For years, the women's side of NCAA golf has served as a pathway to professional circuits around the world, with players hailing from the US and many international countries. This year is no different, and it seems like the top teams continue to recruit a mixed-bag of players from a variety of countries, more-so than the boys’ side. Let’s take a look at our top-10 teams of 2024, and the international flavor that will be heading to the states next fall.
Leading the way is Sweden, who sends two athletes to Stanford and one to LSU. Nora Sundberg and Meja Ortengren have spent the last few years traveling the globe on their way to signing with the current #2 ranked team in the Clippd rankings. In 2023, Sundberg, #33 in the WAGR rankings, has made her way around Europe, participating in a mix of junior and amateur events. She has also traveled to the US and Canada on several occasions since 2021 and will be a welcome addition to the Cardinal next fall. Having a fellow Swede by their side should make the transition to college life easier, as Sundberg will be joined by Ortengren, who has played a similar schedule as her compatriot since 2021 and sits at #11 in WAGR. LSU is no stranger to recruiting from Sweden, as there are three current Swedes on their roster. Their 2024 recruit, Josefin Widal, will welcome the familiarity of players from her home country when she arrives in Baton Rouge. Widal, a strong #417 in WAGR, has competed close to half of her schedule of amateur and junior events in her home country, while adding tournaments in other European countries.
Spain is sending three athletes to three different universities in our top-10 rankings in 2024, with Stanford’s Andrea Revuelta leading the way at #29 in the WAGR rankings. Revuelta is no stranger to international travel, having competed in amateur and junior events throughout Europe and North America over the past three years. She will join fellow Spaniard and current Stanford freshman Paula Martin Sampedro in Palo Alto next fall. Auburn has reached into Spain next year for a solid recruit, Balma Davalos Guaita, who is currently ranked #357 in the world. Davalos Guaitia has competed in mainly amateur events, with some junior tournaments on her schedule. She spends two-thirds of her time competing in her home country, with the other third around Europe. Guaitia will find a home for the next four years on the plains of Alabama. Lastly, LSU will welcome another top international recruit in Rocio Tejedo, the 18th ranked player in WAGR. Tejedo spends the majority of her time traveling around Europe for amateur and junior events, with some stops in Japan and Canada. She will find familiarity with LSU, team, and coaching staff, as she follows in the footsteps of current senior Carla, her older sister.
Athletes from China continue to make American colleges home, and two schools from our top-10 have dipped into the Chinese talent pool for 2024. Oregon adds some solid recruits to their currently 8th ranked team (Clippd), one being Tong An, #106 in WAGR. An has mostly competed in professional events in China in 2022 & 2023 but did make a trip to the US’s east coast in 2022 for two AJGA open events. Oregon has had some international flavor on their roster in the past few years, and An should feel at home in Eugene. Princeton has recruited Yufei (Nancy) Dai, who resides in Florida by way of China. Dai sits at #26 in the class of 2024 in the JGS rankings and plays her schedule in the US.
Oregon’s 2nd international recruit is Suvichaya Vinijchaitham, who hails from Thailand. She is currently ranked 219th in WAGR and maintains an amateur heavy schedule in Asia but made the trip to the US for the IMG Junior Worlds in 2022. Crossing the Pacific will hopefully be smooth next fall as she joins her teammate An. Also from Asia is Singapore’s Anne Fernandez, who joins a diverse class at Auburn. Fernandez spent most of 2022 at tournaments in the US during the recruiting process but has competed in a variety of countries in 2023. Her familiarity with US tournaments should help her ease into the collegiate culture at Auburn next fall. Our last Asian representative in our top-10 recruiting classes is Taiwan’s Hsin-Tai Lin, who is heading to Northwestern, a school that is no stranger to athletes from Asia. Lin is currently ranked 31st in the JGS class of 2024 rankings, playing in IMG Junior Tour and Hurricane Tour events in the US. She attends the IMG Academy in Florida.
The last two international athletes from our top-10 recruiting classes are France’s Camille Min-Gaultier and Denisa Vodickova of the Czech Republic. Min-Gaultier, who is heading to TCU, is ranked #545 in WAGR and competes in junior and amateur events throughout Europe. TCU already has a diverse international roster, and Min-Gaultier will be a welcome addition with her tournament experience. Vodickova will be joining the reigning national champion Wake Forest next fall, and the team will be happy to add the #73 ranked golfer to their roster. She has a mix of professional, amateur, and junior events throughout Europe on her resume, and has already made a few trips to North America.
The international pipeline to top NCAA women’s programs is strong and should continue to grow with the class of 2025 additions. We look forward to following the success of these athletes in the next few years.
Top 2024 Girls Recruiting Classes Have International Flavor
11/19/23 College Golf Commits Staff
