By Ron Smith
October 6, 2026
 
(MONTEREY, Calif.) Freshman Ashley Chang won her first collegiate golf tournament, leading Westmont Women's Golf to its first victory of the 2026-27 season.
 
Playing at the RCA Electric Fall Invitational at the TPC Monterey Pasadera, Chang recorded a five-over score of 147 in two rounds. Chang edged out Isabella Iorio of Hawai'i Pacific and Kim Penzold of Menlo by one stroke by posting scores of 74 strokes (+3) in round one and 73 (+2) in the second round.
 
Noelle Thompson posted a 149 with rounds of 75 and 74 to claim fourth place, while Hannah Camara's 152 (79, 73) tied her for fifth. Mallory Hopper finished tied for 11th with 154 strokes and Cooper Gilmore finished 15th with a score of 157.
 
Playing as independents, Jenna Trinidad finished 16th with 158 strokes, Haylee Magpoc took 18th place with 159 and Kyla Layman placed 20th with 160. That means Westmont's eight players all finished in the top half of the field of 40.
 
After the first round, Westmont and Oregon Tech were tied atop the team leaderboard with 307 strokes each. Oregon Tech repeated the same score in the second round, but the Warriors improved by 12 strokes, posting a score of 295 strokes to claim the victory with a score of 602.
 
Oregon Tech's 614 outpaced Dominican and Hawai'i Pacific, who tied for third with 621 strokes. The host, Menlo, tallied 627 strokes to finish fifth. Simpson edged Southern Oregon by one stroke to finish sixth.
 
Following second-place finishes in their first two tournaments, this victory brings the Warriors to a season record of 28-2.
 
On Monday and Tuesday, October 12-13, the Warriors will put their record on the line and host the Westmont Invitational at Sandpiper Golf Club in Goleta.


Ashley Chang (Photo courtesy Menlo Sports Information)