Waverly, Iowa--Traci Johnson (So./Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) fired the two best rounds of her career, including a final-round seven-over par 79, and Carleton College set new 18- and 36-hole school scoring records in storming to a third-place tie at the Wartburg Invitational.
The Knights threw a final-round 325 on the board, smashing the old school record of 333 to pass St. Thomas and tie Central (Iowa). Carleton's 661 total broke the old record by 12 shots as Johnson joined Hope Keaney (Fy./San Anselmo, Calif./Marin Catholic) and Laura Knutson (Jr./Edina, Minn.) in the top 20, while Louise Buckler (Jr./Blaine, Minn./St. Paul Academy) was in the top 25 after a career-best 10-over par 82 in the final round.
The Knights rallied from six shots behind Central College (Iowa) to tie the Dutch for third and also passed MIAC rival University of St. Thomas after trailing the Tommies by one entering the final round. Carleton was able to hold off St. Olaf College, as they edged the Oles by a single shot each day. Washington University won the team title with a 631 total, followed by host Wartburg at 642 and then Carleton and Central. St. Olaf was fifth at 663 with St. Thomas sixth at 665.
"It was a pretty amazing weekend," Carleton head coach Eric Sieger said. "We showed amazing balance through our lineup, and to have three of our five players shoot their best scores ever was certainly uplifting to witness."
The Knight bettered the old 18-hole team score of 333, set two years ago at the Concordia Invitational and in the spring of 2005 at the Small Desert Classic. Current team members Knutson, Buckler and Meghan Gajare (who is abroad this fall) were part of the squad that fired the 333 at the Concordia Invitational two years ago. The Knights improved the 36-hole school record set in the spring of 2008 at the MWCGA State Championships, again by a squad that included Knutson, Buckler and Gajare.
Traci Johnson's round was the highlight for the Knights, as she bettered her previous career best by six shots, set only last week at the UW-Eau Claire Doug Georgianni Memorial. Last season, she broke 90 only twice in 22 rounds, but in four rounds this year she’s broken 90 every time, including Sunday’s sub-80 round.
“It’s so amazing to see Traci make this progression,” Sieger said. “We re-tooled her swing last spring, and she listened and really believed in those changes, and put in the hard work to make it happen.
Kate Johnson (So./Wauwatosa, Wis./Wauwatosa East) was Carleton's third player to post a career-best score. She overcame a slight illness and a quadruple bogey on the par-5 sixth hole to shot a 91, her best score by five shots. She joined Buckler in posting a career-best score, as the junior matched her best ever with a final-round 10-over par 82. She fired the same score in last week’s final round.
The Knights were the lone team in among the top six finishers without an individual in the top 10, but placed three in the top 20. Keaney tied for 14th, Traci Johnson tied for 16th and Knutson for 18th. Buckler also made it inside the top 25 for the second straight week, finishing tied for 23rd.
“That’s the exciting part, is that we can play better,” Sieger said. “We need to get Hope and Laura playing a bit better and finishing off their rounds stronger, and then we can go even lower. Heading into the season, we felt we’d go as far as the top of our line-up could take us, but Traci, Louise and Kate proved we have great depth.”
The Knights will receive perhaps their sternest test next weekend when they host the 22-team Division III Midwest Classic at The Jewel Golf Club in Lake City, Minn. The course is undoubtedly the hardest the Knights will see all season, and features a field equally as difficult.
