Rocky Mountain (Mont.) - 2026 Frontier Conference Women's Golf Conference Champions
May 19, 2026
YPSILANTI, Mich.- Rocky Women's Golf tees off in the NAIA Women's Golf National Championships in Michigan, beginning Tuesday morning.
Round one begins Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. (MT) at Eagle Crest Golf Club in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where Rocky will tee off from Hole 1. The Battlin' Bears will be paired with:
- Cumberland (Tenn.): An at-large selection from the Mid-South Conference, finished the season as the No. 16-ranked team in the NAIA Top 25 and in the Clippd rankings.
- Midway (Ky.): The River States Conference automatic qualifier, currently ranked No. 41 in the Clippd Team Rankings.
On Wednesday, the Bears will flip to a morning start, beginning at 5:30 a.m. (MT) on Hole 10. Following the second round, the field will be trimmed to the top 15 teams (plus ties) and the top six individuals not on an advancing team.
The 2025-26 season saw more success for the Battlin' Bear Women's Golf Team, winning their fifth straight conference title. In total, Rocky won five team tournaments this season. The Battlin' Bears return four of their six players who appeared in last season's NAIA National Championships, where Rocky finished 13th overall after advancing past the second round cuts.
Leading the way for the Battlin' Bears is senior and Frontier Conference Player of the Year Grace Metcalf. After winning her second consecutive Frontier Conference Individual Title, Metcalf enters the National Championships ranked 44th in the NAIA this season, earning three tournament victories and six top-three placements. She looks to improve on a 20th-place finish at last season's NAIA National Championships.
Fellow senior and First Team All-Frontier Conference honoree Tyla Potgieter ranks just outside of the top-150 in the NAIA this season, totaling five top-ten finishes this season. The senior has been playing well to close the season, including a strong showing at the Music City Classic in April amongst a field of some of the top NAIA players, finishing tied for 26th. Potgieter turned in a 40th-place finish at last season's NAIA National Championships.
Sophomore Alivia Webinger turned in a fourth-place finish at the Frontier Conference Championships as she looks to continue her momentum. Webinger played a key role in last year's National Championship group, playing three of the four rounds to score for the Battlin' Bears.
Kirsten Smith will also be returning for her second appearance in the NAIA National Championships after debuting as a freshman a season ago as a sub. The sophomore recorded five top-ten finishes this season.
Smith and Webinger were both Second Team All-Frontier Conference honorees.
Sophomore Catalina Garcia and freshman Carlee Verdugo will round out Rocky's traveling party, both making their first appearances at the NAIA National Championships.
The Battlin' Bears have made trips to the NAIA National Championships a habit in their program under Frontier Conference Coach of the Year Nathan Bailey, looking to improve on their recent finishes of 13th (2025), 20th (2024), and 10th (2023).