Full Results
Waverly, Iowa--Katrina Wood (Jr./Duluth, Minn./Marshall School) fired a final-round nine-over par 81 and finished seventh overall at 162, helping 22nd-ranked Carleton place sixth at the Wartburg Spring Invitational.
The Knights, who fired a 346 final round, finished nine shots back of seventh-ranked Wartburg and 12 back of No. 17 Franklin (Ind.) at 711.
Wood's 36-hole total ranked inside Carleton's all-time top 10 and was a solid finish in her bid to become Carleton's second straight NCAA Championships individual qualifier. She'll need to be on of the top 11 individuals not on a qualifying team.
"Katrina had a pretty solid weekend," Carleton head coach Eric Sieger said. "We were hoping she'd go a bit lower today, but she struggled a bit at the finish. But she's put herself in a good position heading into our final three events to grab that nationals bid."
Laura Knutson (Fy./Edina, Minn.) recovered from a rough first round with a final-round 84 to finish inside the top 20 with a 174 total. "Laura easily hit the ball well enough to shot in the 70s today, but she just couldn't buy a putt," Sieger said. "It was great to see her hit the ball so well in not-so-great conditions."
Neither day was ideal for the field. Saturday's round was played in 25 mile-per-hour winds in 55-degree weather, while Sunday was not quite was windy, but rain peppered the players on and off all day, with wind chills hovering under 40 degrees most of the day.
Second-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College won the tournament, its second win of the season on the course that will host the 2008 NCAA Championships, with a 648 total. No. 5 Illinois Wesleyan rallied for a second-place finish at 666, followed by No. 16 UW-Eau Claire at 672 and Franklin at 699. Host Wartburg, playing without top player Kate Thompson who missed the tournament to take her medical school entrance exams, finished fifth at 702. The Knights finished well clear of rival St. Olaf (734) and Luther (737).
Carleton's scoring in the final round was rounded out by senior Sarah Ingebritsen (Spokane, Wash./Lewis & Clark) firing a 90 and Louise Buckler (Fy./Blaine, Minn./St. Paul Academy) adding a 91.
"Those two were the difference in our second round being so much better than our first," Sieger said after the Knights shaved 19 shots off their first day total. "We need that strong third and fourth score, and we received those today."
The Knights are scheduled to host the Carleton Invitational next Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13. As of Sunday night, it appears the Knights' home course, Northfield Golf Club, won't be available, so it's likely the tournament will be moved to a different course.
