After a lengthy but productive winter break, the Fresno State women’s golf team is set to return for the spring season.
The team will hit the ground running for the start of the spring season with multiple tournaments in back-to-back weeks, after a fall season in which the Bulldogs played just four tournaments.
“February is so crazy busy for us, but at the same time, we’re going to be sort of in tournament mode the whole beginning of the spring,” said Head Coach Mary Ritchie. “That could be really amazing for us, just getting some good momentum heading into our home tournament.”
The ‘Dogs will start the season on the road in San Jacinto, California, at the Soboba Classic on Feb. 4-6.
The tournament is usually hosted by the University of California, Riverside, but as the former head coach of the Highlanders, Coach Ritchie has been given the opportunity to host the tournament remotely. While it is a Fresno State-hosted event, none of the Bulldogs have played the course before.
Just a few days later, the Bulldogs will head to the San Diego State Classic on Feb. 9. The ‘Dogs will play in two more tournaments to end February before hosting the Fresno State Classic on March 2 at Fort Washington Golf and Country Club.
Unlike the first tournament of the season, the Fresno State Classic will be played on a course the Bulldogs know well.
“It’s not, like, super hilly, but there’s slopes and things that you have to know to play,” said junior Amelia Garibaldi. “There’s a couple of blind shots. So, yeah the familiarity is really a big thing for us and hopefully it’ll work out in our favor.”
Garibaldi enters the spring season having won the last two tournaments she played in.
She claimed her first collegiate victory in the Clash at Boulder Creek in Nevada back in October 2025. During the break between seasons, Garibaldi followed up with a first-place finish in the Nipomo Amateur Championship on Jan. 5.
Her success in Nevada, and now over the break, has given her a new outlook on her game heading into the spring.
“I’m always one who’s kind of struggling with the confidence to be honest, so that was really exciting,” Garibaldi said. “And a big confidence booster to show me that hard work pays off and I can, you know, perform at a high level.”
Garibaldi wasn’t the only one competing during the break, as junior Vunnisa Vu and freshman Lara Goerlich both played in tournaments that took them out of the country. Vu finished in 14th place at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, while Goerlich had a second-place finish in Tunisia.
Goerlich is one of three freshmen on the team, all of whom are international players. Senior Katelyn Lehigh, who has spent the last three years at Fresno State, has taken on a leadership role in order to make the freshmen’s transition to the collegiate level smooth.
Originally from Colorado, Lehigh has offered a perspective on dealing with being away from home.
“I’ve been through an absolute roller coaster of a college experience,” Lehigh said. “And I want to make sure that these three freshmen have the best experience that they can, and that I can help them in any way that I can.”
While Lehigh has given the team different learning opportunities, the freshmen have also had an impact on her.
“It has me reminiscing on when I was a freshman and first, first step foot in Fresno,” Lehigh said. “And, you know, [they] are just so eager to learn and to get better and to travel and genuinely enjoy showing up to practice every day.”
Despite having such a young team, Ritchie believes her squad is prepared, not only for this spring but also for the future when the team moves to the Pac-12.
“We don’t get to know when the breakthroughs will happen, but I would not be surprised at all if we have some personal bests this spring,” Ritchie said. “I think this team, this team is going to be really good, whether we have a breakthrough this spring or whether it’s next year.”
The Fresno State women’s golf team will get its first opportunity of the spring season when the team tees off at the Soboba Classic on Feb. 4.
