South Dakota State Women’s Golf Releases 2026–27 Schedule: Full Dates and Key Storylines
South Dakota State women’s golf will open its 2026–27 season at the Redbird Invitational on September 12 and close the currently published slate at the Summit League Championship on April 25–27, 2027. The Jackrabbits have four fall tournaments and six spring events, including the conference championship, on a 10-event schedule spanning eight states.
That is the quick answer. The larger story is what South Dakota State takes into those events: the program’s first Summit League title, its first NCAA regional experience and a roster that must replace 2026 conference medalist McKenzie Mages.
The schedule was announced by South Dakota State on July 24 and matches the university’s live 2026–27 schedule page.
South Dakota State women’s golf 2026–27 schedule
| Dates | Tournament | Location | Host listed by SDSU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 12–13, 2026 | Redbird Invitational | Normal, Illinois | Illinois State |
| Sept. 21–22, 2026 | Johnie Imes Invitational | Columbia, Missouri | Missouri |
| Oct. 13–14, 2026 | MSU Payne Stewart Invitational | Springfield, Missouri | Missouri State |
| Oct. 25–27, 2026 | NAU Clash at Boulder Creek | Boulder City, Nevada | Northern Arizona |
| Feb. 14–15, 2027 | Spartan Suncoast Collegiate Invitational | Sarasota, Florida | Michigan State |
| Feb. 26–28, 2027 | Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational | Greensboro, Georgia | Mercer |
| March 16–17, 2027 | Jackrabbits Invitational | Boulder City, Nevada | South Dakota State |
| March 20–22, 2027 | More Than Golf Invitational | Farmers Branch, Texas | Not stated in SDSU’s release |
| April 11–12, 2027 | Boilermaker Spring Invite | West Lafayette, Indiana | Purdue |
| April 25–27, 2027 | Summit League Championship | Mesa, Arizona — Longbow Golf Club | The Summit League |
Naming note: South Dakota State’s live schedule truncates “Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational” by one letter. It also labels the Purdue event “Boilermaker Spring Invite,” while the news release calls it the “Spring Boilermaker Invitational.” The dates and location agree.
What stands out about the schedule
The fall slate is smaller
South Dakota State played five fall events in 2025–26. The new schedule has four. The Badger Invitational and Fall Jackrabbits Invitational are gone, while the MSU Payne Stewart Invitational has been added.
Across the full pre-NCAA calendar, the Jackrabbits currently have 10 events, one fewer than the 11 listed before their conditional NCAA appearance last season. Six nonconference tournaments return from 2025–26: the Redbird, Johnie Imes, Clash at Boulder Creek, Reynolds Lake Oconee, Jackrabbits and Purdue events.
There is no South Dakota stop
The current schedule covers Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Indiana and Arizona. None of the 10 events is in South Dakota.
Even the Jackrabbits Invitational—the only event designated as a South Dakota State home tournament on the live schedule—will be held in Boulder City, Nevada.
March brings the quickest turnaround
The Jackrabbits Invitational ends March 17. The More Than Golf Invitational starts March 20 in Farmers Branch, Texas. That creates a three-day calendar turnaround between events and a move from Nevada to Texas.
The longest fall competition gap is three weeks: the Johnie Imes Invitational ends September 22, and the MSU Payne Stewart Invitational begins October 13. South Dakota State’s announcement describes that interval as a month, but the published dates are 21 days apart.
SDSU then has 13 days between the end of the Purdue event on April 12 and the opening round of the Summit League Championship on April 25.
The title defense comes with a different conference landscape
South Dakota State enters the season as the defending Summit League champion after a breakthrough in Mesa on April 28, 2026. The Jackrabbits posted rounds of 298, 286 and 298 for an 882 total, beating Denver by six strokes. Mages won the individual championship at 212, one under par. The title sent SDSU to its first NCAA regional, where the team placed 11th in the 12-team Stanford field. The Summit League’s official championship results and Stanford Regional results confirm those outcomes.
The 2027 title defense will not be a replay of the same conference race. Denver—the winner of six consecutive Summit championships before SDSU’s victory and 10 of the previous 11—became a West Coast Conference member on July 1, 2026. Both Denver and the West Coast Conference confirmed that women’s golf is part of the move.
That removes the league’s longtime standard-setter, but it does not make a repeat automatic. Oral Roberts finished only eight shots behind SDSU in 2026, while North Dakota State was 13 back. The remaining contenders now have an open path to the position Denver occupied for more than a decade.
Who returns for the Jackrabbits?
South Dakota State’s official 2026–27 roster lists nine golfers.
The five returners are:
- Hannah Boraas
- Riko Danjo
- Molly O’Hara
- Hannah Pettitt
- Samantha Stites
The four freshmen are:
- Brynn Balliet
- Aja Blankenship
- Olivia Braun
- Rylan Horning
Balliet, Braun and Horning were announced in the program’s November 2025 signing class. Blankenship was added later and appears on the current roster.
Three members of the five-player 2026 Summit championship lineup return. Boraas tied for seventh, Danjo tied for 17th and O’Hara tied for 20th in Mesa. Mages and Reese Jansa, both seniors last season, are not on the 2026–27 roster.
That turnover makes the central performance question clear: can the Jackrabbits replace the player who led them at every tournament, won three times, captured the conference medal and was named Summit League Golfer of the Year?
Boraas and Danjo offer the strongest established answers. Boraas recorded a 76.11 scoring average in 2025–26 and finished seventh at the conference championship. Danjo averaged 76.1 before the championship, the best mark among Summit freshmen, and earned a place on the league’s all-freshman team. O’Hara also returns after closing the 2026 conference tournament with consecutive 73s.
Those results do not guarantee the next lineup. They do show that Schneider has three returning championship starters around whom to build, plus two experienced returners and a four-player freshman class.
The key dates to circle
- September 12: The first competitive round of the season is scheduled at the Redbird Invitational.
- October 25–27: The three-day Clash at Boulder Creek closes the fall and returns SDSU to the same city where it will later host its spring event.
- March 16–22: The Jackrabbits play two tournaments in seven days, first in Nevada and then in Texas.
- April 25–27: The Summit League Championship returns to Mesa. The conference separately confirmed those dates in its 2026–27 championship calendar.
What has not been announced
The published schedule does not yet provide most course names, team fields, formats, tee times or live-scoring links. Longbow Golf Club is confirmed for the Summit League Championship, but historical venues should not be assumed for the other tournaments until the program or event hosts publish current details.
Fans can use South Dakota State’s official schedule page for updates as event information and results links are added.
Frequently asked questions
When does South Dakota State women’s golf begin the 2026–27 season?
South Dakota State is scheduled to begin September 12, 2026, at the Redbird Invitational in Normal, Illinois. The tournament runs through September 13.
How many tournaments are on the 2026–27 schedule?
The currently published schedule contains 10 events: four in fall 2026 and six in spring 2027, including the Summit League Championship.
When is the 2027 Summit League Women’s Golf Championship?
The championship is scheduled for April 25–27, 2027, in Mesa, Arizona. South Dakota State lists Longbow Golf Club as the venue.
Is South Dakota State the defending Summit League champion?
Yes. The Jackrabbits won their first Summit League team championship in April 2026, finishing six strokes ahead of Denver.
Will Denver compete in the 2027 Summit League Championship?
No. Denver joined the West Coast Conference for the 2026–27 academic year, and women’s golf is one of the sports included in the move.
Who returns from South Dakota State’s 2026 championship lineup?
Hannah Boraas, Riko Danjo and Molly O’Hara return from the five-player lineup that won the 2026 Summit championship. The roster also brings back Hannah Pettitt and Samantha Stites.
Does South Dakota State host a home women’s golf event?
Yes, but not in South Dakota. The Jackrabbits Invitational is designated as a home event and will be played March 16–17 in Boulder City, Nevada.
Where can fans follow the schedule and results?
The most authoritative destination is South Dakota State’s official 2026–27 schedule page. Event-specific links should be added there closer to competition.
South Dakota State’s 2026–27 schedule is familiar enough to offer continuity and different enough to test a reshaped team. Six nonconference stops return, the Jackrabbits again build toward a late-April championship in Mesa, and three starters are back from the lineup that made program history.
But the two biggest changes sit outside the calendar itself. Mages is gone, taking the league’s best 2025–26 individual résumé with her. Denver is gone too, taking the Summit’s dominant historical program into another conference.
The Jackrabbits therefore begin the season with both opportunity and a real succession challenge. The schedule tells us where that answer will develop. It does not tell us yet who will supply it.