PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - The No. 25 ranked Colorado State University Pueblo women's golf team battled through a grueling day Tuesday at the 2026 NCAA Division II National Championships, as the ThunderWolves were forced to finish the final nine holes of round one early in the morning before immediately turning around to play round two at PGA National.
After weather suspended play Monday afternoon, CSU Pueblo returned to the course early Tuesday morning to wrap up the opening round in South Florida.
Lisa Ekberg put together one of the best stretches of golf of the morning for the ThunderWolves, firing a 36 on her back nine to finish round one with an 81. Thale Victoria Estensen also closed her opening round strong, carding a 38 on her final nine holes to finish with a first-round 75.
Senior captain Freya Constable finished with an opening-round 79, while Olivia Heard rounded out the team scoring with an 83 as the ThunderWolves posted an opening-round team score of 318.
The ThunderWolves also welcomed Yale Lee back into the lineup for round two after she missed the opening round due to illness Monday night.
Following the completion of round one, CSU Pueblo immediately headed back onto the course for the second round of the national championship, facing one of the toughest tests in Division II golf on PGA National's championship layout.
Constable and Heard led the way for the Pack in round two, each carding rounds of 78. Constable opened her day with a stellar front-nine 35 before finishing at 6-over-par for the round, while Heard stayed steady throughout the afternoon with matching 39s on both nines.
Although her score does not count toward the team total or individual standings after missing round one, Lee delivered one of the more impressive rounds of the day for CSU Pueblo, shooting a 79 in round two. The sophomore showcased consistency on the difficult back nine, recording eight pars while navigating the famed "Bear Trap" at even par.
Estensen battled back after a difficult opening nine in round two that saw her card a 44, but the freshman regrouped in impressive fashion on the back side, shooting just 1-over-par over her final nine holes, including an even-par stretch through the Bear Trap.
Ekberg rounded out the ThunderWolves' scoring efforts in round two with an 82 as CSU Pueblo improved by two strokes, carding a second-round 316.
Through two rounds of stroke play, the ThunderWolves have now posted team scores of 318 and 316 against one of the strongest fields in Division II golf.
The ThunderWolves will now turn their attention to the third and final round of stroke play Wednesday morning as CSU Pueblo looks to make a push into the top eight and qualify for the match play portion of the NCAA Division II National Championships.
The Pack is scheduled to tee off beginning at 7:27 a.m. Mountain Time on hole No. 10 at PGA National.
On the team leaderboard, No. 2 ranked Dallas Baptist University sits atop the standings at 11-over-par, while Wingate University is just one shot back at 12-over-par. The top eight teams following Wednesday's final round of stroke play will advance to match play to compete for the national championship.
