OJAI, Calif. — UC Davis women's golf senior Vani Karimanal became the Aggies' second winner at the 2026 California Women's Championship in as many years following Lauren Calderon's 2025 win.

Karimanal (69-70-71 - 210, -3) started Thursday's third and final round of action at the Ojai Valley Inn in a three-way tie for first place after 36 holes along with UC Davis teammate Gabriella Ilardi (71-68-73 - 212, -1) and Kelley Yoon (70-69-72 - 211, -2). Karimanal moved into the lead by playing two-under golf through the first 11 holes on Thursday with birdies on the third and fifth holes to go along with nine pars. Despite four bogeys over final seven holes that she helped negate with birdies on 13 and 15, Karimanl was able to hold off second-place Yoon by a stroke. Ilardi had a double bogey on the first hole and was three-over through six before playing the final 12 holes in one-under par to finish two-over for the round and tie for third overall.

Yu "Yoyo" Bai (73-72-77 - 222, +9) also competed in the event and finished tied for 11th.

ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS 
UC Davis, ranked No. 2 among public universities by the Wall Street Journal in the value of a college degree, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked top in the United States in agriculture and forestry as well as No. 1 in veterinary medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27. 

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