Emporia State's Atlanta Krueger Makes Thrilling Comeback to Win National Title

Atlanta Krueger, the No. 1 player in the final College Disc Golf rankings, faced a daunting task on Thursday at the 2025 College Disc Golf National Championship. Trailing by two strokes with just nine holes remaining in the Women's DI Singles competition, Krueger showed incredible composure and skill to mount an unprecedented comeback.

The turning point came when Krueger sank a crucial birdie putt on the seventh hole of the final nine, tying her with Liberty's Grace Wilson after a back-and-forth start. The momentum continued as she tied things up again on the next hole, a challenging 676-foot par 5 surrounded by out-of-bounds areas.

Krueger's remarkable comeback culminated in an incredible finish on the last hole, where she erased the two-stroke deficit to claim the national title. "Sometimes my mental game is my biggest struggle on the course," Krueger said, reflecting on her win. "But today, disc golf was fun."

Meanwhile, in other singles competition, Eastern Mennonite University's Jesse Longenecker made a strong statement by posting a 9-under, 1067-rated round to take a three-stroke lead into Thursday's final nine. Longenecker continued his dominance, finishing with a 4-under score over the last three holes.

The top of the leaderboard also saw Kalan Schat of Redeemer in second place, three strokes back from Longenecker. Mary Hardin Baylor's Jaden Rye and Emporia State's Cade Kohlmeier are tied at 4-under, along with Trinity Western University's Jacob Visser and Charlotte's Zizzy Newell.

The CDGNC format averages both players' singles scores to kickstart the team standings. As of Thursday morning, Emporia State leads Liberty by one stroke and Clemson by two in the team competition.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/sizzling-start