BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's golf team jets to California for the 2026 Division III Women's Golf National Championship at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, Calif., Tuesday-Friday, May 19-22. The 72-hole tournament is set to kick off at the par-72, 5,873-yard Mountain View course, followed by round two at the par-72, 5,820-yard Firecliff course.
Following the first 36 holes of competition, the field will be cut to the top 15 teams and top six individuals on a non-advancing team. The final two rounds are set to be played on the Firecliff course. Illinois Wesleyan is seeded No. 16 in the 34-team field.
The Titans earned their way into the field via a 43-stroke victory at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championships, Oct. 6-8, claiming the league's automatic bid into the national championship.
IWU has just two years of combined national championship experience in this year's lineup. Junior Nora Cerroni (Waukesha, Wis.-Waukesha North) and sophomore Gigi Zera (Glenview, Ill.-Loyola Academy) each made their debuts at the 2025 national championship. Junior Emily Gastrau (Wauwatosa, Wis.-Wauwatosa East), sophomore Grace Fagan (Kirkwood, Mo.-Visitation Academy), and freshman Julia Henry (Homewood, Ill.-Homewood-Flossmoor) will make their first career national championship appearances this week.
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Zera leads the Titans, most recently garnering CCIW Golfer of the Year accolades May 14. With a 76.8 stroke average this season, Zera has one win and four top-five finishes. Zera's win came at the Division II SMSU Classic, March 16-17, with scores of even-par 70 and five-over 75. The sophomore recorded a top-40 finish at last year's national championship, tying Jacque O'Neill for the best finish by a Titan.
Cerroni holds an average of 77.7 this season, recording a season-low single-round score of three-under 69 at the WashU Spring Invite. She finished fifth at the CCIW Championships. Fagan, making her championship debut, has also broken 70 this season. Fagan recorded a career-low score of four-under 68 en route to her first career win at the Kathy Niepagen Spring Fling back in April.
Gastrau, the reigning CCIW champion, has the second-lowest average on the Titans this season at 77.4. Gastrau won CCIW medalist honors with a 54-hole total of 222. In the midst of a great freshman campaign, Henry earned the CCIW's Newcomer of the Year award. The rookie boasts a 79.5 season average and has four top-20 finishes on the year.
