Indiana women’s golf finished its 2025 fall season Sunday with an eighth-place finish at the Landfall Tradition in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Hoosiers were only two shots behind Southern Methodist University after a 1-over-par total score in the first round. However, an 11-over-par second round crushed any chance of winning.
The Cream and Crimson were resilient in the third round after an even-par total score to finish the three-day tournament at 12-over-par, but the University of North Carolina ran ahead of the competition after finishing seven under par.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington held the event from Oct. 24-26 at the Country Club of Landfall. The tournament saw 18 teams enter the event on a par-72, 6,106-yard course. 13 teams were ranked in the National Collegiate Golf Ranking System by Clipped, including Indiana at No. 38.
Senior Madison Dabagia led the way for the Hoosiers on the individual scoreboard. Bouncing back from a 2-over-par second round, Dabagia finished the tournament tied for sixth after going four under par.
She started the tournament with an up-and-down 3-under-par 69. Dabagia finished Friday with eight birdies, five of which came on the back nine. However, three bogeys and a double bogey on the third hole hurt her strong performance.
The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native was more consistent in the second round. She started her round with a bogey on the first hole. Dabagia rebounded with a birdie on six before two consecutive bogeys on the seventh and eighth holes. She recorded pars on the rest of the holes to card a 74.
Her third round also finished with a 3-under-par 69 performance. Compared to Friday, Dabagia only had five birdies and two bogeys. With the third round having a shotgun start, she finished her round with a par on the fifth hole after having two consecutive birdies on three and four.
Redshirt junior Sheridan Clancy and redshirt senior Maddie May were the next-best performers for the Hoosiers. Clancy finished tied for 25th after going 3-over-par, while May was closely behind with a 4-over-par total that placed her tied for 29th.
Clancy started the tournament with a 2-under-par 70 in the first round. The Perth, Australia, native bounced back from three bogeys on the front nine. May could not find her footing for most of Friday. She finished the day with a 3-over-par 75 after producing four bogeys and one birdie.
However, the second round was a different story for the pair. May capitalized on an eagle on the 12th hole to finish the round with an even-par 72. She also produced a birdie on the fifth hole, but three bogeys kept her from going under par.
Clancy finished Saturday with a 5-over-par 77. She had a rough spot between the sixth and ninth holes. Clancy had four bogeys or worse with a double-bogey on the par-3 eighth hole. An even-par 36 on the back nine kept the front nine damage to a minimum.
She rebounded on Sunday with an even-par 72. Starting on the seventh hole, she birdied the sixth hole to finish her round after a total of three birdies and three bogeys. May had a rough start to the third round after bogeying her first four holes. The Christchurch, New Zealand, native salvaged her round with three birdies to finish the day with a 1-over-par 73.
Junior Katie Poots did not record any scorecards better than a 2-over-par 74 on the final day. Poots opened the tournament with a 3-over-par 75 that included six bogeys and three birdies.
Her second round did not start any better, as Poots bogeyed the first three holes. More bogeys came in pairs as she recorded them on the eighth and ninth holes, plus the 16th and 17th holes. Poots also produced three birdies, but the seven bogeys held her to a 4-over-par 76.
The Belfast, Ireland, native found more consistency on Sunday, as Poots had four bogeys and two birdies on her scorecard. She recorded two consecutive bogeys after starting her round on the eighth hole, but back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth holes helped Poots reach her best total score of the tournament.
Sophomore Cara Heisterkamp was the last Hoosier to compete in the tournament. She finished the first and second rounds with an 8-over-par 80, while her 4-over-par 76 in the third round capped off a 20-over-par total score. She finished the tournament tied for 88th out of the 96 golfers.
Indiana women’s golf will have time to practice and prepare for the Florida Atlantic University Paradise Invitational. The tournament will be held Feb. 2-4 at Osprey Point Golf Course in Boca Raton, Florida.
