CMS Women's Golf to Host NCAA Division III Championship in 2026

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps will serve as the host of the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, California, the NCAA announced this morning.

CMS will be serving as the host for the NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship for the first time in the program's young history. The Athenas have come a long way in a short time since their inaugural season in 2007, winning their first national title in 2018 and coming in fourth place in the most recent championship in 2019. The Athenas were also ranked in the top 10 in the nation when the most recent season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

A total of 26 teams and six individuals earn invitations to the NCAA Women's Golf Championship, with 22 automatic qualifiers from conference championships and four at-large bids given. The NCAA Tournament is then played out with four rounds over four days, with only the top 15 teams (and the top six individuals not from those 15 teams) advancing to compete in the final round. 

Desert Willow Golf Resort is a premium public facility and offers two championship Southern California golf courses (Firecliff and Mountain View) designed by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry. Desert Willow also features a magnificent clubhouse, personalized service, and spectacular desert mountain views. 

Bidding for 86 of 90 NCAA championships began in August 2019 and more than 3,000 bid applications were ultimately submitted. Each sport committee, per division, selected the host sites it believed would provide the ultimate experience for the respective student-athletes, resulting in more than 450 total championship event sites being awarded. More than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships each year.