Allison Meyerink is no stranger to the big stage, and the Dakota Wesleyan University sophomore is ready to make an even bigger splash at the 2026 NAIA Women's Golf National Championship. After an impressive freshman campaign where she not only qualified for the tournament but made the 36-hole cut and finished 52nd out of 156 players, the Mitchell, S.D., native is heading back to Eagle Crest Golf Club in Ypsilanti, Michigan, from May 19-22 with her sights set much higher.

Meyerink enters the championship as one of just six individual qualifiers (the field includes 30 teams plus these individuals), and she's bringing serious momentum. A back-to-back Great Plains Athletic Conference champion, she's currently ranked No. 80 nationally—a significant jump from No. 123 at the end of last season. Perhaps most impressively, she leads all NAIA golfers in event victories this season with six, including back-to-back tournament wins last month. Her 18-hole scoring average has dropped to 77.2 strokes, nearly three full strokes better than her freshman mark of 79.9.

"I would definitely say this spring was pretty successful, but going into this next tournament, I'm trying to treat it like any other golf tournament, and it's just another golf course," Meyerink said. "I've played this sport my whole life, so I've just got to do my own thing and do my best to stay in it."

While her game is clearly on the rise, Meyerink knows that making the cut again is just the first checkpoint. Last year, she felt her ball-striking was elite—especially over the first three days—but her putting held her back. That's the area she's focused on improving to turn a top-50 finish into a serious run at the title.

"Her game is good enough to where she can go compete and win," said DWU coach Jeff Meyerink, who also happens to be Allison's father. "She just wants it to be where she wins by more, and that's what you want to hear as a coach."

Coach Meyerink emphasized that course management will be key. "A lot of it is just managing the course. Everybody's going to hit bad shots. That's unavoidable. It's a hard golf course, and she's going to have to play well to make that cut line again."

For Allison, the approach is simple: trust her game, stay in the moment, and let her improved putting do the talking. If she can do that, she'll not only climb the leaderboard—she might just find herself in contention for the title.