ROCHESTER, Mich. – Oakland women's golf opens the spring portion of its 2025-26 schedule with a trip to Rio Verde, Arizona, for the Rio Verde Collegiate, hosted by Western Michigan.

Now in its 23rd year, the Rio Verde Collegiate will be held at the Rio Verde Country Club. The Golden Grizzlies have competed in the event every season since 2021-22, with their best finish coming in 2024, when senior Grace Boczar and junior Olivia Hemmila helped the team earn a sixth-place finish. Last season, Oakland finished 13th in a 21-team field.

Eighteen teams will compete in this year's tournament: Western Michigan, Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Bradley, Butler, Central Michigan, Creighton, Illinois State, Kennesaw State, Loyola Chicago, Missouri State, Oakland, Ohio, South Dakota, Xavier, Utah Tech, and Wichita State. The Golden Grizzlies faced over half of these programs during the fall season.

Oakland's lineup features Hemmila, Boczar, junior Lily Bargamian, senior Paige Scott, and freshman Channing Hagen, marking the group's third appearance together this season. During the offseason, the Golden Grizzlies were picked second in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, trailing only back-to-back league runner-up Youngstown State. 

Action begins Friday at 12 p.m. (MT) and continues through Saturday and Sunday. The team will tee off on holes 11 through 14, paired with golfers from Illinois State, Ohio, and Creighton.

Live stats for each round will be available on Clippd.

How to Follow Oakland Women's Golf: For complete information on Oakland Women's Golf, follow the team on Instagram and X at @OaklandWGolf.