RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – McKenzi Hall drained a 40-foot birdie putt to give UNLV the advantage and Mayumi Umezu dropped in a 4-footer to seal it on the second sudden-death playoff hole as the Rebels defeated San José State to claim the 2025 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Women’s Golf Championship at the par-72, 6,286-yard Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club.

The Spartans’ Lucia Lopez Ortega claimed the individual title by four strokes, winning SJSU’s third crown in the last four seasons.

Ortega shot a 3-under-par 69 on Thursday to finish at 5-under 211 (69-73-69) and clinch her first career MW title and third top-three finish at the Conference tournament, but it was her par on the par-5 18th that forced the team playoff.

After the squads finished tied at 18-over 882, UNLV and San José State headed back to play the 18th again, with the Rebels’ Zi Yu Foong and Ortega each birdieing the hole and the other three counters for each squad shooting par to extend the match yet another hole.

Back at Hole 1, Hall, playing in the first of the two fivesomes, put her second shot just shy of the rough at the back of the green, then rolled in a 40-footer to give UNLV the edge. In the second fivesome, Toa Yokoyama parred the hole before Umezu sank her short par attempt for the win.

The MW title was UNLV’s eighth overall and first since 2018.

The Rebels shot 8-over 296 in the final round to overcome a two-stroke deficit to the Spartans. Yokoyama finished third at even-par 216 (72-70-74) for the tournament after posting a 2-over 74 Thursday, while Foong was fourth at 2-over 218 (72-76-70), capping her 54 holes with a 2-under 70.

Ortega was joined in the top 10 by SJSU teammates Moa Andersson and Nicola Kaminski. Andersson shot a 4-over 76 Thursday to finish seventh at 5-over 221 (70-75-76) for the tournament, while Kaminski turned in a 3-over 75 in the final round to tie for eighth at 7-over 223 (77-71-75).

Nevada finished third at 25-over 889, matching San José State with a 10-over 296 Thursday. Anna Shultse finished second for the Wolf Pack’s best-ever individual showing at the MW Championship, firing a 2-under 70 over the final 18 holes to finish at 1-under 215 (70-75-70). Gabby Kano tied for eighth at 7-over 223 (77-74-72), closing with an even-par 72 to give Nevada a pair of top-10 finishers. The Wolf Pack’s third place finish was its second-best showing at the MW tournament, eclipsed only by a runner-up finish in 2019.

Colorado State was fourth at 892 (+28), bolstered by Kara Kaneshiro’s tie for fifth at 3-over 219 (71-73-75). Fresno State shot the low team round of the day at 1-over 289 to jump two spots into fifth, with Katelyn Lehigh tying for fifth after closing with a 1-under 71 for a 54-hole total of 219 (73-75-71). Vunissa Vu tied for eighth for the Bulldogs at 7-over 223 (72-77-74).

Boise State finished sixth at 902 (+38). The Broncos’ Teal Matsueda rounded out the top 10 as she also tied for eighth at 223 (74-74-75).

New Mexico was seventh (911, +47), San Diego State was eighth (914, +50) and Wyoming was ninth (926, +62).

With the tournament win, UNLV clinched the MW’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals, while Ortega earned the league’s individual bid. The NCAA selection show takes place Wednesday, April 23, at 1 p.m. ET and will air on the Golf Channel. Regionals will take place May 5-7 at various sites, with the final set for May 16-21 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California.

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