2022 NCAA DII National Championship (Final Individual Results)

GAINSVILLE, Ga. – Ahead of the rest of the field by three strokes or more, a 1-over-par 73 in the final round at Chattahoochee Golf Club helped Academy of Art women's golf junior Anahi Servin become the first ART U golfer to capture the individual national title as she closed out the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament with a final combined score of 5-under-par 211. Based upon her finish, Servin was also named an NCAA All-American for the fourth time in her career.

"I can't think of a better way to end my college career," Servin said. "I really want to thank and appreciate all the support from my coach and everyone in the athletic department. I loved my time at ART U."

Resting in first by a slight cushion after dropping consecutive 3-under's in the first two rounds, another three birdies on the final day of the tournament helped Servin become ART U's first non-track & field student-athlete to walk away with their sport's top individual prize. Though her third round was the first time in the tournament she did not shoot the lowest score of the day, the Architecture major did not need to as a day full of high scores helped ensure Servin would leave with the title (only one golfer in the field of 98 shot in the red during round three). 

One of the first to tee off in the final round, Servin started the day with three consecutive pars on the first through third holes, then things kicked up a notch when she found her first birdie on the par-5 fourth hole. Rolling along with another pair of par saves on the fifth and sixth, the first trouble of the day came on the sixth with her first bogey. Though she gained the shot back with a birdie on the par-3 eighth, one more bogey on the ninth hole meant that Servin would make the turn holding serve at even-par. 

Cool under pressure, Servin remained steady by tallying five consecutive pars from holes 10-14. Her third and final birdie of the day would come at the end of that stretch on the par-4 15th, however her day would close with bogies on the 16th and 18th holes sandwiched around her last par save on the 17th. With a total of 13 birdies through the entire tournament, Servin finished with two more than any other competitor and also posted the best combined score on par-4 holes (2-under-par; 3.93 stroke average). 

Much like yesterday, Servin was among the first golfers to finish and would have to watch with her championship hopes from the clubhouse. No golfer would come as close as two strokes, as Alex Naumovski of Lee University held at 3-under-par throughout most of her round until she had a tough time with the 15th hole. Once briefly three strokes behind, Faith Kilgore of Colorado Christian, the 2022 West Regional individual champion, met a similar fate in the beginning half of her round on the sixth.

Making a push up the leaderboard in the closing moments was Olivia Mitchell of Dallas Baptist, who was briefly 2-under-par thanks to five birdies until one final bogey on the 18th hole. Mitchell was the only other golfer besides Servin to finish in the red with a final score of 1-under-par 215, certifying Servin's victory by four strokes.

"Really couldn't be more proud of Anahi and the way she handled herself this week," said ART U Head Coach Mitch Lowe. "She had a lot weighing on her mind this week and was able to persevere through it all on the golf course. Just a perfect way to end a great college career as the top NCAA Division II player in the country."

Not only did Servin make ART U history, but she became the first Pacific West Conference women's golf student-athlete to win the national championship, and is just the third student-athlete to do so from the NCAA West Super Region. She joins Jaime Jacob of Cal State San Marcos in 2019 and Brenna Moore of Midwestern State in 2015 to accomplish the feat. 

In addition to the national title, the four-time PacWest Golfer of the Year has now earned WGCA All-American honors for the fourth time in her career. She first earned such an honor during her sophomore season in 2019, followed that with honorable mention honors in 2020, and then she captured the award once again last year in 2021 with a ninth place tie at the National Championship. 

With the 2021-22 season now having reached its conclusion, make sure to check www.ARTUAthletics.com for all the latest news and information regarding ART U women's golf.