The Expected Lineup Impact of the Class of 2025 Girls

9/12 CGC Staff

The class of 2025 has finished their last junior tournaments and completed a long junior golf journey. The challenge of college has started, as the incoming freshmen will embark on a new journey of balancing academics, living on their own, and fitting in with their new team. Many of the top recruits of this class will be expected to contribute immediately to their team’s lineup, and others may settle for an early backup role. Whatever the expectations, the freshmen should welcome the challenge, embrace the opportunity, and enjoy the experience and challenges ahead of them.

We’ve taken a deep dive into our top-10 girls’ recruiting classes, looked at what their teams’ rosters have lost and the impact the newcomers can make for their teams. Some freshmen are entering rosters that continue to have a strong lineup with solid backup options, and others are joining teams that have spots to fill from graduated seniors and ‘covid year’ fifth years. Whatever the situation, these highly touted freshmen will be hungry to compete and contribute.

Duke University: Duke had a down year last season, not advancing to the NCAA Championship. With a small roster of seven, the Blue Devils will rely heavily on their two star freshmen. Their top two returning scorers will help lead the team, but Duke is expecting big contributions from the newcomers Rianne Malixi and Avery McCrery. The Phillipines’ Malixi is the winner of both the 2024 US Women's and Junior Amateurs. She was a close runner-up at the 2023 US Girls Junior Amateur and made the round of 32 at the 2023 US Women's Amateur. After sharing medalist honors at this year’s Am, Malixi bowed out in the round of 64. Malixi is quite the traveler, competing primarily in Asia and North America. 2023 brought Malixi success with a 4th at the IMG Junior World Championship and 6th at the AJGA Hilton Grand Vacations Annika Invitational. Top-5 finishes in 2024 include the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, the Asia Pacific Amateur, the Royal Junior, and the European Ladies Amateur.

Photos: Wagr

She also claimed the top spot at the Australia Master of the Amateurs. She started off 2025 nursing a back injury but recovered and spent her summer testing the waters in professional events. Expect her to lead this team. The Blue Devils’ 2nd signee is our #2 ranked American recruit, Avery McCrery. Delaware's McCrery had herself a breakout 2024 season. She recorded two major wins in 2024, first at the Scott Robertson Memorial, and second at the Junior PGA Championship. McCrery carded three top-5 finishes in 2023 at the AJGA Girls Invitational, Dye Junior Invitational, and the North & South Junior Amateur and found the top-10 on the leaderboard at the 2024 AJGA Rolex Girls Invitational, the AJGA Fortinet Championship. She was no stranger to success in amateur events in 2024, with round of 32 appearances at the North & South Women's Amateur and the Women's Western Amateur. In 2025, McCrery reached match play at the US Women’s Amateur and the quarterfinals at the North & South, and was in the top-10 at the AJGA Mizuho Americas Open and the Junior Invitational. It will be exciting watching these two newcomers succeed on the college scene and boost their team’s scoring average.

Predictions: both lineup locks

Texas A&M University: Texas A&M needed a monster recruiting class and signed a stellar group for the 2025-2026 season, three of which reside in our top-10 rankings for this class. The Aggies return two players who ranked in the top-50 on Scoreboard last season, Vanessa Borovilos and Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, and will look to at least two of the freshmen to step into the lineup at the start of the season. Scarlett Schremmer, our #1 ranked recruit, is expected fill one spot, with a laundry list of junior golf accomplishments. In addition to her wins at the 2025 Alabama Women’s Amateur and 2024 Dye Junior Invitational, Schremmer has amassed a number of strong finishes in the past few years, including top-5s at the 2025 Toyota Junior World Cup and Junior Invitational, 2025 AJGA Fortinet Invitational, 2024 AJGA Nelly Invitational, 2024 World Junior Championship, and the 2025 Rolex Tournament of Champions.

Photos: USNDP, AJGA

Photos: VSGA, instagram

UCLA: The UCLA bruins will look very different this season, returning just four players from last year’s roster. They bring in a group that includes three freshmen and one transfer, all of whom should fight for a lineup or individual spots vacated by former star players. UCLA’s lineup is a bit unpredictable this year and expect some volatility to it before the coaches solidify their choices. Georgia's GaEun Athena Yoo had a strong 2024 season but did not find consistency in 2025.

Vanderbilt University: The Commodores are typically not known as a golf powerhouse on the women’s side, but they have been slowly rising in the rankings and recruited a solid class of 2025 with two of our top-10 American recruits. North Carolina’s Elizabeth Rudisill, our #4 recruit, had a down year in 2023 but came back strong in 2024. She won the 2024 Rolex Girls Invitational and was in the top-5 at the Junior PGA Championship, with top-10 finishes at the Scott Robertson Memorial, AJGA Nelly Invitational. Also in 2024, the new Commodore reached the round of 16 at the North & South Women's Amateur and the round of 32 at the US Women's Amateur.

2025 brought her more success with a runner-up finish at the Women’s Western Amateur, top-10 at the Junior PGA Championship, top-5 at the Dustin Johnson, and a match play appearance at the North & South Amateur. Rudisill is expected to slot into Vanderbilt’s lineup and contribute consistently to the team. Her accomplished teammate is Kathryn Ha, who switched her commitment to the Commodores last September. Ha, a Virginia native, broke into the winner's circle at the 2023 AJGA Justin Thomas Junior Championship, and added a win at the 2024 Virginia Junior Amateur to her resume. Ha's resume highlights include wins at the 2025 Scott Robertson Memorial and an open AJGA, top-5 finishes at the 2024 Virginia Women's Amateur, and top-10 results at the 2025 Virginia Women’s Open and Dustin Johnson, She reached the round of 16 at the 2024 US Girls Junior and finished in the top-5 at the 2023 Elite Invitational. The Commodores likely have high expectations for Ha and she should challenge for a lineup spot.

Predictions: Rudisill (strong lineup possibility), Ha (strong lineup possibility)

Photos: AJGA, instagram, ARcadia Quill

Tennessee: What was originally a class of three is now two, completing a roster of eight for this year’s Vols team. Tennesse returns the player with the top scoring average from last season, Manassanan Chotikabhukkana, to lead the team, along with several other players who saw lineup time in the 2024-2025 season. South Carolina's Madison Messimer, one of our top-5 American recruits. had a top-5 finish at the 2025 Dustin Johnson, playing a limited schedule. She played solid in big events in 2024, with top-5 finishes at the Junior PGA Championship and the Scott Robertson Memorial. Messimer recorded a top-10 at the AJGA Annika/Hilton Grand Vacations Invitational and a top-15 at 2024 Dustin Johnson.

Photos: Wagr, instagram

The future Vol shines at the US Girls Junior Amateur, with a quarterfinal run in 2024 and round of 32 appearances in 2023 and 2025. She also has some big wins on her resume from 2022 & 2023. Another top recruit in this class is Thailand’s Thapasit Thitikarn, who is part of a growing contingent of golfers from Thailand playing collegiate golf in the US. She has played a professional-heavy schedule in 2025, with three SINGHA top-20 finishes. In her homeland, she finished 4th in the Thailand Ladies Amateur Open and the Thailand Junior World Championships. In 2024, she placed 8th at the Toyota Junior World Cup and had seven top-5 finishes in her home country. Both players should factor into the mix for the Vols starting ineup, as several top players form last year’s team have graduated.

Predictions: Messimer (lineup lock), Thitikarn (strong lineup possibility)

Princeton: The Tigers add three talented freshmen to a young roster or eight, behind the leadership of Catherine Rao and Olivia Duan. Beyond those two top players, the lineup spots are up for grabs between the freshmen and steady performers from last year. Leading the way is Thanana Kotchasanmanee, a player from Thailand who has played solely in the US for the last several years, with a full resume. She won the 2024 LNGA Amateur, and in 2025 she reached the round of 32 at the US Girls Junior for the second straight year, was fifth at the Georgia Women’s Amateur, and had a top-10 finish at the Sally. She was runner-up at the AJGA Annika/Hilton Grand Vacations Invitational and found the top-5 on the leaderboard at the Citrus Golf Trail Ladies Invitational and Sea Island Women’s Amateur, and the top-10 at the AJGA Mizuho Americas Open.

Photos: Wagr, AJGA

The future Vol shines at the US Girls Junior Amateur, with a quarterfinal run in 2024 and a round of 32 appearance in 2023 and 2025. She also has some big wins on her resume from 2022 & 2023. Another top recruit in this class is Thailand’s Thapasit Thitikarn, who is part of a growing contingent of golfers from Thailand playing collegiate golf in the US. She has played a professional-heavy schedule in 2025, with three SINGHA top-20 finishes. In her homeland, she finished 4th in the Thailand Ladies Amateur Open and the Thailand Junior World Championships. In 2024, she placed 8th at the Toyota Junior World Cup and had seven top-5 finishes in her home country. Both players should factor into the mix for the Vols starting ineup, as several top players form last year’s team have graduated.

Predictions: Messimer (lineup lock), Thitikarn (strong lineup possibility)

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons were ranked 7th on our list, then Chloe Kovelesky surprised us all by enrolling early last January. She delivered as promised, earning a lineup spot in every tournament and ending the season ranked #27 on Scoreboard. Kovelesky struggled with a knee injury in her last year as a junior, but recovered to card one win, one top-5, and one top-10 finish in the spring season. Quite an impressive start for the Floridian, who will continue to be a lineup leader in years to come.

She and Macy Pate should be at the top of the lineup, and the team will benefit from the addition of transfer Morgan Ketchum. Incoming freshmen include Thailand’s Chutimon Rujiranon, who plays near her homeland but finished 2nd in a US FCG event and 17th at the IMG Junior Worlds in 2024. She has been busy on the professional circuit in Thailand in 2025, with three top-10s and two top-15 finishes. Wake added a third recruit just ahead of last fall’s signing period, Ella Yokota has been improving since her signing. In 2025, she has notched three top-5 finishes in collegiate level events in Singapore, following three top-10s in late 2024. With a small roster of eight, Expect Rujiranon to contend for a lineup spot and Yokota to continue her improvement trajectory.

Predictions: Rujiranon (contender), Yokota (outside looking in)

Photos: Wagr, AJGA

LSU: The Tigers have some strong returners in sophomores Rocio Tejedo and Josefin Widal, who should have a lock on their lineup spots. They also have two returners who played in most of LSU’s tournaments, and are adding a solid transfer in Francesca Fiorellini, an All-Big 10 2nd team selection from UCLA. There will be significant competition for lineup spots, and the freshman class is up to the task. Originally a class of two, the Tigers added Lucia Iraola to bolster their depth.

Photos: AJGA, SCGA

Iraola has one win, one top-5, and three top-10 finishes in junior and amateur competition in Spain, following four top-5 finishes in 2024. The standout American of this class in Ryleigh Knaub, ranked as one of our top-10 American recruits. Her biggest accomplishment was her win at the 2023 Dustin Johnson World Junior. In 2024, Knaub found the top-5 on the leaderboard of the Dustin Johnson and the Junior PGA Championship, and top-15 at the AJGA Nelly Invitational. 2025 brought another Dustin Johnson top-5 finish, as well as a top-5 in the Women’s Western Junior. Though she did not replicate her success level of prior seasons, expect Knaub to challenge for a lineup spot. Adding to the international flavor of the Tigers is Perla Sol Sigurbrandsdottir from Iceland. She began 2024 with a top-5 finish and recorded top-10s at the Annika Invitational Europe, Icelandic Stroke Play Championship, and the Portuguese Internacional Ladies Amateur. Her successful 2025 season includes a win at the GJG Juniors International, and four top-5 finishes that include the Junior Orange Bowl. Expect fierce competition from any of the freshman, although the Tigers’ bottom two lineup spots are difficult to predict this year.

Predictions: Knaub (contender), Sigurbrandsdottir (contender), Iraola (contender)

Stanford: The Cardinal brought in arguably the best recruiting class in history in 2024, and last year’s freshmen did not disappoint, as they won stroke play by a wide margin at NCAAs before falling in the finals of match play. With this year’s lineup spots all but locked up, the class of 2025, although a strong pair, has their work cut out for them if the returnees continue their strong play from last season. Anna Song, an honorable mention just outside our top-10 list, racked up top-10 finishes in 2024 which include the California Women’s Amateur, Junior PGA Championship, and two AJGA open events, then won the Southern California Junor Amateur Championship. In 2025, Song made match play at the US Junior and notched top-10 finishes at the SCGA Women’s Amateur and the Southern California Women’s Match Play. Though a strong player, Song should challenge for playing time as an individual.

Joining Song is Kaila Elsayegh, who made match play at the 2025 US Girls Junior. She experienced success in 2024 with a top-5 result at the Southern California Junior Amateur and a top-10 finish at the Southern California Women’s Match Play Championship. In 2023 & 2024, Elsayegh held the winner’s trophy in an open AJGA event, and recorded three additional AJGA top-5s. She competed sparingly in 2025, with an AJGA open top-5 and a top-5 at the Southern California Women’s match play.

Predictions: Song (Individual spot contender), Elsayegh (outside looking in)

Virginia: The Cavaliers roster includes five returners, including Jaclyn Laha as the top scorer with a 73.64 average. Beyond Laha, the other four should have competition with the three newcomers for lineup time. Florida’s Remi Bacardi has a strong chance to appear in the lineup after a successful 2025, finishing second at the Florida Women’s Amateur and the Doherty Amateur, and carding wins in two local events. Bacardi was a consistent top-40 recruit in her junior golf career, making match play at the 2024 US girls Junior and carding top-10s at the Florida Women’s Amateur and the AJGA Panama Junior in 2024, and a top-5 in an open AJGA.

Photos: UVA, , Western Hemisphere

Yuuki Takada hails from Japan but competes primarily in Australia, having good success down under. She has competed sparsely in 2024 & 2025, with a runner-up finish at the FVG Collegiate Championship and a top-10 result at the Concord Cup. In 2023, Takada she broke through with a win at the Queensland Girls Amateur and a runner-up finish at the South Australia Junior Amateur. She also recorded top-10s at the South Australian Junior Masters and the Australian Girls Amateur. The third recruit in this class, Elsie MacCleery, is an in-state product. MacCleery finished 4th at the 2024 Sea Pines Junior Heritage, had a runner-up finish in a PKBGT event, and was in the top-10 at the Dye Junior Invitational and the 2025 Scott Robertson Memorial. Bacardi has the best chance to join the starting five, and Takada and MacCleery should benefit the competitiveness of team competition.

Predictions: Bacardi (strong lineup possibility), Takada (contender), MacCleery (outside looking in)

Yoo qualified for the 2024 US Women's Amateur, and has done well in the Georgia Women's Amateur, finishing in the top-10 in 2023 and the top-15 in 2024. She added two AJGA open wins to her resume in 2024 and won the 2023 National High School Invitational. Californian Kacey Ly has one win in the past two years, the 2024 AJGA Junior at Copper Valley. Her top-5 finishes include the 2024 Arizona Silver Belle and the 2024 AJGA Rolex Girls Championship. Ly finished in the top-10 at the Southern California Junior Amateur in 2024 and the 2025 Arizona Silver Belle. The third member of this class is top-50 recruit Zoe Sprecher, who has two AJGA top-5 finishes in the last 1.5 years and was in the top-5 at the 2024 Southern California Junior Amateur. Maye Huang was originally a member of this class who contributed to UCLA’s high rankgng, and she enrolled early last June. She stepped right into the lineup and appeared in six tournaments for the team, notching two top-20 finishes to start her college career

Predictions: Yoo (contender), Ly (contender), Sprecher (outside looking in)

Yoo qualified for the 2024 US Women's Amateur, and has done well in the Georgia Women's Amateur, finishing in the top-10 in 2023 and the top-15 in 2024. She added two AJGA open wins to her resume in 2024 and won the 2023 National High School Invitational. Californian Kacey Ly has one win in the past two years, the 2024 AJGA Junior at Copper Valley. Her top-5 finishes include the 2024 Arizona Silver Belle and the 2024 AJGA Rolex Girls Championship. Ly finished in the top-10 at the Southern California Junior Amateur in 2024 and the 2025 Arizona Silver Belle. The third member of this class is top-50 recruit Zoe Sprecher, who has two AJGA top-5 finishes in the last 1.5 years and was in the top-5 at the 2024 Southern California Junior Amateur. Maye Huang was originally a member of this class who contributed to UCLA’s high rankgng, and she enrolled early last June. She stepped right into the lineup and appeared in six tournaments for the team, notching two top-20 finishes to start her college career

Predictions: Yoo (contender), Ly (contender), Sprecher (outside looking in)