Kansas State makes NCAA Championship debut with chip on shoulder after being snubbed in 2024
CARLSBAD, Calif. — Stew Burke and his players waited, staring at the television inside the Colbert Hills Country Club clubhouse waiting for Kansas State's name to pop up.
Regional after regional was announced during the 2024 NCAA Selection Show, and the Wildcats, fresh off a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championship, were in good position to make a regional. But Kansas State's name never came.
Burke and his players sat, dejected after finding out they were the first team out of the NCAA postseason. He had three seniors, and their careers were over. A couple teams below .500 made it in the field over the Wildcats.
"They deserved to go," Burke said.
More: NCAA Women's Golf Championship live leaderboard: Updates, tee times, highlights
Carla Bernat, the 2025 Augusta National Women's Amateur champion, was one of the players watching in the clubhouse who returned this year. That pain was a driving force through the offseason and this season, especially as the postseason neared. Bernat won twice in the regular season. Teammate Sophie Bert then won the Big 12 Conference individual title. Bernat, who won twice in the regular season, then won the NCAA Lexington Regional, but more importantly, she helped Kansas State tie for second.
That meant the Wildcats punched their ticket to the 2025 NCAA Women's Golf Championship, their first time making nationals in school history.
"The pain of not making it really drove them this year," Burke said Friday after Kansas State's opening round of 1 over at Omni La Costa. "They want to compete. They got a little chip on their shoulder. They want to be amongst these teams, whether they're invited or not."
Friday morning marked the Wildcats' first round at nationals, finishing fourth of the 15 teams who teed off in the opening wave. The program has been riding a high the last two months on the heels of Bernat's victory at ANWA, and since then, the Wildcats have continued to ride momentum.
Burke said his team has been motivated since being slighted last year, and that it's player driven. His players, including newcomers to this year's lineup, have pushed to ensure what happened last year to Kansas State didn't happen again.
Kansas State won its home event to open the season. A pair of runner-up finishes to complete the fall slate led to momentum in the spring, with the Wildcats winning the MountainView Collegiate in March. Bernat then won ANWA, and the momentum behind the program had never been higher.
Then came individual wins in both postseason events, and in Lexington, Kansas State punched its ticket to nationals for the first time. The Wildcats were going to Omni La Costa, riding the wave of momentum that started last spring in the Colbert Hills clubhouse.
"I want young ladies that want to win. They want to compete, and they, you know, they're, they're not scared," Burke said. "People showed up at the airport when Carla won ANWA, and people showed up at the airport when we made it home from regionals at 11:30 on a Wednesday night."
More: 2025 NCAA Div. I Women's Golf Championship predictions: Picks to win team, individual title
Burke said Bernat's leadership has been on display all season. He said she's essentially an extra coach for Kansas State, encouraging her teammates to make smart decisions that can be the difference between winning and runner-up finishes over a 54-hole tournament. She's also one of 10 finalists for the 2025 Annika Award, given to the top women's college golfer in the country.
The Wildcats' drive remains high, and their mentality won't change this week, even in unfamiliar territory.
"There's probably people here that are like, 'Who are Kansas State? Why are they here? What, they drive their purple tractor?' Well, yeah, we did. And we're hoping to run some people over," Burke said.
"We know this is a big task. We know these are the finest teams, the finest players, the finest coaches in the country. It's a good chance for us to test ourselves against them and that's really the message. It's just a golf tournament. We're gonna go and tee it up and play three rounds, see where it takes us, and if that gets us a fourth, great. And then we'll see what comes from there."
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