T-Bird (W-Golf) Finishes Round 1 in 5th Place at Nationals

The Thunderbirds are in fifth place following Round 1 of the 2026 NJCAA DI Women's Golf Championship after posting a 31-over team total of 315.

No. 1 Odessa College leads at 19-over par for the tournament. No. 2 Daytona State is right behind in second at 20-over. No. 3 Seminole State is in third place at 25-over and No. 5 Eastern Florida State shot 26-over in fourth place. The T-Birds are fifth just 12 shots back of first place Odessa.

Ivanna Gerez of Redlands CC and Jamie Lowry of Daytona State lead the tournament individually at 2-over par.

NMJC was led on the course by Sophie Brothwood. The sophomore ended her first round in a tie for 11th place at 5-over par. The Shropshire, England native started her round with a birdie on the first hole. 

Brothwood recorded four pars and four bogeys over her next eight holes to make the turn in 38 (+3). The back nine featured two bogeys and seven pars on her way to another 38 (+2). The freshman opened her nationals with a 5-over 76. 

Tova Sandren finished Round 1 in a tie for 15th place at 6-over par. Sandren started her first seven holes 5-over after registering two pars and five bogeys. She made two pars to go out in 40 (+5). The Halmstad, Sweden native made her only birdie of the day on Hole No. 13 and was 1-under between No. 8 and No. 15. Sandren made bogeys on No. 16 and No. 18 to post a 6-over 77 in her opening round. 

Giuliana Frutos recorded a 7-over 78 in her first round to sit T-21. The freshman made just three bogeys on her opening nine to start with a 3-over 38 on the front. The back nine started with a bogey and then she made five consecutive pars. Frutos finished with three straight bogeys to shoot 40 (+4) on the back and finish 7-over. 

Ella Cornwell finished Round 1 in a tie for 53rd place at 13-over. Cornwell made four bogeys in her first five holes and a double on Hole No. 7 as she made the turn with a 41 (+6). The Ormskirk, England native's back nine featured seven bogeys and two pars as she came in with a 43 (+7) to shoot 13-over for the tournament.  

Megan Dawson had a tough day in Coal Valley. The freshman shot a 17-over 88 in Round 1 to end the day in a tie for 69th place. Dawson shot a 10-over 45 on the front nine and a 7-over 43 on the back nine.

Tee times for Round 2 are as follows, Ella Cornwell will tee off on Hole 10 at 8:45 a.m. CDT, Megan Dawson at 8:54 a.m. CDT, Giuliana Frutos at 9:03 a.m. CDT, Sophie Brothwood at 9:12 a.m. CDT, and Tova Sandren at 9:21 a.m. CDT.

T-Bird fans can follow the live scoring by clicking here and for live updates follow NMJC women's golf's Instagram @nmjc_wgolf.