Underdog stories are entertaining. They’re inspiring. And they’re a part of what makes sports so special.
That’s just the kind of story the Northwestern Wildcats gave us this May.
On May 21, the Northwestern Wildcats women’s golf team defeated no. 1 seed Stanford and secured their first NCAA title.
Like almost all underdog teams, a long journey of hard work and progress led to the Wildcats’ national title. Head coach Emily Fletcher, alongside assistant Beth Miller, have been with the team for 17 years, cultivating a program of competitive student-athletes.
“They didn't go out to try to prove anybody wrong,” Fletcher said after the team’s win. “They just went out to just be themselves and to just compete as hard as they could.”
“They didn't go out to try to prove anybody wrong. They just went out to just be themselves and to just compete as hard as they could.”
The Wildcats’ title win required them to beat 2024 national champions, the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford was undefeated in stroke play this season heading into the NCAA tournament. They continued that dominance in this year’s tournament, finishing with the best 72-hole performance in NCAA history. But the Wildcats got the better of Stanford in match play, defeating the Cardinal 3-2.
Northwestern junior Dianna Lee secured the team’s win with a putt for par on the 18th hole. Lee’s own college golf journey might be called an underdog story. Just last year, Lee watched from the sidelines as the Wildcats placed 11th at the NCAA tournament. She had fallen out of the team’s top lineup that season.
This year, Lee’s season followed a different path. In her junior year, Lee became an integral part of the Wildcats’ success.
The national championship game was a homecoming of sorts for Lee, who grew up 20 miles from the course in Carlsbad, California. This time, with family and friends watching, it was Lee on the green instead of the sidelines as she sunk the most important shot of her career.
“It's so incredibly special. It's like no other,” Lee said. “You can't even explain what it means to win a championship in your hometown.”
The closeness and connection between the Wildcats’ players and coach Fletcher was on full display this tournament. From the celebration following Lee’s putt to the post-match interview, the players and their coach hugged and reveled together. Lee credits her game-winning performance to the support of her teammates.
“All I did was trust my team, and that’s what gave me the courage to make those putts today,” Lee said.
But Lee wasn’t the only factor in this national title. It took every team member to pull off this win. Each Wildcat team member won at least one match at the national championship, which was invaluable for the team to defeat their opponents 3-2 across all three rounds.
"I think more than doing what people don't think you can do, it's about doing what this group thought it could do," Fletcher said. "And that's all they did."
Northwestern’s championship run will be cemented as one of the best underdog stories in women’s golf. By believing in themselves and playing for one another, the Wildcats pulled off an improbably, inspiring win.
