The Nebraska women's golf program added a familiar name to its 2024-25 roster on Monday, June 17, with the signing of NCAA Division I transfer Lauren Thiele.
Thiele (pronounced TEEL) joins the Huskers after spending her first two collegiate seasons at Wichita State. The graduate of Wahoo's Bishop Neumann High School follows in the footsteps of her older sisters, Haley, Hannah and Lindsey, who combined to earn 11 women's golf letters at Nebraska. The 2024-25 campaign will mark the ninth consecutive season dating back to 2015-16 that at least one Thiele has been on the Husker team. Lauren Thiele will have three seasons of eligibility remaining as a Husker.
While Lauren Thiele will be continuing a family tradition with Husker women's golf, she made a name for herself as a junior golfer and high school athlete in the state, before showing strong improvement in her golf game the past two years.
“We’re happy that Lauren Thiele is coming back home to be a Husker. She’s the second player to sign with us this spring who had a sister who played for me, so I think that is a testament to what we are doing here at Nebraska. Lauren brings power, athleticism and the desire to develop into a great player. She is a great person and will make us a better team.”
Thiele competed in seven tournaments for the Shockers in her second year in Wichita, including all five events during the spring. She fired a career-best 71 (-1) in the second round of the AAC Championship. It followed on the heels of a then-career-best-tying 73 in the opening round. She struggled to an 83 in the final round to finish in a tie for 38th at 227 (+11), tying for WSU’s No. 2 individual finish at the conference tournament. She entered the final round in a tie for 15th at even-par 144.
She opened the spring with a career-best 223 (+7) to tie for 35th as Wichita State’s No. 2 finisher at the Rio Verde Invitational (Feb. 23-25), which included a then-career-best 73 (+1) in the final round. Her performance in Arizona helped her become a fixture in the lineup the rest of the spring.
After a 236 (78-79-79) to tie for 68th at the Tulane Classic (March 10-12), Thiele bounced back with a 226 (75-78-73) to tie for 44th as Wichita State’s No. 2 finisher at the Red Rocks Invitational in Sedona, Ariz. (March 16-17). She tied for 31st with a 229 (75-78-76) as WSU’s No. 2 finisher at the ORU Spring Invitational in Broken Arrow, Okla. (April 8-9), before her effort at the AAC Championship in Brooksville, Fla. Prior to her final round at the conference tournament, Thiele notched 15 consecutive rounds of 79 or better. Her spring season stroke average was 76.07 over 15 rounds, after posting a 79.00 stroke average over five fall rounds.
She produced a career-best tie for 15th with a 156 (+10) with rounds of 80 and 76 (+3) at the rain-shortened Big O Classic at the Oak Hills Country Club in Omaha (Oct. 2-3), after opening her season. It followed a tie for 70th with a 239 (+23) at the season-opening Payne Stewart Memorial in Springfield, Mo. (Sept. 11-12).
Thiele redshirted as a true freshman in 2022-23. Off the course, she earned spots on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in both the fall and spring semesters.
"While I enjoyed and appreciated being a part of the Wichita State University golf program, there is something special about being able to represent your home state. I am so grateful and blessed to have received this opportunity from Coach Sutherland and Coach Zedrick," Thiele said. "The University of Nebraska is unmatched in both its academic support and athletic programs, and I am very excited to become a part of the Nebraska women's golf team this fall!"
A four-year letter winner and two-time captain of the boys’ golf team at Bishop Neumann High School in Wahoo, Thiele was the only girl to be a member of a Nebraska team championship in boys golf. She finished seventh individually to help Neumann to the state title in 2021. During the 2021 season, Thiele captured a pair of individual tournament titles among a trio of top-five finishes. She also finished among the top 10 individually in seven tournaments. She finished with a 72.8 scoring average, which included a personal-best five-under 66. During the summer of 2021, she was the Nebraska Girls Match Play champion and added a runner-up finish at the Nebraska Girls Amateur Championship. She also qualified for the Girls Junior PGA Championship. In the summer of 2020, she was a semifinalist at the Nebraska Women’s Match Play Championship.
An outstanding all-around athlete, Thiele was an all-state selection in both basketball and volleyball, while setting the school game and season records for three-pointers made. She was also an Academic All-State pick in volleyball, basketball and golf.