RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Heading into the 14th hole of Saturday's final round of the 2025 NCAA Division II South Central/West Regional tied for the individual lead, Oskari Nikku played his final five holes 4-under 19 to win the championship with a 54-hole score of 17-under 199.

Nikku becomes the first Eagle to win a region championship since 2016. The Tuusula, Finland, native, after coming into the day trailing the leader by three strokes, made that up within the first four holes with one of his two eagles of the day on the Par 4, 229-yard 2nd as well as one of his three birdies.

The 2025 First Team All-Conference selection found himself in another tie with five holes remaining before issuing his second and third birdie as well as his second eagle of the round to race out ahead for the crown.



No. 6 Oklahoma Christian, with the help of Nikku and Vertti Perala logging Top-10 finishes, finished as Region Runner-Ups for the second year in a row with a 54-hole score of 32-under 832 to punch its ticket to next week's NCAA DII National Championships in West Palm Beach, Fla., May 19-23.

Of the four countable scores from the final round, the Eagles played their final five holes 10-under par to edge out third-place No. 17 CSU East Bay by three strokes while No. 1 Colorado Christian took the regional crown with a 46-under 818.

Joining OC from the Lone Star Conference is St. Mary's and West Texas A&M, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively. The maroon-and-gray have reached the National Semifinals each of the last three seasons and the Finals two of the last three years.