Women's Golf Heads to Hawai’i for Rainbow Wahine Invite

2026 RAINBOW WAHINE INVITATIONAL
Date	Monday-Wednesday, Oct. 19-21, 2026
Info Hub	EMU Notes (pdf)
Venue	Ocean Course at Hokuala \| Lihu'e, Kaua'i, Hawai'i \| Par: 72 \| Yards: 6,039
Live	Live Scoring (Scoreboard)
Social Media	EMUWomensGolf (X) \| EMUWomensGolf (Instagram)

LIHU'E, Kaua'i, Hawai'i (EMUEagles.com) — The final full stroke-play tournament of the fall season awaits the Eastern Michigan University women's golf team this week as the Eagles will head to Hawai'i for the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, hosted by the University of Hawai'i, Oct. 19-21, on the Ocean Course at Hokuala in Lihu'e, Kaua'i, Hawai'i. The 54-hole event will feature 14 teams from across the United States and one school from Japan.

ON THE COURSE FOR EASTERN
Here are the Eagles that will compete in the 2026 Rainbow Wahine Invitational:
1. Baiyok Sukterm (Y-4) • 70.7 avg. | Tied for third at the Leadership & Golf Invitational to open the year
2. Karen Tsuru (Y-4) • 71.3 avg. | 13th at Golfweek Red Sky Classic (9-under 207)
3. Savannah de Bock (Y-4) • 70.9 avg. | Medalist at 2026 Leadership & Golf; T23rd at Golfweek Red Sky
4. Constanza Quiroga (Y-2) • 72.4 avg. | Tied for 17th in EMU debut at the Leadership & Golf Invitational
5. Laura Gorgees Baeta (Y-1) • 74.7 avg. | Tied for 45th in collegiate debut at the Leadership & Golf Invitational
IN Matilde Zocchi (Y-2) • 76.2 avg. (2025-26) | 2025-26 MAC Frosh of the Year; Making 2026-27 debut

CHIP INS
» Eastern fired a program-record-shattering 21-under 843 at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic (Sept. 21-23) to break the previous mark by six strokes after the team shot 849 last year (April 6-8, 2026) at the Chevron Silverado Showdown. The Eagles used a final-round 16-under 272, which broke the single round record by seven strokes, to finish sixth in the deep field. Karen Tsuru led the way at 9-under 209 to finish 13th.
» Eastern opened the season with team and individual victories at the Leadership & Golf Invitational, Sept. 14-15, at Chambers Bay. The wins marked the second consecutive season the Eagles captured both the team and individual crowns at their first tournament of the year and repeated a sweep of the titles at the same event after winning both in 2025.
» Savannah de Bock was named the MAC Golfer of the Week (Sept. 11) after earning medalist honors at the Leadership & Golf Invitational, marking her second career victory after taking the top spot at the 2024 Golfweek Red Sky Classic. The win also marked the 29th medalist finish in program history.
» As a team, Eastern won the Leadership & Golf Invitational for the second consecutive season and won its season-opening event for the sixth time in program history.
» Eastern will compete in five fall events and six spring tournaments before heading into the post season. Including the 2027 MAC Championships, the Eagles are set to play in nine different states, including California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawai'i, Kansas, Ohio, Texas, and Washington.
» The coaching staff is back for its third year with Head Coach Josh Brewer and Assistant Coach Caterina Don returning to lead the program. Brewer was the 2026 Golfweek Women's National Coach of the Year, the WGCA East Region Coach of the Year, and a WGCA National Coach of the Year finalist while Don was a finalist for the inaugural WGCA National Assistant Coach of the Year award.
» The Eagles will serve as co-hosts of two events later in the season, including the GameAbove Invitational and the MAC Championships. Eastern and USC will share hosting duties of the GAI in Somis, Calif., March 15-16, while the Eagles will work with the conference office to co-host the MAC event, April 25-27.

TOURNAMENT INFO: THE FACTS
Held on various courses throughout the Islands every year since 1997 (excluding the 2020 COVID season), the Rainbow Wahine Invitational is set for its 29th edition in 2026 with two teams, BYU (2015) and Sacramento State (2013-2016-2019), returning as previous team champions. The three-day event will see teams play 18 holes each day for a 54-hole team score with both a team and individual winner crowned at the end of the final round. The Ocean Course at Hokuala is set to play at 6,039 yards (par 72) for the second consecutive year.

TOURNAMENT INFO: TEAMS
The Rainbow Wahine Invitational will feature 14 teams with 13 hailing from across the United States and one from Japan. Along with the Eagles and host Hawai'i, the teams set to compete include Appalachian State, BYU, Grand Canyon, Kansas State, Long Beach State, Nevada, Prairie View A&M, Sacramento State, San Diego State, Tulane, Washington State, and Japanese team Gakuin from Osaka. Of those 14 teams, 11 are back after playing in the 2025 edition with only App State, Kansas State, and Prairie View A&M new to the field.

DEEP FIELD
Of the 14 teams in the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, three competed in the NCAA Regionals last season with Eastern Michigan the lone team to advance to the NCAA Championships where it tied for third nationally after reaching the semifinals of match play. The two other teams that qualified for and competed in the regional competitions were Kansas State and Prairie View A&M.

IN THE RANKINGS • TEAM
The field at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational features five squads that enter the week ranked among the top 100 nationally with No. 50 Eastern Michigan leading the way while Kansas State is right on its heels at No. 58. The remaining top 100 teams include No. 74 Tulane, No. 85 BYU, and No. 97 Washington State.

IN THE RANKINGS • INDIVIDUAL
In the same Scoreboard/Clippd release, the first individual rankings of the season were unveiled with Eastern landing three players in the top 250, including No. 152 Savannah de Bock, No. 156 Baiyok Sukterm, and No. 221 Karen Tsuru. The field at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational will feature nine players ranked in the top 250, with the three Eagles being joined by No. 53 Jiarui Chen and No. 140 Nanami Nakashima of Kansas State, No. 139 Francesca Pompa and No. 204 Sophia Macias of Tulane, No. 164 Amelia Garibaldi of San Diego State, and No. 203 Maria Jose Barragan of BYU.

MORE ON THE RANKINGS
Eastern has five players on its roster that received rankings in the initial release of the Scoreboard/Clippd lists with two improving over their 2025-26 season starting positions. Constanza Quiroga, who played for Troy in 2025-26, opened last year at No. 651 before starting this season at No. 508, an improvement of 143 places, while Baiyok Sukterm climbed 12 spots to No. 156 this year after opening last year at No. 168. She went on to finish No. 53 in the rankings. The remaining three Eagles in the rankings are No. 152 Savannah de Bock, No. 221 Karen Tsuru, who was not ranked at all last year, and No. 592 Mariana Vega.

LOOKING BACK • 2025 RAINBOW WAHINE
Eastern Michigan placed fourth as a team at the 2025 Rainbow Wahine Invitational on the Ocean Course at Hokuala (Oct. 20-22) with a three-day score of 3-over 867. The Eagles, the highest-finishing team of those returning to play the 2026 event, was led by Jasmine Leovao, who took runner-up honors at 6-under 210 while Mariana Vega tied for 18th at 2-over 218. Only two Eastern players on the course last year are scheduled to compete this year as both Savannah de Bock and Baiyok Sukterm are back after both shot 5-over 221 to tie for 32nd.

RECAPPING • OKLAHOMA INTERCOLLEGIATE • INDIVIDUAL
» Baiyok Sukterm finished below par for the third consecutive tournament to open the year and posted her second top 10 finish of the season as she shot 3-under 210 (71-70-69) to finish sixth overall at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate. Sukterm, who opened the year with a third-place showing at the Leadership & Golf Invitational after shooting 5-under 211, tied her own program record for low 54-hole score on a par-71 course after shooting 210 to win the Silicon Valley Showcase (March 30-31, 2026) last season. Her score this week tied for the seventh-lowest in Eastern history while her 3-under finish tied for 10th all-time on the score-to-par list.
» Karen Tsuru also played consistently throughout as she tied for ninth at 1-under 212 (71-71-70) for the 15th-lowest 54-hole score in EMU history. It marked the second consecutive tournament Tsuru has finished below par this year after shooting 9-under 207 at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic (Sept. 21-22). It also marked just the third time in her career she has finished under par in back-to-back events as she accomplished the feat twice with Oregon in the 2024-25 season, including the Alice & John Wallace Invitational and Juli Inkster Invitational, an even she won, and then adding the Charles Schwab Women's Collegiate Invitational the week following her medalist honors.
» Baiyok Sukterm's rise toward the top of the leaderboard was facilitated by her steady play throughout as she was the only player in the 66-entrant field to shoot below par in every round. She tied for 12th in the field with nine birdies and tied for fourth for fewest bogies with just six total while Karen Tsuru equaled Sukterm's marks in both areas.
» Julianna Go, playing as an individual, made her season debut for the Eagles and tied for 48th overall after shooting 10-over 223 (74-75-74). Her score was the second-best as a member of the team after she shot 3-over 219 at the Boilermaker Classic, April 6-7, 2025.

RECAPPING • OKLAHOMA INTERCOLLEGIATE • TEAM
» As a team, the 5-under 857 score recorded by the Eagles ranks among the best in program history as the 857 strokes stand as the third-lowest overall score while the 5-over finish tied for the seventh-lowest score to-par in program history. Additionally, the 857 strokes broke the program record for overall score in a 54-hole tournament on a par-71 course, surpassing the 860 strokes recorded at the Silicon Valley Showcase last season (March 30-31, 2026).
» The team opened the tournament with a score of 281, which tied for the fourth-lowest single-round score in program history while the third-round 287 tied for 25th.

ADDING AWARDS
Baiyok Sukterm was named the MAC Golfer of the Week, Oct. 9, after her strong showing at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate. Sukterm finished below par for the third consecutive tournament to open the year and posted her second top 10 finish of the season as she shot 3-under 210 (71-70-69) to finish sixth overall. Sukterm, who opened the year with a third-place showing at the Leadership & Golf Invitational after shooting 5-under 211, tied her own program record for low 54-hole score on a par-71 course after shooting 210 to win the Silicon Valley Showcase (March 30-31, 2026) last season. Her score this week was tied for the seventh-lowest in Eastern history while her 3-under finish tied for 10th all-time on the score-to-par list. Additionally, she was the only player in the field of 66 golfers that shot below par in all three rounds as she tied for 12th in the field with nine birdies and fourth overall for the fewest bogies with just six.

CLIMBING THE LIST
Since Kelly Pickett earned the program's first MAC Golfer of the Week honor, April 18, 2001, the EMU program has secured over 50 weekly awards with Baiyok Sukterm's Oct. 10 recognition standing as the 53rd. Sukterm's latest award pushed her into elite company at Eastern as she became only the fifth player to garner MAC Golfer of the Week four or more times in a career. She joined Stephany Fleet, who leads the way with seven, five-time honorees Catherine Fortin and Sarah Johnson, and fellow four-time winner Darby Peters. All told, 20 different Eastern players have been honored by the MAC with 14 having earned multiple awards while nine have earned three or more, including current Eagle Savannah de Bock.

BREWER-ING AWARDS
Since Head Coach Josh Brewer took over the program at the start of the 2024-25 season, Eastern has received 14 MAC Golfer of the Week accolades with Baiyok Sukterm leading the way with four honors while the trio of Savannah de Bock, Janae Leovao, and Jasmine Leovao each added three to the list. Riley Kim was honored during the 2024-25 campaign as well. The 14 honors are the most in a three-year span in program history, surpassing the 10 earned during the 2007-08 through 2009-10 campaigns and the 2009-10 through 2011-12 seasons. Additionally, the nine earned in just 2025-26 would tie for the third-highest total in a three-season span.

BACK FOR MORE
Six players have returned to the team for the 2026-27 season, including Savannah de Bock, Julianna Go, Baiyok Sukterm, Erina Tan, Mariana Vega, and Matilde Zocchi with several of those players are coming off award-winning seasons, including All-MAC performers Sukterm (first-team) and de Bock (second-team), who both finished their year among the top 15 at the NCAA Championships. Sukterm was a three-time MAC Golfer of the Week in 2025-26 and won her first collegiate event as an NCAA Division I player when she took medalist honors at the Silicon Valley Showcase, March 30-31, in Millbrae, Calif., while de Bock was selected to the MAC All-Tournament Team after finishing third at the league event. Zocchi was the top ranked freshman in the league last year and was voted the MAC Freshman of the Year.

HELLO! MY NAME IS...
Three newcomers have joined the program this year with one first-year player and two transfers. The rookie is Laura Gorgees Baeta, who hails from Zaragoza, Spain, while the transfers feature Constanza Quiroga (Bolivia), who came to Ypsilanti after one year at Troy, and Karen Tsuru (Carlsbad, Calif.), who played the previous three years at Oregon and was the No. 11 recruit in the Class of 2023.

FAMILY MATTERS
For the second consecutive year, Eastern Michigan golf will feature family ties as transfer Constanza Quiroga will play for the women's program while her younger brother, Vicente Quiroga, joined the men's team as a first-year player this season. Last year, the women's team featured twins Janae Leovao and Jasmine Leovao.

STRONG COACHING
The coaching staff remains unchanged with Josh Brewer back for his third year at the helm of the program and Caterina Don back for her third year as his assistant coach. The duo was highly regarded by their peers in 2025-26 as each earned selections for postseason honors. Brewer was named the Golfweek Women's National Coach of the Year and the WGCA East Region Coach of the Year while also being named a finalist for the WGCA National Coach of the Year award with Don earning a finalist spot on the inaugural WGCA National Assistant Coach of the Year list. The awards earned by both marked the first in the history of the program.

FAMILIAR START
The Eagles will play in many of the same tournaments in 2026-27 that they played in 2025-26, including the first four of this year's slate mirroring a similar start to last year. After playing in The Southern last year, the team embarked on the same four events the Eagles will play this fall, including the Leadership & Golf Invitational (Sept. 14-15), the Golfweek Red Sky Classic (Sept. 21-23), the Oklahoma Intercollegiate (Oct. 5-6), and the Rainbow Wahine Invitational (Oct. 19-21). Last year, in those same events, the Eagles finished 1st, tied for seventh, tied for second, and fourth, respectively, to cap their fall slate. Following the East Lake Cup and the winter break, the Eagles will play six more spring events with four being familiar territory, including return visits to the Alice & John Wallace Golf Classic (Feb. 13-15), the GameAbove Invitational (March 15-16), and the Florida State Match Up (March 21-22), while also playing in the Gators Invitational (March 6-7), an event EMU competed in during the 2024-25 season.

EAST LAKE CUP
New to the schedule this fall is the East Lake Cup, a three-day event held at the East Lake Club in Atlanta, Ga., and featured four of the top finishers from the previous year's NCAA Championships on the women's and men's side. Entering its 12th year, the East Lake Cup will see a women's field including national runner-up USC, third-place finishers EMU and Arkansas, and fifth-place finisher Oklahoma State while the men's teams include champion Auburn, runner-up UCLA, and third-place finishers Arizona and Oklahoma State. The format will see each team play one round of stroke play, Oct. 26, to determine team seeding with the first round of match play taking place Oct. 27 pitting No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3. The final day, Oct. 27, will see the winning teams meet in the final with the remaining two teams meeting in the consolation final for third place.

CINDERELLA STORY
Historic. Magical. A Cinderella Story.

It is rare when the entirety of an athletic season can be summed up in so few words. For EMU, those words were fitting for a 2025-26 campaign that saw the Eagles enter the season with momentum and quickly established themselves as one of the nation's top programs.

Eastern opened the campaign with consecutive tournament championships at The Southern and the Leadership & Golf Invitational before adding a third team title at the Silicon Valley Showcase in the spring. The three victories marked the program's most tournament wins in a season since 2011-12 and represented another major step in the program's rapid ascent under Josh Brewer. Individual success accompanied the team's achievements.

Janae Leovao captured medalist honors at both The Southern and the Leadership & Golf Invitational, while Baiyok Sukterm claimed medalist honors at the Silicon Valley Showcase. The accomplishments marked the first time since 2007-08 that Eastern golfers earned three individual tournament titles in a single season.

The Eagles continued their rise throughout the spring and reached No. 19 in the national rankings before finishing second at the Mid-American Conference Championships, their best conference finish since 2015. That success positioned Eastern for another historic milestone. The Eagles then earned the program's first NCAA Regional selection and traveled to Tallahassee as the No. 5 seed. Eastern rose to the occasion, finishing fourth and securing the first NCAA Championship berth in school history. The story only grew more remarkable from there.

Competing against the nation's best at Omni La Costa Resort in California, Eastern advanced through stroke play and made the 15-team cut after three rounds. The Eagles then produced the lowest round of the day during the fourth round, firing a 4-under-par 284 to move into the top eight and qualify for match play.

In match play, Eastern stunned fourth-seeded and third-ranked Texas in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual national champion Stanford in the semifinals. When the final putt dropped, Eastern Michigan stood tied for third nationally.

The accomplishment completed a remarkable two-year climb of 223 spots in the national rankings and established the Eagles as one of the premier programs in collegiate golf.

HAPPY TO HOST
Eastern is set to serve as the co-host for two events this year, including the GameAbove Invitational and the MAC Championships. The GameAbove Invitational will see EMU and USC return as hosts for the second-annual event with teams competing at Saticoy Country Club in Somis, Calif., March 15-16. The Eagles will also serve as the co-host for the MAC Championships, which will return to the Fazio Course at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, April 25-27.

THAT'S A FIRST • PART I
The Eagles' run at the national tournament not only turned heads throughout the golf world, but also helped Eastern etch its name into the history books in numerous ways. When comparing the run to other teams in the Mid-American Conference (EMU vs. Kent State) and the Mitten State (Michigan and Michigan State included), the fifth-place finish for Eastern marked the best showing in MAC history, surpassing the seventh-place finish Kent State produced in 2018, while also breaking the record for a Michigan school after Michigan State finished tied for ninth in 2013. Additionally, the Eagles are only the second NCAA Division I program from the state of Michigan to reach match play.

THAT'S A FIRST • PART II
Janae Leovao saw her final collegiate season in 2025-26 ended with countless awards and smiles to last a lifetime. On the course, she won her first two collegiate titles as she won the first two events of the season, The Southern and the Leadership & Golf Invitational, before playing a major role in the team earning its first appearance in the NCAA Regionals and the NCAA Championships. After defying the odds, the Eagles moved even further than anyone imagined as they not only competed in NCAA match play, but won. In that victory, Leovao was the catalyst as the Eagle, ranked 55th nationally, scored a massive 5&4 victory over No. 1 Farah O'Keefe, who one day earlier won the medalist honor at the national tournament. When the dust settled, Leovao moved up to No. 46 in the final rankings and became the first All-American in program history as she was named to the Golfweek All-American Third Team and the WGCA All-American Honorable Mention squad.

GAMEABOVE GOLF
Eastern Michigan University golf is proud to be supported by GameAbove. Through the GameAbove Golf Performance Center and dedicated championship funds, GameAbove helps advance excellence in our men's and women's golf programs. For more information, visit GameAbove.com.

FANTASTIC FACILITIES
The GameAbove Golf Performance Center opened its doors Jan. 16, 2024, for the men's and women's golf teams to utilize for their preparations each season. The two-story facility, perched elegantly overlooking the 18th green and Ford Lake, was made possible through an $8 million gift from GameAbove. The facility stands as a testament to EMU's commitment to excellence in collegiate golf. This state-of-the-art training complex, spanning 13,000 square feet, is designed to propel the Eastern men's and women's golf teams to new heights of success. With locker rooms, meeting spaces, indoor putting and chipping areas, and cutting-edge simulators, the facility provides an unparalleled training environment for all elements of the game.

The building features a dedicated practice range, spanning 6,619 square feet, which offers student-athletes the opportunity to hone their skills with targeted training sessions. A specialized area covering 5,383 square feet has been designated for chipping and putting, ensuring that every aspect of the game is meticulously addressed in the training regimen. Additionally, the inclusion of two TrackMan 4 Simulators, totaling 1,974 square feet, adds a cutting-edge dimension to the training experience. These simulators bring the outdoor game indoors, allowing for precision training regardless of external conditions.

ON THE HORIZON
The prestigious East Lake Cup, which enters its 12th year in 2026, awaits Eastern Michigan next week as the Eagles will compete against fellow NCAA Championship teams in a three-day event at Atlanta's historic East Lake Golf Club, Oct. 26-28. The event starts Oct. 26 with four women's teams (EMU, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, and USC) and four men's teams (Arizona, Auburn, Oklahoma State, and UCLA) playing 18 holes of stroke play. Those results will be used to seed each team No. 1-4 with match play starting Oct. 27 with the semifinals (No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3). The championship match and third-place consolation match will be played Oct. 28. Golf Channel will air the competition live each day from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Savannah de Bock

Julianna Go

Laura Gorgees Baeta

Janae Leovao

Jasmine Leovao

Constanza Quiroga

Baiyok Sukterm

Erina Tan

Karen Tsuru

Mariana Vega

Matilde Zocchi

Eastern Michigan Athletics