Monday, September 7
Lake Elmo, Minn.
Kansas State University
vs
The Annika Intercollegiate Presented by 3M
K-State Opens 2026-27 Season at The Annika Intercollegiate
Sep 04, 2026 | Women's Golf
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Coming off its second-straight postseason appearances, the Kansas State women's golf team opens the 2026-27 campaign by competing in The Annika Intercollegiate Presented by 3M, Monday through Wednesday, at the par-72, 6,395-yard Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.
Competing in one of the most prestigious events in all of women's collegiate golf, this will be just the fourth time ever that the Wildcats have competed in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. K-State opened the 2016 and 2017 fall seasons in the Minnesota Invitational in addition to playing in the same event in September 1990.
"Championship golf starts now, and we are ready to compete," head coach Stew Burke said. "We couldn't be more excited to open our season at the Annika Intercollegiate Presented by 3M against an elite field featuring some of the best programs in the country. This team has put in an incredible amount of work to prepare for this moment, and now is the time to embrace the challenge and go compete. We have a great blend of experience, talent and energy. We are proud to wear the Powercat and represent Kansas State, and we are looking to set the tone for the season."
Now in his fourth season, Burke has led the Wildcats to regional berths in both 2025 and 2026, which represent two of the seven trips to the postseason in program history. Additionally, Burke guided the Wildcats to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championship two seasons ago.
Kansas State is part of a 12-team field, which features seven schools that advanced to the 2026 NCAA Championship in Auburn, Houston, Missouri, North Carolina, USC, Virginia and Wake Forest, three other fellow 2026 NCAA Regional programs in host-school Minnesota, Oregon and UCLA, as well as South Carolina.
Kansas State's scoring lineup will consist of senior Julia Ballester Barrio, juniors Kelsey Chen and Nanami Nakashima, sophomore Stalee Fields and freshman Amy Wang.
Chen and Nakashima led the Wildcats last year with scoring averages of 71.94 and 72.46, respectively. Both golfers also picked up victories as Nakashima closed out the fall with a win in the Powercat Invitational before Chen opened the spring with a victory in the Puerto Rico Classic.
A native of Dalian, China, Chen produced 10 top-20 finishes in her 12 starts last year, including five top-10 showings. Nakashima, who hails from Kani, Japan, nearly matched Chen with eight top-20 placings and three top-10 finishes. Additionally, Nakashima opens the season with the second-best career scoring average in program history at 73.23.
Fields, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, produced a 74.75 scoring average last season, just ahead of Ballester Barrio's mark of 74.79. Fields earned one top-20 finish during her rookie campaign as she tied for 18th in the Powercat Invitational. A native of Castellon, Spain, Ballester Barrio's best finish last season was a tie for 23rd in the Powercat Invitational.
Wang comes to Manhattan from Guangzhou City, China, as she resided in the top 200 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) at the time of her signing. She won the Rolex Junior Golf Championship at 12-under par 204 – which included scores of 66 and a 68 in the final two rounds – while she was also the champion of the BMW Golf Nextgen China Masters.
The Annika Intercollegiate Presented by 3M begins with tee times off Nos. 1 and 10 at 8:30 a.m. each day. Live results can be followed on SCOREBOARD powered by Clippd.
Competing in one of the most prestigious events in all of women's collegiate golf, this will be just the fourth time ever that the Wildcats have competed in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. K-State opened the 2016 and 2017 fall seasons in the Minnesota Invitational in addition to playing in the same event in September 1990.
"Championship golf starts now, and we are ready to compete," head coach Stew Burke said. "We couldn't be more excited to open our season at the Annika Intercollegiate Presented by 3M against an elite field featuring some of the best programs in the country. This team has put in an incredible amount of work to prepare for this moment, and now is the time to embrace the challenge and go compete. We have a great blend of experience, talent and energy. We are proud to wear the Powercat and represent Kansas State, and we are looking to set the tone for the season."
Now in his fourth season, Burke has led the Wildcats to regional berths in both 2025 and 2026, which represent two of the seven trips to the postseason in program history. Additionally, Burke guided the Wildcats to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championship two seasons ago.
Kansas State is part of a 12-team field, which features seven schools that advanced to the 2026 NCAA Championship in Auburn, Houston, Missouri, North Carolina, USC, Virginia and Wake Forest, three other fellow 2026 NCAA Regional programs in host-school Minnesota, Oregon and UCLA, as well as South Carolina.
Kansas State's scoring lineup will consist of senior Julia Ballester Barrio, juniors Kelsey Chen and Nanami Nakashima, sophomore Stalee Fields and freshman Amy Wang.
Chen and Nakashima led the Wildcats last year with scoring averages of 71.94 and 72.46, respectively. Both golfers also picked up victories as Nakashima closed out the fall with a win in the Powercat Invitational before Chen opened the spring with a victory in the Puerto Rico Classic.
A native of Dalian, China, Chen produced 10 top-20 finishes in her 12 starts last year, including five top-10 showings. Nakashima, who hails from Kani, Japan, nearly matched Chen with eight top-20 placings and three top-10 finishes. Additionally, Nakashima opens the season with the second-best career scoring average in program history at 73.23.
Fields, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, produced a 74.75 scoring average last season, just ahead of Ballester Barrio's mark of 74.79. Fields earned one top-20 finish during her rookie campaign as she tied for 18th in the Powercat Invitational. A native of Castellon, Spain, Ballester Barrio's best finish last season was a tie for 23rd in the Powercat Invitational.
Wang comes to Manhattan from Guangzhou City, China, as she resided in the top 200 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) at the time of her signing. She won the Rolex Junior Golf Championship at 12-under par 204 – which included scores of 66 and a 68 in the final two rounds – while she was also the champion of the BMW Golf Nextgen China Masters.
The Annika Intercollegiate Presented by 3M begins with tee times off Nos. 1 and 10 at 8:30 a.m. each day. Live results can be followed on SCOREBOARD powered by Clippd.
– k-statesports.com –
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Women's Golf, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Women's Golf, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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