COLUMBUS, Ga. — The preseason recognition for Stanford women’s golf continues to roll in. The Fall ANNIKA Award Watch List was announced by Golfweek and Golf Channel on Wednesday morning, and four Stanford golfers are on the list. Stanford is the only school to land four on the watch list, with USC the next closest with three.
Paula Martín Sampedro returns after being named a finalist in 2024. She paced Stanford with a 70.50 scoring average in 28 rounds and finished at par or better in 24 of those 28 rounds last year. Martín Sampedro earned a bevy of awards, including Pac-12 Golfer of the Year, Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, WGCA Co-Freshman of the Year, and First Team All-America (Golfweek, WGCA). Just yesterday, she was named a preseason First Team All-America selection by Golf Channel.
Kelly Xu was named a Second Team All-America selection last year after a breakout year that she capped off by going 3-0 in match play at the NCAA Championship. She also earned second place finishes at the Pac-12 Championship and NCAA Regional. This is the first time she has been named to the ANNIKA Award Watch List.
Meja Örtengren and Andrea Revuelta are incoming freshmen but carry a lot of national attention. Revuelta sits ninth in the World Amateur Golf Rankings while Örtengren ranks 22nd. Both are part of Stanford’s top-ranked recruiting class, per Golf Channel.
Created in 2014, the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel is annually given to the top female Division 1 collegiate golfer; the winner voted on by players, coaches, and members of the college golf media. Named for Annika Sorenstam, the award was created in partnership with the Haskins Foundation to acknowledge the top female golfer and to match the Haskins Award presented by Stifel, which acknowledges the top male Division I collegiate golfer.
Stifel, one of the nation's leading wealth management and investment banking firms, serves as the presenting sponsor of both the ANNIKA and Haskins Awards, recognizing annually the most outstanding NCAA Division I female and male college golfers. Stifel also serves as a presenting sponsor for the NCAA Division I Women's and Men's Golf Championships on GOLF Channel.