The Wayne State College women's golf team opened the 2025-26 season by placing eighth out of 18 teams at the Central Region Preview played in Blue Springs, Missouri Tuesday and Wednesday at Adams Pointe Golf Club.  The Wildcats shot rounds of 311 and 304 to finish the 36-hole event at 615.
            Central Missouri captured the team title with a 586, 10-over par, and finished 14 shots ahead of runner-up Nebraska-Kearney with a 600.  Missouri Western came in third at 602 followed by Northwest Missouri State (603) and Henderson State of Arkansas (607) in the top five.  Harding took sixth at 609 followed by Winona State with 612, Wayne State eighth at 615 while Arkansas Tech (618) and Missouri Southern (619) rounded out the top 10 teams.
            Hailey Kenkel, a junior from Grand Island HS, was the top finisher for the Wildcats after posting a career-best 154 for 36 holes shooting 78 and 76 to finish in a tie for 27^th overall out of 90 players.
            Millard North junior Erica Lee was next at 155, tied for 33^rd overall, following scores of 74 and 81.  Senior Saffire Sayre fired back-to-back rounds of 78 and was tied for 41^st at 156.
            Sophomores Gaia Stancikova and Camryn Johnson both produced scores of 157 and tied for 48^th overall.  Stancikova shot rounds of 83-74 while Johnson posted rounds of 81-76.
            Wayne State's next meet in September 22 and 23 at the Jewell Invitational in Lake City, Minnesota hosted by Winona State University.