COLUMBUS, Ga. — With the fall season concluded, Stanford women’s golf is the top-ranked team in the country. It comes as no surprise that a trio of Cardinal is on the Final Fall ANNIKA Award Watch List, based on their performances from the fall season.
Headlining the list is Megha Ganne, who had the best fall of her collegiate career. Ganne won her second tournament when she finished in the top spot at the Nanea Invitational, the final event of the fall. She shot a 9-under 210 across three rounds, including a 6-under 67 in the opening round. Her only other fall tournament came in the Stanford Invitational, where she finished in a tie for third. In a small sample size, her scoring average of 69.17 would break the Stanford single-season scoring record held by Rose Zhang (69.68) if continued for the duration of the season.
Paula Martin Sampedro is back on the list after being named a finalist for the award in the spring of 2024. Statistically, she is right on track with her career averages, shooting a 70.78 in the first nine rounds of her sophomore season. She also scored her first collegiate win by tying for first at The Molly Invitational, the first tournament of the new year. As was the case during her Pac-12 Freshman of the Year season, Martin Sampedro has been under par in every tournament.
Meja Ortengren is the lone freshman on the list for Stanford, and deservedly so. In her first three collegiate tournaments, Ortengren has finished in the top five in all three. Her best finish came in the Nanea Invitational, where she was just one stroke back of Ganne for the win and settled for a share of second. She has been at par or better in eight of nine rounds and won all three of her matches during the NB3 Collegiate Matchplay at Twin Warriors.
22 golfers made this year’s Final Fall ANNIKA Award Watch List. Stanford is the only school in the country with three represented. USC and Florida State each have two.
Created in 2014, the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel is annually given to the top female Division 1 collegiate golfer; the winner is voted on by players, coaches, and members of the college golf media. Named for Annika Sorenstam, the award was created in partnership with the Haskins Foundation to acknowledge the top female golfer and to match the Haskins Award presented by Stifel, which acknowledges the top male Division I collegiate golfer.
Stifel, one of the nation's leading wealth management and investment banking firms, is the presenting sponsor of the ANNIKA and Haskins Awards, which recognize annually the most outstanding NCAA Division I female and male college golfers. Stifel also sponsors the NCAA Division I Women's and Men's Golf Championships on GOLF Channel.