YPSILANTI, Mich. – The 2026 NAIA Women’s Golf National Championship is set for a dramatic finish Friday at Eagle Crest Golf Club in Ypsilanti, Mich., as British Columbia erased a four-shot deficit during Thursday’s second round and enters the final day tied atop the team leaderboard with Dalton State (Ga.) at 32-over par.
The Roadrunners carried the lead into the second round, but the defending national champion Thunderbirds steadily climbed throughout the afternoon to pull even heading into Friday’s final 18 holes. SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) sits just two shots back in third, while SCAD Savannah (Ga.) is three strokes off the pace in fourth, creating a tightly packed race entering the championship round.
Both SCAD campuses briefly occupied the top two positions during the day before Dalton State regained momentum late and UBC surged into a share of the lead.
In the individual race, Makena Junkin of Texas Wesleyan emerged with the 36-hole lead after a second-round 73 on Thursday. Junkin enters the final round at 3-over par overall, one shot clear of a four-way tie for second.
That group includes UBC’s Katherine Ha, Yunyi Luo of SCAD Savannah (Ga.), Dalton State’s Sara Burger, and Holly Lau of SCAD Atlanta (Ga.).
Hao followed an even-par opening round with a 4-over performance Thursday to remain firmly in contention, while Luo and Burger have each held at least a share of the individual lead during the championship. Lau delivered the low round of the day Thursday with an even-par 72 after opening the tournament with a 4-over 76.
SCAD Atlanta, Dalton State, and SCAD Savannah have separated themselves on the par fives throughout the championship. SCAD Atlanta leads the field at 5-over par on par-5 holes for the week, while Dalton State and SCAD Savannah are each 6-over. Fifth-place Southeastern University has been the tournament’s top par-4 scoring team, while UBC and Keiser University share the best par-3 scoring mark at 5-over par.
British Columbia has been the steadiest team in the field with 108 pars through two rounds, while Indiana Wesleyan leads the championship with 19 birdies. Claire Dubois has played a major role in that total, pacing the field at 2-under par on par-3 holes for the week.
Junkin leads all players with 29 pars through 36 holes, while Herry Ji and Grace Yao share the tournament lead with eight birdies apiece.
Three eagles have highlighted the championship so far, including Wednesday’s pair aces, along with a traditional eagle from Elizabeth Bigler of Columbia (Mo.).
Friday’s final round of the 54-hole championship begins at 7:30 a.m. Live coverage will air on Urban Edge Network and the NAIA Network via www.naia.org/watch while live scoring is available at www.naia.org/wgolf.
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