In October, Cal State Fullerton junior Davina Xanh competed in the prestigious Stanford Intercollegiate golf tournament after head coach Kathryn Hosch wrangled her an invite.

"Davina finished in the top 10 in every event last season, tied for first in a Hawaii tournament and was the Big West Women's Golfer of the Year. She had a great year, but her ranking wasn't showing that. I was bummed that she wasn't selected to compete in the NCAA championships as an individual," said Hosch. "I though Stanford could be a confidence booster for her. I knew she could compete at the highest level."

Facing the nation's best collegiate golfers, Xanh shot a 2-under-par 210 to place 13th at the three-day event. "No one there knew who I was. Playing well gave me the confidence that I could compete and that our team could compete with the major schools," said Xanh, who hails from Weston-super-Mare in southwest England.

Teammate Katharina Zeilinger said Xanh brought back an important message to her fellow Titans. "Davina told us that we are as good as the golfers who played at Stanford. She said if we played to our capability and stuck to our game plan, we would have a good chance to win the conference championship."


Davina Xanh and Kaitlyn Zermeno Smith have each won Big West Player of the Year honors – Xanh in 2023-24 and Zermeno Smith in 2024-25.

Xanh was spot on. Last month, the Titans led wire to wire at the Big West Women's Golf Championship, finishing 14 strokes ahead of runner-up UC Davis. As a team, they were 3-over par with a three-day total of 867 at Spanish Trail in Las Vegas. (The team score is determined by the best four scores out of five players for each round.)

Kaitlyn Zermeno Smith, a junior from Covina, won the Big West individual title. She fired a 3-under par 213, including a school record 7-under par 65 in the second round.

In fact, the Titans have been impressive all year, placing third at the Soboba Springs Classic San Jacinto, fourth at the Alice and John Wallace Classic in Palm Desert, eighth at the Bruin Wave Invitational in Santa Clarita, fourth in the Nashville Invitational and seventh at the Chevron Silverado Showdown in Napa.

Fullerton now advances to the NCAA's regional in Gold Canyon, Ariz., which will be played Monday through Wednesday. The competition will be held at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club, 30 miles east of Mesa. The top three seeds at the regional are Big 10 champion Oregon, Arizona State and Auburn.

Overall, regional play be held at six sites, with 396 participants and each site featuring 12 teams and six individuals. The top five teams and the low individual not on an advancing team (six individuals total) from each regional site will advance to compete in the Division 1 Women's National Championship. It will be May 16-21 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad.

Hosch felt her team was primed for a breakthrough at the conference finals. Fullerton had finished third, fourth and fifth at the past three Big West finals.

"We had just come off a good finish at Napa, where we played really well against major schools. I was a little concerned about the schedule I had made a year ago, which left us only one rest day before the Big West. But I had so much confidence in our players. It was almost like I knew we would win," said Hosch, who was named Big West Coach of the Year.

"When I was interviewed after the first round, I said we expected to be leading. I was trying not to sound cocky, but it just seemed like that was where we were supposed to be."

Hosch, who is in her eighth season as head coach, praised Xanh's motivational efforts. "Davina helped us tremendously this year, not just

physically but with her mindset. We began keeping right up with the highly ranked schools. And it started with her pep talk. She convinced her teammates that we were not far off from these top teams."

"It's great to be part of a team whose members really push each other," said Hosch, adding that "iron sharpens iron," a proverb that illustrates how people can improve and grow through interaction and challenge.

"If you had told me three years ago that Kaitlyn would be the Big West Player of the Year, I wouldn't have believed you. Now that I have seen her over the years, it wasn't that surprising.

"In the past, Kaitlyn would always go to Davina and say, "Hey, you want to have a chipping contest? A putting contest?' It was almost comical because Davina kicked her butt every single time. Davina was almost like, 'Why do you keep wanting to come back and get your butt kicked?' "

Hosch said what Xanh was doing was setting the bar. "She kind of had a target on her back, in a very good way. The team's attitude became, 'Hey, let's get better and try to match that.' Now we have this great vibe going on. Kaitlyn, Davina and Louise all won tournaments in the spring semester. That's kind of unheard of when you think about it. It's neat to be around these girls."

"If we play to the best of our abilities, I know that we can finish in the top five of the 12 regional teams, which means we would go to the nationals."

Louise Dahl and Zara Ali will join Zermeno Smith, Xanh and Zeillinger in Fullerton's starting lineup at the Arizona regional. Jordyn Janert will serve as the alternate. Here is a look at the golfers.

KAITLYN ZERMENO SMITH

"My coaches had talked about me winning the Big West individual title and said I had a very good chance. It was very emotional and exciting to do it. My dad was crying, my mom was crying and Perry Johnson, my personal swing coach, was crying," said Zermeno Smith, said who was named Big West Golfer of the Year.

Zermeno Smith said wining the Bi West team championship takes some pressure off next year's Fullerton squad. "If feels good to especially have done it this year. We are very junior heavy, and we'll not have the pressure having to win it as seniors. Of course, we'll now have the pressure of going back to back."

"I was super-cool to bring Fullerton its first-ever Big West women's golf title. Now it's time to focus on the regional. After our practice round on the regional course, I'll be ready to compete," said Zermeno Smith, who is a kinesiology major.

Zermeno Smith was named Big West Golfer of the Month twice this season and tied for first with her teammate Xanh at the Soboba Springs Classic. She has a 72.40 scoring average.

DAVINA XANH

Xanh finished just behind Zermeno Smith at the Big West Championship, placing second with a score of 1-under par 215. "We had the team lead from day one, so we all knew what we had to do and were pretty steady the whole week. I know some of us were a little nervous, but I knew we had it." [laughs]

An All-Big West First Team selection, Xanh earned back-to-back Big West Golfers of the Month honors this season in addition to her Soboba Spring Classic co-championship. A business finance major, Xanh said Superstition Mountain is one of the longer courses the Titans will encounter this year.

"It's longer than we are used to. But we are all good ball strikers and hit the ball a decent distance. I've heard the greens are big and the course is wide, which is nice. An ASU friend of mine said it is almost links-style. I play links back home, which could be an advantage.

"We played some big schools at Napa and showed that we could compete. These big schools may not expect much of us at the regional, but we'll put up a good fight. I know some of them are secretly worried that Cal State Fullerton will beat them out," said Xanh, who has a team-best 72.27 scoring average and notched five Top 5 finishes in 2025.

Xahn, who expressed gratitude to Hosch and assistant coaches Linley Ooi and Chayse Gomez, described her mindset going into the NCAA regional: "Just take it day by day, stay in the present and do your own processes. And don't allow outside factors to distract you. It's just about focusing on yourself."

KATHI ZEILLINGER

Zeillinger, whose hometown is Neuhofen, Austria, earned All-Big West Honorable Mention honors. She had a season-best finish with a seventh-place tie at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational in Alburquerque.

The Austrian said she got caught up in the celebrating at the Big West Championship. "After Kaitlyn hold her last putt on the 18th, we were all ready to spill water on her. I got wet, and I was like, 'Why am I getting wet? I didn't win.' But then I realized, 'Oh my God, we just won the Big West team championship. That's when I realized how great we did," said Zeillinger, who is an international business major.

"Kaitlyn, Davina and I started as freshmen three years ago. We have gone such a long way. As a team, we had come so close to winning before. Everyone has struggled at times, so seeing it all come together at one tournament, the one that quote unquote mattered the most, is just great."

Zeillinger has a scoring average of 74.10, She has tinkered with some swing changes but is confident that they will pay off.

"Kathi always puts up a good fight. She is always our number three man, putting up good scores for us," said Hosch.

LOUISE DAHL

Dahl, a Dane who transferred from Northern Colorado last year, had a rough patch in her first year at Fullerton. Her grandmother passed away last winter, and Dahl took time out from golf to mourn with her family in her hometown of Jyllinge, west of Copenhagen.

"That put me two steps back. I didn't play in our first two matches of the year," said Dahl. "But I just kept working hard and got back on track."

Returning to the starting lineup, she won the second tournament she played in – the Nashville Invitational. She shot an even par 216 to capture her first career individual title.

"I can look back at the rough start and be like, "I did it. I got out of that slump I was in. I was proud of myself," said Dahl, who shot 4-over par 220 to finish sixth at the Big West Championship. She was named All-Big West Honorable Mention.

Dahl's story is "remarkable," Hosch said. "She wasn't ready physically or mentality after returning from the holidays. But she reengaged and then won the Nashville tournament. That was a turning point for her."

Averaging 74.10 per round. Dahl is political science major. She said her career goal is to become Denmark's prime minister.

ZARA ALI

Ali had her best tournaments as a Titan at the Big West Championship. She placed 10th with a score of 6-over par 222, which included a sub-par round of 71.

"We were so locked in during the tournament. I think we didn't fully appreciate how well we were playing until we were completely done," said Ali, who is a sophomore from Leeds, England. "I remember on the drive back home, it really hit me that we had made history".

An economics major, Ali has been happy with her short game. "I really enjoy chipping and putting – anything from 100 yards in. I love getting crafty and hitting some funky shots around the green. I have struggled a bit with my long game, but I'm in a better place this semester."

Zara, who has a scoring average of 76.33, said it's important that the Titans not be in awe of higher-ranked schools. "We need to bring the same mental toughness into the NCAA regional and keep our momentum going," she said.

"Zara is an experience player. There is more we can get from her. But when she is on her game, she is scary good," said Hosch.

JORDAN JANERT

A transfer from the University of La Verne, Janert's season best finish was a tie for 24th at the Soboba Springs Classic. She has a scoring average of 77.47

The sophomore was the team's alternate at the Big West Championship but didn't see action. "Honestly, I was kind of happy I didn't play because that meant everyone out there was doing their job. It was so fun to be out there just watching them. These girls are incredible golfers," she said.

"As an alternate, I must stay on my toes every day and be ready if the coach needs me. Otherwise, I'm a full-time cheerleader, rooting them on the girls, giving them snacks or doing whatever is needed," said Janert, who is a business marketing major.

"Jordyn is the perfect person to bring in as an alternate," said Hosch. "She has great chemistry with the girls. In many ways, she is the glue to the team. She brings a lot of energy, and everyone likes her."

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