Final Results (pdf)
Sauk Rapids, Minn.--Louise Buckler (Jr./Blaine, Minn./St. Paul Academy) and Traci Johnson (So./Lakeville, Minn./North) fired matching 175's and finished in a tie for seventh, but Carleton College had its worst weekend of the fall season in finishing fourth at the St. Benedict Fall Classic.
The Knights fired a score of 712, its highest score of the year by nearly 30 shots.
The Knights opened the two-day event with a disastrous 359 score at Blackberry Ridge Golf Club in Sartell, Minn., and capped the lost weekend with a 353 at Wapicada Golf Club.
Buckler posted rounds of 88 and 87 to Johnson's 87-88. It was the first career top 10 finish for both players.
"I thought Louise and Traci played fairly solid this weekend," Carleton head coach Eric Sieger said. "They battled and, for the most part, made their bad holes bogeys. Louise especially struggled with her ball striking, but she stayed mentally tough and putted well. We just need the rest of the group to take their cues from her--we can't let bad swings or shots seep into our short games, which for the most part were absolutely pathetic this weekend."
Division II St. Cloud State won the small event at 675, followed by St. Thomas at 691. St. Benedict outlasted Carleton at 701. UST's Amy Anderson was medalist at 159.
The field battled subpar green conditions on Saturday, as the greens had been aerated on Monday and were quite bumpy, while Sunday featured wind gusts up to 25 miles-per-hour and rain on and off during the day.
"We just didn't do a good job of staying mentally tough, staying committed to each and every shot, and staying focused on the task at hand," Sieger said. "We have a lot of work to do this week."
The Knights conclude their fall season at the MIAC Championships next weekend at Bunker Hills Golf Club at Coon Rapids, Minn. The Knights finished a program-best third a year ago and the conference tournament.
"We have the talent and ability to replicate or even improve on that finish," Sieger said. "We'll need to learn from this weekend's performance, and move forward quickly."
