Youngstown State University
Roseann Schwartz Invitational Presented by Chick-fil-A Tiffany Square Plaza
YSU Women’s Golf Hosts Roseann Schwartz Invitational on Monday to Open 2026-27 Season
8/28/2026 10:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
The Youngstown State women's golf team will open its 2026-27 season on Monday when it plays host to the 12th annual Roseann Schwartz Invitational Presented by Chick-fil-A Tiffany Square Plaza at Avalon at Buhl Park in Hermitage, Pa.
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 Roseann Schwartz Invitational will feature 10 other schools including Akron, Bowling Green, Chicago State, Dayton, Eastern Illinois, IU Indianapolis, Le Moyne, Maryland Eastern Shore, Mercyhurst and Ohio State.
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 5,901 yards and par is 70. 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 Inés González Ortega, Neeranuch Prajunpanich, Valentina Peña Anaya, Sofia Perez Escarcena and Eliza Mercer. In addition, Hailey Boss, Bella Saur and Matilyn Zines will be competing as individuals for the Penguins.
The event is named in honor of Roseann Schwartz, who was YSU's women's golf coach from the program's inception in 1996 until 2013. Schwartz led the Penguins to 33 tournament victories and two Horizon League titles during her tenure. She was inducted into the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.
Avalon at Buhl Park is located at 1030 Forker Blvd, Hermitage, PA 16148
Season Preview
Looking to Build on Successful 2025-26
- Youngstown State will be looking to build on a successful 2025-26 season in which the Penguins matched the single-season school record with five tournament victories for the second straight 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 2025-26 season marked the sixth time in program history the Penguins won five tournaments in a single campaign.
- The Guins have now won five events in a season four times under Head Coach Nate Miklos, who also guided his team to five tournament victories in 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2024-25.
- Youngstown State earned a runner-up finish at the 2026 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 945 to come in 12 strokes back of Oakland, which claimed the HL title for the third straight season.
Prajunpanich Returns After Repeating as HL Golfer of the Year
- Neeranuch Prajunpanich returns for her fourth season as a Penguin after repeating as Horizon League Women's Golfer of the Year as a junior in 2025-26. Prajunpanich, who became the sixth player in program history to be named HL Golfer of the Year in 2024-25, joined Samantha Formeck (2009, 2010) as the second Penguin to collect the honor in two different seasons. The Samut Prakan, Thailand, native also became just the fifth player in program history to earn first-team all-league recognition at least three times.
- Prajunpanich participated in all 12 tournaments including all 27 stroke-play rounds as a junior in 2025-26. She averaged a team-best 74.4 strokes per round with a low round of 64. Prajunpanich's 74.4 strokes-per-round average ranks as the fifth-lowest single-season mark in program history. She earned three individual tournament wins, eight top five finishes and 10 top 15 performances in 11 stroke-play events last season.
- Prajunpanich fired a career-low and bogey-free round of 64 to finish at eight under par and claim medalist honors by 11 strokes at the YSU Kickoff last September. The junior matched the single-round school record of 64 that was set by Katlyn Shutt (2017-21) at the Roseann Schwartz Invitational on Sept. 4, 2018. Prajunpanich carded 11 pars, six birdies and an eagle during her historic round.
- With three individual tournament wins in 2025-26, Prajunpanich eclipsed the previous school record of eight career wins, which was held by Emily Dixon (2014-16). She was twice named the Under Armour Horizon League Women's Golfer of the Week during the spring portion of the 2025-26 season. Prajunpanich finished tied for sixth at the 2026 Horizon League Women's Golf Championship with a three-round total of 232 (77-79-76).
Additional Returning Experience
- In addition to Prajunpanich, Youngstown State returns five other players with at least one season of collegiate experience.
- Sofia Perez Escarcena was named Second-Team All-Horizon League for the second consecutive season as a sophomore in 2025-26. The Estepona, Spain, native participated in all 12 tournaments and all 27 stroke-play rounds for the Penguins as a sophomore last season. Perez Escarcena averaged 76.9 strokes per round with a low round of 68 during her sophomore campaign. She earned one individual tournament win, five top 10 finishes and eight top 25 performances in 11 stroke-play events in 2025-26. Perez Escarcena earned her first career individual win with a three-round score of 216 (76-68-72) at the Total Athlete Collegiate on Sept. 8-9.
- Perez Escarcena participated in all 11 tournaments and 28 rounds as a freshman in 2024-25 while averaging 77.3 strokes per round with a low round of 73.
- Valentina Peña Anaya participated in all 12 tournaments including all 27 stroke-play rounds for the Penguins as a sophomore in 2025-26. The Mexico City, Mexico, native averaged 77.1 strokes per round with a low round of 69 last season. She earned one individual tournament win, five top 10 finishes and eight top 25 performances in 11 stroke-play events in 2025-26. Peña Anaya was named the Under Armour Horizon League Women's Golfer of the Week on April 9, 2026, after earning medalist honors at the YSU Spring Invitational with a two-round score of 149 (74-75).
- Peña Anaya participated in all 11 tournaments and 28 rounds during a stellar debut collegiate season in 2024-25. She finished with a 76.4 strokes-per-round average and a low round of 70 while earning Horizon League Freshman of the Year honors.
- Bella Saur competed in a total of 11 tournaments and 23 stroke-play rounds for the Penguins as a sophomore in 2025-26. The Grove City, Ohio, native participated in six tournaments and 13 rounds as a true freshman in 2024-25.
- Maureen Burns and Matilyn Zines each gained the first experience of their collegiate careers in 2025-26. Burns competed in six tournaments and 13 rounds last season with a low round of 74 after redshirting in 2024-25. Zines, who also redshirted during the 2024-25 season, participated in seven tournaments and 14 rounds with a low round of 76 during the 2025-26 campaign.
Talented Underclassmen
- YSU welcomes a pair of talented newcomers to the roster in 2025-26. Freshmen Inés González Ortega and Eliza Mercer are each expected to make an important impact for the Penguins in their debut collegiate seasons.
- González Ortega, who was ranked No. 2145 in the World Amateur Golf rankings at the time of her signing, qualified first in the stroke play portion of Copa Federación Cántabra WAGR in 2025 with a 36-hole total of seven under par to advance to match play. The Santander, Cantabria, Spain, native proceeded to win all three matches during the match play portion of the event to claim the championship. She finished fourth at the Grand Prix De Pau in 2025 with a 72-hole total of 274 (64-70-70-70), and she finished tied for 10th at the Spanish U18 Championship in 2025 with a 72-hole total of 302 (73-76-76-77).
- Mercer was a two-time Ohio Capital Conference Player of the Year and four-time First-Team All-OCC selection at Gahanna Lincoln High School in Gahanna, Ohio. She was named the OCC Player of the Year for the second time after earning five first place finishes and breaking a pair of school records as a senior in 2025. Mercer set a new school mark for lowest individual nine-hole score with a 31 while surpassing her own previous record for lowest individual 18-hole score with a 69.
- González Ortega and Mercer are scheduled to make their collegiate debuts on Monday as part of YSU's five-player lineup at the Roseann Schwartz Invitational.
- In addition to YSU's two freshmen, sophomore Hailey Boss is also slated to make her collegiate debut at the Roseann Schwartz Invitational on Monday. Boss did not see action in any tournaments as a freshman in 2025-26. The Canal Winchester, Ohio, native was a four-year letterwinner and four-time All-Ohio Capital Conference selection at Canal Winchester High School.
Roster Breakdown
- Youngstown State's nine-player roster in 2026-27 features five players from the state of Ohio and four international student-athletes hailing from Mexico, Spain and Thailand.
- YSU's roster includes one senior, five juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen.
For the latest news and updates throughout the 2026-27 season, follow @YSUWomensGolf on X and Instagram.
