SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - For the first time in program history, the Wake Forest women’s golf team captured the National Championship, defeating USC in the title match, 3-1, Wednesday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The No. 2 ranked Demon Deacons jumped out to early advantages in multiple matches led by graduate student Emilia Migliaccio who won the very first hole of the first match on the course. Seniors Rachel Kuehn and Lauren Walsh also gained an early advantage on hole No. 1.
All three of the matches proved vital for the Deacs National Championship aspirations.
Migliaccio and Walsh both took multi-hole advantages on No. 3 and Walsh continued to stretch her lead out from there. She went on to win hole No. 4 and hole No. 7 to take a commanding 5UP lead at that point.
Kuehn also hit her stride around the turn winning three consecutive holes on No. 7, No. 8 and No. 9 to go 3UP against her Trojan opponent. Kuehn continued to build on her advantage, winning hole No. 11 to go 4UP with seven holes left to play.
On hole No. 14, Migliaccio made a huge birdie putt that helped swing the match in her favor with four holes to play. The left-to-right breaker from 15 feet found the center of the center of the cup, putting her 2UP.
The very next hole Migliaccio all but put her match away with an incredible second shot that nearly went in the hole from the fairway. She finished off the 3-foot birdie to go 3UP with three holes to play.
Kuehn continued to play well throughout the back nine, winning holes No. 11, No. 13 and No. 14 to win 6&4 and put the first point on the board for the Demon Deacons.
Migliaccio claimed the second point just minutes later on No. 16, winning her match 4&2 with an impressive par on the par three. At that point, the Deacs were in the lead in two more matches on the course.
Walsh much like she did a year ago in the 2022 ACC Championship victory clinched the national championship for the Demon Deacons on hole No. 16, winning her match against her Trojan opponent, 3&2.
Rhodes was on the No. 17 looking to close out her match, but with Walsh completing her match it went unfinished.
This marks the first national championship in program history and women’s golf becomes the sixth Demon Deacon program to win a national championship, the first since men’s tennis in 2018 and the 10th overall for the school
Wake Forest National Championship Teams
• 2023 - Women’s Golf
• 2018 - Men’s Tennis
• 2007 - Men’s Soccer
• 2004 - Field Hockey
• 2003 - Field Hockey
• 2002 - Field Hockey
• 1986 - Men’s Golf
• 1975 - Men’s Golf
• 1974 - Men’s Golf
• 1955 - Baseball
Wake Forest becomes the only school with less than 5,500 current undergraduates to have won NCAA team titles in six unique sports.
A charter member of the ACC, Wake Forest is one of seven ACC schools to win 10 or more national championships, tying Florida State. This does not include claimed Division I-A/FBS football championships, or Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championships.
The Demon Deacons have had a historic year during the 2022-23 season with six team titles and two individual titles from back-to-back ACC Player of the Year Rachel Kuehn. The six titles is one more than the previous program record which was set last season.
During the 2021-22 season, Wake Forest won four regular-season titles, which tied the program record from 2019-20. Prior to that, the last time the Deacs won three regular season titles was in 1994-95 and 1995-96.
