campaign before winning two more team titles during the spring slate.
• The 2024-25 season marked the fifth time in program history the Penguins won five tournaments in a single campaign. The Guins have now won five events in a season three times under Head Coach Nate Miklos, who also guided his team to five tournament victories in 2020-21 and 2022-23.
• Youngstown State earned a runner-up finish at the 2025 Horizon League Women's Golf Championship at Mission Inn Resort + Club in Howey-In-The-Hills, Fla. The Penguins finished with a three-round team total of 929 to come in two strokes back of Oakland, which claimed the HL title for the second straight season.

Prajunpanich Returns After Historic Sophomore Season

• Neeranuch Prajunpanich returns for her third season as a Penguin after putting together a historic sophomore season in 2024-25 that featured an individual win at the Horizon League Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Regionals.
• Prajunpanich competed in 12 tournaments and a single-season school record 31 rounds during the 2024-25 campaign. She averaged 74.3 strokes per round, which is tied for the third-lowest single-season scoring average in program history, while recording a low round of 69. Prajunpanich was named the Under Armour Horizon League Women's Golfer of the Week on three occasions during the spring season. She earned seven top 10 finishes while finishing in the top 30 at 11 of 12 events. She was named the Horizon League Women's Golfer of the Year and selected to the All-Horizon League First Team on April 24.
• Prajunpanich earned five first-place finishes in 2024-25 to match the school record for wins in a campaign. She joined Jessica Lundblad (1997-98) as the only two players in program history to win five events in a season. Prajunpanich became YSU's first individual league champion since Katlyn Shutt claimed medalist honors at the 2021 HL Championship.
• Prajunpanich became the first individual in program history to qualify for the NCAA Regionals after winning individual medalist honors at the 2025 Horizon League Women's Golf Championship. Prajunpanich finished with a three-round score of 222 (78-71-73) at the HL Championship to pull away for an impressive seven-shot individual victory and earn Horizon League All-Tournament Team honors for the second straight season.
• Prajunpanich was named to the 2025 Horizon League Women's Golf All-Academic Team and the 2025 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Women's At-Large Team for her combined performance on the course in the classroom.

Guins Return Three Additional All-League Honorees

• In addition to Prajunpanich, Youngstown State returns three additional players who garnered All-Horizon League honors in 2024-25.
• Last season, Valentina Peña Anaya was selected as the Horizon League Women's Golf Freshman of the Year, and she was joined on the All-Horizon League Second Team by fellow newcomers Sofia Perez Escarcena and Maddi Shoults.
• Peña Anaya participated in all 11 tournaments and 28 rounds during a stellar debut collegiate season in 2024-25. The Mexico City, Mexico, native finished with a 76.4 strokes-per-round average and a low round of 70. Peña Anaya was named the Under Armour Horizon League Women's Golfer of the Week on April 10 after earning medalist honors at the YSU Spring Invitational. She earned a pair of first place finishes and five top 10 performances during her first collegiate campaign.
• Perez Escarcena was also rewarded for an impressive debut collegiate season with Second-Team All-Horizon League honors. The Estepona, Spain, native participated in all 11 tournaments and 28 rounds in 2024-25 while averaging 77.3 strokes per round with a low round of 73. Perez Escarcena earned one top 10 finish and seven top 25 performances during her freshman campaign. She finished tied for 11th in her debut at the Horizon League Championship.
• Shoults collected second-team all-league recognition after a successful debut season as a Penguin in 2024-25. The junior transfer and former NAIA All-American from Ottawa University Arizona participated in 10 tournaments and 25 rounds during her first season at the Division I level. She averaged 77.2 strokes per round with a low round of 68 while earning three top 10 finishes and six top 25 performances. Shoults earned medalist honors with a four-under-par round of 68 in her YSU debut at the season-opening YSU Kickoff on Sept. 2. She finished tied for seventh in her debut at the Horizon League Championship.

Rugola Provides Veteran Presence

• Adena Rugola will provide a veteran presence and additional experience for the Penguins as a senior in 2025-26.
•  The Uniontown, Pa., native has competed in 21 tournaments and 40 rounds over her first three seasons as a Penguin.
• Rugola participated in four tournaments and seven rounds in 2024-25 before having her season cut short due to injury.

Youth Movement

• In addition to sophomores Peña Anaya and Perez Escarcena, YSU's 2025-26 roster includes four additional underclassmen with at least three years of eligibility remaining.
• Rising sophomore Bella Saur participated in six tournaments and 13 rounds as a true freshman in 2024-25. The Grove City, Ohio, native averaged 80.5 strokes per round with a low round of 74 during her debut collegiate campaign.
• Maureen Burns and Matilyn Zines are poised to see their first collegiate action this upcoming season after redshirting in 2024-25 while true freshman Hailey Boss is expected to redshirt in 2025-26.

Roster Breakdown

• Youngstown State's nine-player roster in 2025-26 includes five players from the state of Ohio and one from Pennsylvania. There are also three international student-athletes hailing from Mexico, Spain and Thailand.
• YSU's roster includes two seniors, one junior, three sophomores and three freshmen.

Up Next

Following their season-opening event in Clemson, the Penguins will play host to the YSU Kickoff on Sept. 1 at Mill Creek Golf Course in Boardman, Ohio.

For the latest news and updates throughout the 2025-26 season, follow @YSUWomensGolf on X and Instagram.