Northwood women win first golf title in 12 years as Paulina Marquez breaks 2006 record

Northwood University’s women’s golf team from Midland, Michigan, won the Davenport Panther Invitational, which concluded on October 18, 2026, at Stonehedge Golf Club in Augusta, Michigan. The Timberwolves captured their first tournament victory in 12 years, while the team and its leading player, Paulina Marquez, both set new program marks over 54 holes.

Four strokes decided the team title

Northwood finished the three-round event on 905 strokes, four clear of runner-up Ferris State on 909, in a 13-team field. Northwood’s previous 54-hole team record was 928, recorded at the 2026 G-MAC Championship. The new total therefore improved that benchmark by 23 strokes.

Such a narrow margin highlights why the supporting scores matter in collegiate team golf. Marquez supplied the lowest individual total in the tournament, but two more Northwood players also finished among the top six. Their consistency helped turn an outstanding individual performance into a team championship.

Marquez breaks a 20-year-old record

Marquez shot 70, 74 and 70 for 214 (two under par), winning medalist honours by four shots. Ashley Thomasma of Ferris State was second on 218 (two over). Those totals were independently confirmed by a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) report published on October 21, which recognised Thomasma’s performance at the event.

Marquez’s 214 is Northwood women’s golf’s lowest recorded 54-hole individual score, surpassing the 217 set by Jamie Long in 2006. She also became the program’s first individual tournament winner since Sydni Harding won the NC4K Classic in 2021.

Northwood’s supporting scores

Ava Weeks finished fifth at 226, and Sydney Dausman tied for sixth at 229. Avery Law and Kudzal Mandava each returned 240, sharing 29th place.

The result delivered three milestones in a single tournament: the team title, an individual title and new team and individual scoring records. Northwood’s next scheduled appearance is the PGA HOPE Collegiate on October 26–27; that event had not yet taken place when this report was prepared.

While the PGA Tour and LPGA dominate international golf headlines, American university events have a competitive history of their own. Northwood’s victory stands out because it was not simply a win in a close field: it reset two long-standing benchmarks for its women’s program.

Fact-check sources: Midland Daily News, October 18, 2026; GLIAC official conference report, October 21, 2026.