STANFORD, Calif. – Coming within a putt of claiming back-to-back NCAA Championships, the 2015-16 Stanford women’s golf team produced another stellar season by winning four tournaments and a season-ending No. 5 national ranking by Golfstat.
Seniors Lauren Kim and Mariah Stackhouse capped fantastic four-year careers by earning WGCA All-American and Pac-12 All-Conference first team honors.
Kim was a first team All-America for the third-consecutive year, becoming just the fourth player in program history to accomplish the feat. She posted a team-best 71.87 scoring average, No. 4 in the country, earned five top 10s, and finished in the top 20 in all but one event. She was also named the Pac-12 Women’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Stackhouse was chosen a second team All-America, marking the fourth-straight year she has been picked. She also became the first player in program history to make the Pac-12 All-Conference first team four years in a row. Stackhouse averaged 72.33 and ranked No. 23 in the nation. She recorded four top 10 showings and once again, saved her best for last, winning all three NCAA matches and was 5-1 the last two years.
Sophomore Shannon Aubert was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention choice. She averaged 72.97 and ranked No. 52 in the country. Aubert placed in the top 20 five times.
Danielson matched Kim with five top 10 finishes.
Danielson, Kim, Stackhouse and junior Quirine Eijkenboom received Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention accolades.
After winning the first NCAA crown in program history in 2015, the Cardinal advanced to the title match against Pac-12 foe Washington at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Oregon. Stanford finished second in the 72-hole medal play qualifying to garner one of eight match play berths, then earned hard-fought 3-2 quarterfinal and semifinal victories against South Carolina and Duke, respectively.
Kim, Stackhouse, Danielson, Aubert, and freshman Sierra Kersten all contributed clutch performances. Danielson collected her second career hole-in-one on the first day of qualifying. She tied for sixth with rounds of 71-70-74-68 to finish at 5-under 283, while Aubert earned a share of 11th with scores of 74-72-72-69 to finish at 1-under 287. Both received NCAA flags for their performances.
In the final round, the Cardinal combined for a 9-under score of 279, lowest of the tournament.
In the tight and dramatic final against Washington, Stanford led early thanks to a fast start by Aubert, who made four front nine birdies and claimed the first point. Stackhouse prevailed on the second hole of sudden death to even the match at 2-2, leaving Kim and Husky freshman Julianne Alvarez to decide the outcome.
Kim slipped 3-down with three holes remaining, but rallied gamely to win the last three holes to force a playoff. The first hole was halved with pars, but Alvarez prevailed on the second, the par-4 18th, with a brilliant up-and-down par save from just short of the green to secure a 1-up victory.
“I don’t feel like anyone is walking away a loser,” said Anne Walker, the Milias Director of Women’s Golf.
The Cardinal reached Eugene by tying for first with top-ranked USC in the NCAA Stanford Regional Championships at Stanford Golf Course. It was only the second regional title in program history, the first coming in 2007.
Danielson tied for fourth with rounds of 72-68-71 to finish at 2-under 211. Stanford also received top 20 showings from Stackhouse (t-6) and Kim (14th) in their final home appearances.
Two of the most accomplished players in program history, Kim accumulated 21 top 10s. Stackhouse departs The Farm with four individual wins and 28 top 10s. She also holds the all-time NCAA record for women’s golf, shooting a course record 10-under 61 at Stanford in the Peg Barnard Invitational as a freshman in 2013.
“They have been an unbelievable duo for Stanford women’s golf,” Walker said. “Every school scoring record has been shattered multiple times since they set foot on campus. Their legacy will last forever.”
The 2015-16 team posted wins at the Branch Law Invitational, Stanford Intercollegiate, Silverado Showdown and NCAA Stanford Regional Championships. The squad finished in the top 10 in every event.