But the Wildcats, fresh off beating No. 2 Oregon in the semifinals, pulled off the improbable, besting the Cardinal 3-2 in match play. Diana Lee was the closer for Northwestern in Southern California, sinking a par putt on the 18th hole to secure the victory.

Stanford was trying to become the first team in the match-play era (beginning in 2015) to win back-to-back titles. They also prevailed in 2022 and earned the top seed this year by winning the 72-hole stroke-play portion by 21 shots.

CARLSBAD, Calif. — Northwestern captured its first NCAA women’s golf championship Wednesday when Dianna Lee holed a 5-foot par putt on the 18th hole to beat Andrea Revuelta for a 3-2 victory over top-seeded Stanford to end a final hour of high tension.