Mother Nature wins the day, Orange Coast captures rain-shortened 3C2A Women's Golf State Championship

SOLVANG – The Orange Coast College women's golf team overcame the wrath of Mother Nature, an elite field of golfers and a top-flight golf course to take first place overall at the 3C2A Women's Golf State Championship on Monday at the River Course at Alisal.

The championship, regularly scheduled as a two-day, 36-hole event, had to be shortened to just the opening 18 holes due to relentless rain that made the golf course unplayable.

The Pirates – women's golf champions for the first time in the history of Orange Coast College – won the title by way of a fifth-player card-off with a team score of 323, equaling the score set by Reedley College. Modesto Junior College finished one shot back of the Pirates and Tigers with a score of 324.

"As far as our girls were going into this event and knowing what the weather was supposed to be like … we came up here prepared," OCC head coach Sean Collins said. "We've been a second-day team all season long, where we didn't come out strong early, but would come back the next day and end up winning our events. So this time, we really wanted to come out strong and they were prepared for the wind, they were prepared for the rain and they were prepared to win this tournament. Whether it was two rounds or one rounds … it didn't matter. We were prepared."

Day 2 saw 9:30 a.m. tee times delayed as an intense weather system made its way through the Solvang area. With talks of weather letting up a bit, every effort was made to resume play in some sort of fashion, but in the end, the course was deemed unplayable after three-plus days of rainfall. Once the tournament was stopped, another downpour ensued, confirming the right decision was made.

Rounding out the top team scores were College of the Canyons (344), Mt. San Antonio (352), Sierra (361), Santa Barbara (361), Napa (363) and Allan Hancock (368).

Low OCC golfer on Sunday, Sofia Ingle, earned the final All-State spot with her 6-over-par, 78. "I've been playing competitive golf for nine years and to have something like this to share with friends that I've become so close to in such a short time, it means so much to me," Ingle said. "We know all of our hard work paid off."

As for Collins and the OCC Pirates, history was made this weekend and the longtime coach couldn't be more proud of this team, a team that lost just once throughout the entire 2025 season on the way to an Orange Empire Conference championship, a Southern California Regional championship, and now, a 3C2A State Championship.

"This was a special group, that's for sure," Collins said. "They have the talent and the mindset that I would put up against some of my guy teams I've had in the past. They worked hard all year for this and I hope the lesson they take is that if you work hard and something great comes from that hard work, like a state title -- the first title in our school's history -- I hope it's something they'll remember for the rest of their lives. And for me to be the coach of all this … it's really something special."

As for the individual state championship, that honor went to Reedley College's Tessa Hernandez, who won in a card-off over defending state champion, Sahya Kitabatake from College of the Canyons, who both shot an even-par score of 72 on Day 1.

"Honestly, I wasn't really expecting it (the weather), so on the Friday before we came here, I went out and bought myself some rain gear," Hernandez said. "My main goal was to keep my grips dry and keep a calm attitude and a cool head because getting mad or frustrated in this weather is not something that will help you out. Winning the individual title really means a lot because initially I wanted to win this for my teammates, but I also won this for my grandpa."

The state championship is the 101st state championship in the history of Orange Coast College. 

3C2A WOMEN'S GOLF STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
River Course at Alisal, Par 72

1. Orange Coast – 323
2. Reedley  -- 323
3. Modesto – 324
4. Canyons – 344
5. Mt. San Antonio – 352
6. Sierra – 361
7. Santa Barbara – 361
8. Napa – 363
9. Allan Hancock – 368

2025 All State Team

1. Tessa Hernandez, Reedley – 72
2. Sahya Kitabatake, Canyons – 72
3. Alyssa Quilao, SJ Delta – 76
4. Sydney Streeter, Modesto – 76
5. Aidie Smith, Santa Barbara – 77
6. Sofia Ingle, Orange Coast - 78

(Tony Altobelli, CCCSIA)