The Macalester women’s golf squad has been on a tear to open the autumn season. During a month full of records and plaques for the Scots to start off their season, The Mac Weekly sat down with three-time captain Bailey Lengfelder ’26, Mia Cluff ’28 and Ava Austria ’28 to discuss what’s going right for the Scots on the links. The Scots will look to continue their roll into the spring season following fall championships, as the golf season goes all the way through the academic year.
One thing was clear from the jump: Lengfelder is the leader of this Macalester squad and has been pacing them from the first day she arrived in St. Paul. In 2022, her first year, she led the Scots to a fourth-place finish at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Championships, which was the team’s highest finish since a fourth-place spot in 2008. The squad has finished in fourth place each year since, but the strong start for the Scots makes it seem like they’re out for blood (and a podium finish) this year.
“I’m in my third year as captain, and it feels so good that I’ve been given the chance to continue my leadership [throughout my time at Macalester],” Lengfelder said. “I’m proud of the work I’ve put in through my four years, but I’m also proud of the work that I’ve seen from our underclassmen. For our sophomores and juniors, they do a great job reflecting on and growing from their time as first years to now.”
Lengfelder has earned All MIAC honors every season, whilst finishing in the top six at the MIAC Championships all three years. She shot a school-record 70 twice last season and also holds the program marks for 36- and 54-hole scores.
Even the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) acknowledged how talented this Scot squad could be: they received 42 votes in the WGCA preseason poll to rank just outside the top 25. It will be interesting to see if they can find their way into the rankings next week, as the only MIAC team to rank was St. Catherine University, who finished fifth at the opening tourney while the Scots won. Carleton College also finished one spot ahead of the Scots but remain on the outside looking in.
Through three tourneys, it’s already been a career year for Lengfelder as she has racked up achievements each week. She led the Scots and conquered the individual leaderboard in their season opener at the Saint Benedict Invite (SBI), which the Scots won after trailing by as many as eight strokes. Three underclassmen, including Austria and Cluff, were right behind her, securing the comeback win. Lengfelder was rewarded with MIAC Athlete of the Week honors for her shooting at the SBI.
“I think last year we were still developing as a team,” Cluff said. “We only have two sophomores, but we had a lot more first-years coming onto the team this year, and with the expectation of our new teammates coming in and contributing right away each year, we’re getting better and better.”
While Lengfelder has led the charge, sophomores Cluff and Austria have been strong contributors to the Scots winning ways alongside Yangyang Gu ’29, who has cemented herself solidly in the Macalester top four through the early going of the fall campaign. The fountain of youth has provided for the Scots — Lengfelder works alongside Head Coach Johnny Greene to instill a culture of winning in the program.
Sundays have been carrying the Scots so far. The team couldn’t quite conquer the Wartburg Invite, their second tourney, but moved from ninth all the way to a fourth-place finish on the final day. Following the comeback win at the SBI, it’s been the seventh day sharpening the Scots to shoot their lowest.
The Scots reset, and over the weekend of Sept. 12, Bailey and the Scots were victorious again, as Lengfelder tied for first and pushed the Scots to a 36-hole team record of +32 608. It broke the record set last year of 610, and the Scots needed both of those two strokes to finish two down on University of Wisconsin Stout and take home the hardware.
“It felt good, especially being against UW-Stout,” Lengfelder said. “It was nice to get redemption and capitalize there. But it was also very gratifying, because one win could just be luck, and I think two wins really confirms that the work we’re putting in is really paying off.”
Lengfelder posted a 71 and 74 to tie her own school record and finished tied for first for the second time in three tries, as she continues to compete only with herself in the Macalester record books.
“You feel the pressure to play better, you’re rooting for your teammates to play better, just hoping that [your own game] is good enough,” Cluff said.
Cluff rounded out the top four shooting 157 over two rounds, and though it wasn’t her best day, it was exactly what the Scots needed from her. Cluff has been an impact player for the team since day one.
“We’re setting a new standard for this team, and I think with this year’s first-years, we’re establishing what the new norm is for the team, what the new norm is for practice,” Lengfelder said.
“It’s exciting to go into each season and each tournament with high expectations for how the team will perform, so it’s exciting to be able to compete in that way as well,” Austria said.
Austria shot +9 and came tied with Gu. She finished tenth in last year’s MIAC championships and will look to improve on that finish in early October.
It’s true: there’s a new norm for the Macalester Women’s Golf squad. It started with Lengfelder in 2022 and the team has continued to grow over her four years. The Scots have high hopes and expectations for the final two tournaments of the season. With only one more tournament before the MIAC championships, the Scots will look to secure their highest finish of the century.
Oh, one last thing. The MIAC championships will be held at Braemar Golf Course in Edina, Minn. Lengfelder holds the course record at Braemar, a 66 in a practice round shot earlier this fall. It’s the lowest score ever shot at that course, by any golfer from any tees. If that’s any sign of the squad’s performance at MIACs, look for a big shiny trophy headed to St. Paul on Oct. 6.
