CARLSBAD, Calif. — Arkansas sophomore Maria Jose Marin kept her poise down the stretch and closed with a birdie for a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory Monday in the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship at La Costa.

Jose Marin became the third woman from Arkansas to win the NCAA title, joining Stacy Lewis (2007) and Maria Fassi (2019).

“I have mixed emotions, and the strongest is I’m super happy right now,” Jose Marin said. “I trust my game on every single shot. I knew I was capable of a great round, and it was.”

Arkansas also is among eight teams advancing to the match play for the NCAA team title over the next two days. Stanford overwhelmed the field and will be the No. 1 seed for the fifth consecutive year. Stanford has won two of the past three years.

Virginia took the No. 8 seed when Arizona State and South Carolina faded late. Other teams advancing were Oregon, Northwestern, Florida State, Southern Cal and Texas.

Jose Marin seized control with a 65 in the third round of the 72-hole individual championship, and she stayed in front until Kelly Xu of Stanford and Florida State’s Mirabel Ting made a charge.

Jose Marin made her lone bogey with a three-putt from 35 feet on the 13th hole, and Xu holed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 11th to pull within one shot. On her next hole, the Arkansas sophomore ran her birdie putt some 5 feet by and holed that for par.

Xu fell back going long of the par-3 12th, chipping to 6 feet and making bogey. But then it was Ting, running off four birdies in six holes on the back nine to get within two shots. Jose Marin didn’t blink, however, and sealed it with a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-5 closing hole.

She finished at 12-under 276 and earns a spot in the U.S. Women’s Open next week at Erin Hills in Wisconsin.

Ting also made birdie for a 68 to finish second. Moments after Jose Marin made her final birdie, Xu hit her tee shot on the par-3 16th into the middle of the pond short of the green and took double bogey. She birdied the final hole for a 71 to finish third.