Oceanside natives Janae and Jasmine Leovao are about to get a rare college sports perk: a national championship that feels like a neighborhood game. The twin sisters helped Eastern Michigan lock up a spot in the 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad with a fourth-place team finish at the Tallahassee regional, and Janae delivered a standout 54-hole performance that left her among the event leaders. For the Leovaos, El Camino High graduates who grew up in Oceanside, the trip down the freeway to La Costa will function as an early-summer homecoming.
Both sisters spent three seasons at Long Beach State before transferring together for the 2025-26 season, according to Long Beach State Athletics. Their run at The Beach included conference titles and multiple NCAA regional appearances, an experience that Eastern Michigan leaned on heavily during this spring surge.
Eastern Michigan clinched its NCAA berth by taking fourth at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, and Janae tied for seventh at 3-under 213, per Eastern Michigan University Athletics. Teammate Baiyok Sukterm also finished inside the top 10, and the Eagles stacked the rounds they needed to snag one of the five advancing slots at the site.
What they'll face at La Costa
The NCAA championships run from May 22 to 27 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa and will feature 30 teams plus six individuals not on advancing squads, according to Golf Channel. The national final is expected to reward depth and creative shot-making on a classic La Costa layout, and Golf Channel will carry live windows throughout the week for key rounds.
Behind the rise
Eastern Michigan's jump onto the national stage ties back to a recent facilities and staffing push, including the GameAbove Golf Performance Center, a 13,000-square-foot indoor training complex that opened in January 2024, per GameAbove. The program also brought in coach Josh Brewer to lead the rebuild, and his hiring and ongoing work with the team are detailed by the Eastern Michigan Athletics.
How to watch
The NCAA's participant manual lists an all-session pass for the finals at $36, per the NCAA, and broadcast coverage will run on Golf Channel. With La Costa roughly a 20-minute drive from Oceanside, plenty of local fans are likely to make the quick trip to see the Leovao twins and the Eagles chase a national title on familiar turf.
