The Youngstown State women's golf team will be chasing its fifth league title when the 2026 Horizon League Golf Championships begin on Saturday at Mission Resort + Club in Howey-In-The-Hills, Fla.
The three-day, 54-hole event will take place at Mission's El Campeon course as the teams will play 18 holes on Saturday, Sunday and Monday to determine the conference champion. Live scoring will be available throughout the tournament via Scoreboard Live through links posted on YSUsports.com.
The Penguins finished as the runner-up at the 2025 Horizon League Championships with a three-round team total of 929. After posting scores of 313 and 312 over the first two rounds, respectively, YSU concluded the tournament with a 304 in the final round to finish two shots back of Oakland.
The women's tournament field will feature six other teams including Detroit Mercy, Green Bay, IU Indy, Northern Kentucky, Oakland and Purdue Fort Wayne.
The Penguins, who enter the tournament as the top seed, will tee off on No. 1 beginning at 12:50 p.m. on Saturday. Tee times for Sunday and Monday will be based on current placement.
Head Coach Nate Miklos has announced that YSU's five-player lineup will feature Neeranuch Prajunpanich, Maddi Shoults, Sofia Perez Escarcena, Bella Saur and Valentina Peña Anaya. In addition, Matilyn Zines will be available as a possible substitute.
YSU's Saturday Tee Times:
- Peña Anaya – 12:50 p.m.
- Saur – 1:02 p.m.
- Perez Escarcena – 1:14 p.m.
- Shoults – 1:26 p.m.
- Prajunpanich – 1:38 p.m.
Youngstown State is coming off a 12th-place team finish in Ohio State's Therese Hession Buckeye Invitational on April 17-18 at the OSU Golf Club's Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. The Penguins earned their school-record-tying fifth tournament victory of the 2025-26 season on April 6 at the YSU Spring Invitational. The 2025-26 season marks the sixth time in program history that the Penguins have won five tournaments in a single campaign. The Guins have now won five events in a season three times under Miklos, who also guided his team to five tournament victories in 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2024-25.
Prajunpanich will be competing at the Horizon League Championship for the third time in her career. The Samut Prakan, Thailand, native won the individual title at the 2025 Horizon League Championship with a three-round score of 222 (78-71-73) to become the first individual in program history to qualify for the NCAA Regionals. Prajunpanich earned Horizon League All-Tournament Team honors for the second straight season after finishing as the individual runner-up as a freshman at the 2024 Horizon League Championship with a three-round score of 231 (76-76-79).
Prajunpanich, the reigning Horizon League Golfer of Year, has participated in all 11 tournaments including all 24 stroke-play rounds as a junior in 2025-26. She is averaging a team-best 74.1 strokes per round with a low round of 64. Prajunpanich has earned three individual tournament wins, eight top five finishes and nine top 15 performances in 10 stroke-play events this season. With three individual tournament wins this season, she has eclipsed the previous school record of eight career wins, which was previously held by Emily Dixon (2014-16). Prajunpanich was twice named the Under Armour Horizon League Women's Golfer of the Week during the spring portion of the 2025-26 season.
Shoults will be competing at the Horizon League Championship for the second time after making her debut at the league meet last season. The Circleville, Ohio, native finished tied for seventh at the 2025 Horizon League Championship as junior with a three-round total of 237 (83-77-77). Shoults was a two-time NAIA Second-Team All-American at Ottawa University Arizona prior to transferring to YSU prior to the 2024-25 season. The senior has participated in all 11 tournaments including all 24 stroke-play rounds for the Penguins this season. Shoults is averaging 75.2 strokes per round with a low round of 68. She has earned one individual tournament win, five top five finishes and nine top 25 performances in 10 stroke-play events in 2025-26.
Perez Escarcena will also be making her second appearance at the Horizon League Championship. The Estepona, Spain, native finished tied for 11th at the 2024 Horizon League Championship as a freshman with a three-round total of 239 (76-85-78). Perez Escarcena has participated in all 11 tournaments including all 24 stroke-play rounds this season. The sophomore is averaging 76.3 strokes per round with a low round of 68. She has earned one individual tournament win, five top 10 finishes and seven top 25 performances in 10 stroke-play events in 2025-26.
Saur will be making her debut at the Horizon League Championship on Saturday. The Grove City, Ohio, native has competed in 10 tournaments and 21 stroke-play rounds for the Penguins in 2025-26. The sophomore is averaging 80.8 strokes per round with a low round of 74. Saur has earned a pair of top 10 finishes and four top 25 performances this season.
Peña Anaya will also be competing at the Horizon League Championship for the second time. The Mexico City, Mexico, native placed 18th at the 2024 Horizon League Championship as a freshman with a three-round total of 243 (78-84-81). Peña Anaya, the reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Year, has participated in all 11 tournaments including all 24 stroke-play rounds this season. The sophomore is averaging 77.0 strokes per round with a low round of 69. She has earned one individual tournament win, four top 10 finishes and seven top 25 performances in 10 stroke-play events in 2025-26. Peña Anaya was named the Under Armour Horizon League Women's Golfer of the Week on April 9 after earning medalist honors at the YSU Spring Invitational on April 6.
YSU won the first-ever league meet in 2003, won again in 2009 and claimed the 2015 championship. The 2015 win marked the first NCAA Regional appearance for the Guins after claiming the league crown. Most recently, the Penguins won their fourth league title at the 2021 championships, which were held at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind. YSU advanced to the NCAA Columbus Regional for the second regional appearance in program history.
The Penguins have finished second on eight occasions and been third four times as well. The Guins have finished outside of the top three just six times. YSU's individual league champions have been Lori Hatcher (2003), Katie Rogner (2008), Samantha Formeck (2009), Allison Mitzel (2013), Emily Dixon (2015), Katlyn Shutt (2017, 2021) and Prajunpanich (2025).
The 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Regionals will take place May 11-13 at six different sites:
Ann Arbor, Mich. - U-M Golf Course
Chapel Hill, N.C. - UNC Finley Golf Course
Louisville, Ky. - University of Louisville Golf Club
Stanford, Calif. - Stanford Golf Course
Tallahassee, Fla. - Seminole Legacy Golf Club
Waco, Texas - Ridgewood Country Club
For news and updates throughout the 2026 Horizon League Golf Championships, follow @YSUWomensGolf on X and Instagram.
