That's a Wrap

Coloradan Lily Nelson records another stellar finish at women’s NCAA Div. II nationals, placing third; CSU-Pueblo 16th as a team in first full-team appearance at nationals

By Gary Baines 

Coloradan Lily Nelson has put together quite a run in the women’s NCAA Division II national championships over the last three years.

The 2022 Prairie View High School graduate wrapped up her senior season at Henderson State (Arkansas) on Thursday by finishing solo third out of the 93 players who completed three rounds in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

That showing comes after Nelson placed seventh individually at nationals in 2024 and 13th last year.

This week, she posted rounds of 73-70-74 for a 1-over-par total. The only players who finished ahead of her were DII champ Amely Bochaton of Wingate (-13) and runner-up Taylor Wilczek of St. Mary’s (Texas, even par).

For the three days, Nelson carded 11 birdies and 12 bogeys. She posted the best finish ever at nationals by a Henderson State women’s golfer.

Nelson came into the championship ranked 35th in the nation among female DII golfers. She won twice this season individually, giving her three college victories for her career. This season, she finished with two wins, a second place, two thirds, a fourth, a sixth, two ninths and a 10th. In only one tournament did she end up outside the top 10, placing 14th.

Meanwhile, CSU-Pueblo, competing as a team in the NCAA DII nationals for the first time, finished 16th out of 18 schools and failed to advance to the medal match-play portion of the event.

The ThunderWolves, winners of six team titles this season, ended up at 92 over par for three rounds in Palm Beach Gardens, where the top eight finishers made match play.

Freshman Thale Victoria Estensen (75-81-79) led CSU-Pueblo with a 53rd-place finish.

John Wristen, who led the CSU-Pueblo football team to the DII national title in 2014, served as interim coach for the ThunderWolves women golfers for the second half of the season.

For all the scores from the women’s DII nationals, CLICK HERE.

About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com