North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational
Women’s Golf Picks Up Third-Place Showing in Chapel Hill
10/18/2026 4:58:00 PM | Women's Golf
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The NC State women's golf team tallied 11 wins, including four versus top 15 opponents and host North Carolina, with a third-place finish at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational. NC State shot a 6-over 858 (278-288-292) across the 54 holes and had three players round up in the top 20 and all five finish in the top 30.
The weekend featured three completely different weather conditions to work through. NC State took advantage of great conditions on Friday, which featured light winds and sunshine, logging a 6-under 278 to hold a 1-shot lead after 18. Through tough conditions in the second round, NC State prevailed and finished strong with a 4-over 288, the third best score on the day. The final round featured higher winds and chillier temperatures and the Pack went through a roller coaster of a round, logging an 8-over 292.
Elizabeth Sullivan carded a 1-over 214 (69-70-75) for the tournament to finish in a tie for 10th. Her 54-hole score and finish both marked career bests and her first top 10 showing. Her most impressive round was in the second with a nearly clean card behind two birdies, 15 pars and one bogey against tough conditions. The 69 in the first round marked her third career round in the 60s. Sullivan had the best par 3s average (3.89) in the field.
Bonnie Lo was steady all weekend, carding a 3-over 216 to tie for 15th. Her 54-hole score tied a career-low and her top 15 finish marked a career-best showing. She finished the weekend with nine birdies. Lo has two top 20 finishes in her first three tournaments.
Marie Eline Madsen followed with a 4-over 217 (74-73-70) to tie for 18th. Madsen was 5-over par through two rounds and recovered well in the final round to move up seven spots in the leaderboard to earn a top-20 finish. In the third round, she had three birdies and six pars in the back nine to finish strong. Across her Wolfpack career, Madsen has finished in the top 20 in all but two tournaments.
Violeta Fernandez-Tagle counted in all three rounds and logged a 6-over 219 (73-73-73) in her third appearance in the lineup for the Wolfpack. She finished just outside the top 20 with a tie for 23rd. Fernandez-Tagle also had the sixth most pars in the field with 38.
Ellie Hildreth finished the weekend with a 7-over 220 (66-78-76) to tie for 28th. She started the weekend out hot with a career-low 66 behind five birdies, 12 pars and one bogey, hitting a lot of fairways and draining several putts. With her 66, she led the field after 18 holes and despite not having her best performances on days two and three, Hildreth still finished in the top 30 in a competitive field.
NC State had the second best par 4s average (4.10) and third most birdies (42) in the tournament.
Individual Scores
T10 - Elizabeth Sullivan: 69-70-75=214 (+1)
T15 - Bonnie Lo: 70-72-74=216 (+3)
T18 - Marie Eline Madsen: 74-73-70=217 (+4)
T23 - Violeta Fernandez-Tagle: 73-73-73=219 (+6)
T28 - Ellie Hildreth: 66-78-76=220 (+7)
Team Scores
1 - No. 10 Duke: -11
2 - No. 33 Virginia Tech: +1
3 - NC State: +6
4 - No. 1 Wake Forest: +9
5 - Boston College: +20
6 - No. 9 Florida: +21
7 - No. 7 Miami: +25
8 - No. 49 Michigan State: +28
9 - No. 15 Princeton: +30
10 - No. 44 North Carolina: +32
11 - James Madison: +33
12 - Charlotte: +39
13 - Rollins: +57
14 - Southern Miss: +58
Upcoming
The women's golf team will wrap up the fall season next week at Landfall Tradition at Landfall Country Club in Wilmington from Friday, Oct. 23 to Sunday, Oct. 25.
