WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — The Carleton women's golf team opened play at the prestigious Historic Triangle Invitational on Monday at Kingsmill Resort with a team score of 313 (+25), placing eighth in a loaded 14-team national field that features five programs ranked inside the top 15 nationally.

Senior Sarah Zheng led the Knights with a steady two-over-par 74, thanks in large part to a strong finish.  Zheng made the turn three-over par, but carded three birdies and played her final five holes one-under-par to close her round with a composed 34 on the back nine.  She is tied for fifth heading to tomorrow's final round.

Fellow senior Carter Sichol followed with a 76 (+4), highlighted by key par saves down the stretch and a birdie on the par-four 16th hole to keep Carleton firmly inside the top half of the leaderboard.  She is currently tied for 17th in the individual standings.

Sophomore Anna Lee carded an 81 (+9), while senior Natalie Tatar posted an 82 (+10) to round out the scoring four. Senior Cynthia Lu added an 85 (+13) after finishing her round one-under over the final five holes.

The tournament is deadlocked at the top, with Emory and Carnegie Mellon sharing the lead at +11, followed by Denison (+17) and Grinnell (+19). Huntingdon and Washington and Lee are tied for fifth at +22, narrowly ahead of Sewanee (+24) and Carleton at +25.

TEAM LEADERBOARD (TOP 8)
T1. Emory — +11
T1. Carnegie Mellon — +11
3. Denison — +17
4. Grinnell — +19
T5. Huntingdon — +22
T5. Washington and Lee — +22
7. Sewanee — +24
8. Carleton — +25

Carleton returns to action Tuesday looking to climb the leaderboard in the final round of the 36-hole event.