This post was updated May 26 at 12:15 a.m.

The Bruins wrapped up their season with their best finish since 2018.

After failing to reach the match play portion of the tournament in 2019 and 2021, No. 10 UCLA women’s golf finished in fourth place after four rounds of stroke play to propel it to a match play appearance in the NCAA championships in Scottsdale, Arizona. However, the Bruins were unable to advance any further than they did in 2018, falling 3-2 to Auburn in the first round Tuesday.

Despite the lack of a national title, junior Emma Spitz said it was still a positive outcome for the blue and gold.

“Just making it to the national (and) being in the top eight is such a great achievement,” Spitz said. “It’s the 24 best teams in the country, and making it to the top eight on this course is just really hard. I’m just so proud of the whole team that we managed to play so well.”

Spitz led the Bruins from the first position of match play and claimed a 4 and 3 victory after leading the Tigers’ Elina Sinz by as many as six holes during their matchup. Freshman Zoe Antoinette Campos – who substituted in for junior Emilie Paltrinieri after two rounds and shot a 3-over 147 through the final two rounds of stroke play – claimed a 1-up victory of her own against Auburn’s Anna Foster.

The freshman said entering the competition halfway through was difficult but helped in the long run.

“Coming into the third round, the course was completely different from the practice rounds, so that was basically my first round,” Campos said. “After that first day, it really helped me just prepare even more.”

Campos carried a three-hole lead in her match heading into the final three holes but dropped the 16th and 17th holes to open up a potential tie and force extra holes. However, Campos nailed a putt to secure a tie on the 18th hole and put UCLA one win away from moving on to the semifinals.

But a semifinal appearance wasn’t in the cards for the Bruins this season. After leading 4-1 more than halfway through the contest, the blue and gold dropped its remaining three matchups by scores of 2 and 1, 3 and 2, and 2 and 1.

Coach Carrie Forsyth said it was an up-and-down day because of the quick change in results.

“For the majority of the day, we were up in a lot of our matches and looking good,” Forsyth said. “Then there’s a little momentum change and all of a sudden, next thing you know, you’re heading home. It’s definitely a roller coaster.”

Redshirt sophomore Ty Akabane led by two holes through the first 11 but proceeded to lose four of the next five to put her at a deficit she couldn’t overcome. Redshirt freshman Alessia Nobilio was the only Bruin who did not carry a lead at any point, fluctuating between one and three holes down throughout Tuesday.

In the anchor role, freshman Caroline Canales had a similar start to Akabane with a lead through 11 holes. After slipping to a tie on the 14th hole and losing the 15th and 16th holes, the freshman lost the matchup and UCLA was eliminated from the tournament. Forsyth said she trusted Canales in that position.

“I had nothing but confidence in Caroline, and I still have nothing but confidence in Caroline,” Forsyth said. “We had Caroline as our anchor because we felt like, if it came down to it, she would put up a fight and very likely prevail.”

Overall, UCLA finished fourth in stroke play with a 17-over 1,169 and carried three top-25 finishers, headlined by Spitz’s ninth-place tie on the individual leaderboards.

With the season now at a close, Forsyth said she can only see positives from the team.

“I have nothing that I could say negative about the way that we played as a team,” Forsyth said. “I can’t say anything negative about the effort, the desire, the work, the motivation, the team, the camaraderie. Everything was there.”