The Women’s Golf Coaches Association has named Stanford head coach Anne Walker the 2025-26 Jackie Steinmann WGCA National Coach of the Year Presented by Golf Pride following another championship season for the Cardinal.
Walker guided Stanford to the No. 1 ranking throughout the entire season in the Scoreboard powered by Clippd rankings while leading the program to eight team victories. The Cardinal captured titles at the Stanford Intercollegiate, Nanea Invitational, Arizona Thunderbird Intercollegiate, Bruin Wave Invitational, Charles Schwab Women’s Collegiate Invitational, ACC Women’s Golf Championship, NCAA Stanford Regional, and NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship.
Stanford finished the season with only three losses and posted an adjusted scoring average of 273.9. The national title marked Walker’s fourth NCAA championship during her 14 seasons at Stanford, adding to previous titles won in 2015, 2022, and 2024.
Walker was also recognized earlier this year as the Division I Golf Pride WGCA West Region Coach of the Year.
Stanford’s championship roster featured several of the nation’s top players, including Megha Ganne, the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion and 2026 Inkster Award Presented by Workday recipient. Paula Martin Sampedro earned ACC Individual Champion and ACC Golfer of the Year honors, while Meja Ortengren and Andrea Revuelta were named WGCA First Team All Americans. Kelly Xu received WGCA Second Team All America recognition.
The award continues a strong year for Stanford’s coaching staff. For the second consecutive season, both the Jackie Steinmann WGCA National Coach of the Year Presented by Golf Pride and the Division I Golf Pride WGCA Assistant Coach of the Year awards were earned by coaches from the same program. Brooke Riley was previously named the 2025-26 Division I Golf Pride WGCA Assistant Coach of the Year.
Founded in 1983, the Women’s Golf Coaches Association represents more than 750 collegiate golf coaches across the United States and is dedicated to promoting, educating, and recognizing women’s collegiate golf.
Source:
WGCA National Coach of the Year Release