Francisco placed on ANNIKA Award Preseason Watch List
Thursday, August 27, 2026 | Women's Golf
The 2026 SEC Champion was a finalist last year for the award given to the top female Division 1 collegiate golfer.
COLUBMUS, Ga. – Florida women's golfer Paula Francisco was placed on the ANNIKA Award Preseason Watch List, announced Thursday. The 2026 SEC Champion was a finalist last year for the award given to the top female Division 1 collegiate golfer.
Created in 2014, the award will be announced after the Division I Women's National Championship and is awarded annually to the best player in Division I women's golf. Voting will open on after the completion of the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championship. Current Division I players, coaches, past ANNIKA Award winners, women's golf SID's, and select college golf media members are eligible to vote for the ANNIKA Award.
Francisco enters her senior year following a breakout junior campaign to a resume of the SEC Individual Champion, ANNIKA Award Finalist, WGCA & Golfweek All-American, All-SEC First Team and Arnold Palmer Cup selection. The Madrid native played in the 81st U.S. Open, shooting 1-under 70 in her opening round and even reached 3-under to be tied for the lead.
She won two collegiate tournaments last season with her first career in a record outing at the Gators Invitational, setting the UF 54-hole score record of 200 (-10). The senior also owns the mark for second-lowest 54-hole at 202, which she shot twice last year at the SEC Championship and Sea Best Invitational.
Francisco's team-low season stroke average of 71.0 and 54-hole average of 211.5 are both second-lowest all-time in program history. Additionally, she is tied third all-time for low round with a 65 at last season's Gators Invitational.
She became the eighth Gator to win the conference title and first since Maria Torres in 2016. It was the 10th time a UF golfer has been crowned the conference champion, which leads the SEC. The win was the second of Francisco's collegiate career and season. The 54-hole tournament score of 202 (-8), was the third lowest all-time by score in SEC Championship history.
2026-27 ANNIKA Award Preseason Watch List (listed alphabetically):
Vanessa Borovilos, Texas A&M
Pinky Chaisilprungruang, Charlotte
Anna Davis, Auburn
Eunseo Choi, Pepperdine
Paula Francisco, Florida
Sophia Fullbrook Florida State
Eila Galitsky, South Carolina
Veronika Kedronova, Kent State
Lauren Kim, Texas
Jasmine Koo, USC
Chloe Kovelesky, Wake Forest
Marie Madsen, NC State
Rianne Malixi, Duke
Maria Jose Marin, Arkansas
Paula Martin Sampedro, Stanford
Farah O'Keefe, Texas
Meja Örtengren, Stanford
Macy Pate, Wake Forest
Cayetana Fernández García-Poggio, Texas A&M
Prim Prachnakorn, Oregon
Andrea Revuelta, Stanford
Patience Rhodes, Arizona State
Bailey Shoemaker, USC
Marta Silchenko, Oklahoma State
Avery Weed, Mississippi State
Created in 2014, the award will be announced after the Division I Women's National Championship and is awarded annually to the best player in Division I women's golf. Voting will open on after the completion of the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championship. Current Division I players, coaches, past ANNIKA Award winners, women's golf SID's, and select college golf media members are eligible to vote for the ANNIKA Award.
Francisco enters her senior year following a breakout junior campaign to a resume of the SEC Individual Champion, ANNIKA Award Finalist, WGCA & Golfweek All-American, All-SEC First Team and Arnold Palmer Cup selection. The Madrid native played in the 81st U.S. Open, shooting 1-under 70 in her opening round and even reached 3-under to be tied for the lead.
She won two collegiate tournaments last season with her first career in a record outing at the Gators Invitational, setting the UF 54-hole score record of 200 (-10). The senior also owns the mark for second-lowest 54-hole at 202, which she shot twice last year at the SEC Championship and Sea Best Invitational.
Francisco's team-low season stroke average of 71.0 and 54-hole average of 211.5 are both second-lowest all-time in program history. Additionally, she is tied third all-time for low round with a 65 at last season's Gators Invitational.
She became the eighth Gator to win the conference title and first since Maria Torres in 2016. It was the 10th time a UF golfer has been crowned the conference champion, which leads the SEC. The win was the second of Francisco's collegiate career and season. The 54-hole tournament score of 202 (-8), was the third lowest all-time by score in SEC Championship history.
2026-27 ANNIKA Award Preseason Watch List (listed alphabetically):
Vanessa Borovilos, Texas A&M
Pinky Chaisilprungruang, Charlotte
Anna Davis, Auburn
Eunseo Choi, Pepperdine
Paula Francisco, Florida
Sophia Fullbrook Florida State
Eila Galitsky, South Carolina
Veronika Kedronova, Kent State
Lauren Kim, Texas
Jasmine Koo, USC
Chloe Kovelesky, Wake Forest
Marie Madsen, NC State
Rianne Malixi, Duke
Maria Jose Marin, Arkansas
Paula Martin Sampedro, Stanford
Farah O'Keefe, Texas
Meja Örtengren, Stanford
Macy Pate, Wake Forest
Cayetana Fernández García-Poggio, Texas A&M
Prim Prachnakorn, Oregon
Andrea Revuelta, Stanford
Patience Rhodes, Arizona State
Bailey Shoemaker, USC
Marta Silchenko, Oklahoma State
Avery Weed, Mississippi State
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
Friday, August 28
Friday, August 28
Friday, August 28
Friday, August 28
