HOWEY IN THE HILLS, Fla.— Ziyi Wang (Beijing City, China/Lighthouse Christian Academy) rode a final-round 79, finishing tied for seventh as the Carleton College women’s golf team ended in sixth place at the 2018 NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championships. The Knights totaled 1,290 strokes over the 72-hole tournament, only four back of Carnegie Mellon in fifth. Wang’s finish was the highest ever for a Knight at the NCAA Championships.

This year’s tournament was contested at the par-73, 5804-yard El Campeon Golf Course at the Mission Inn Resort and Club.

Carleton headed in to the NCAA Championships ranked No. 15 in the country and was seeded 12th in the 25-team field. The sixth-place finish tied the program record for best placement at the national tournament. This is the third time in the last four years that the Knights posted a top-10 result at the NCAA Championships (also T-6th in 2015, 7th in 2016).

The Knights carded a team total of 317 for the final round, tied for second best in the field. Carleton outdistanced the Tartans by 10 shots on Friday and closed the gap on third-ranked New York University by four shots as well. Over the final two rounds, Carleton’s combined score was the fourth best in the field, only a single shot behind eventual national champion Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

“It was an amazing week for Ziyi, and I think she, and our team, proved that we’re among the elite programs in the country,” Carleton head coach Eric Sieger said. “The way we played the last two days, we were right there with every team.

“We led the field in pars, and just needed to make a few more putts and make fewer big numbers. That’s what kept us from being in contention. But it also shows we played a lot of really high-level golf.”

Once again, a hot start fueled the Knights in Friday’s final round. They played the front nine in six-over par and sat at seven-over par through 12 holes. The closing stretch, though, proved tough, as the Knights made eight bogeys, two doubles and two “others” coming home.

Wang (79-82-74-79=314, +22) totaled 46 pars over the week, second-best in the field. She finished 22-over par for the week, the third-best NCAA Championships 72-hole score (in relation to par) in team history. She established the Knights’ record of +17 at last year’s tournament.

If Wang’s finish was a highlight, then the performance of first-year Alexis Chan (Castle Rock, Colo./Rock Canyon) was a close second. She rattled off 11 consecutive pars to start the round, then curled in a birdie on the par-3 12th after knocking a hybrid to eight feet. She still was even par with four holes left but couldn’t quite finish the deal. Still, she ended up with a 79, a tie for 24th overall (80-80-83-79=322, +30), and a renewed optimism for what the future might hold.

“I think Alexis showed me this week that she’s capable of taking her game to the next level,” Sieger said. “She played with some top-notch competition this week, and her game holds up against them.”

Ayumi Sakamoto (Honolulu/’Iolani School) posted another steady round, also finishing at six-over par 79. She finished tied for 37th overall (83-88-77-79=327, +35).

“I think the biggest reason for our turnaround this week was Ayumi’s leadership and her performance,” Sieger said. “Her toughness really shined through these last two days.”

Abby Euyang (Fy./Seattle/Lakeside) also had it rolling in the final round, as she was one-over par through 10 and only three-over with two holes left. A bogey-triple bogey finish, though, left her wanting more from her round of 80 and a tie for 45th (84-85-83-80=332, +40).

“I know Abby expects more from herself, but we all know the talent is there and having a tournament experience like this is only going to help her down the road,” said Sieger.

Alyssa Akiyama (Jr./Terrace Park, Ohio/Seven Hills School) battled her way to an 82, finishing tied for 52nd (79-88-86-82=335, +43). She battled a grade one sprained wrist all week, suffered in practice before the championship.

“It was so hard for Alyssa to not be at 100 percent,” Sieger said. “She’d worked very hard on her swing all spring, and I felt like she was poised for a high finish. But the grit she showed inspired her teammates.”

No. 2-ranked CMS won the team championship in a two-hole playoff over No. 4 Williams College. Both teams finished at 1,261 strokes. No. 1-ranked George Fox placed third at 1,272, followed by No. 3 NYU (1,278), No. 10 CMU (1,286) and No. 15 Carleton (1,290).

Carleton should be a strong contender once again during the 2018-19 season as the Knights do not have a senior on the roster, and thus will not lose any players to graduation.

NOTE: This is also the second time during the 2017-18 academic year (5^th, Women’s Cross Country) and the 15th time in recorded Carleton history that any team has finished in the top-six at the NCAA Championships (SEE CHART BELOW).

Top Carleton Team Finishes at the NCAA Championships