PALM DESERT, Calif. – The 18th-ranked Carleton women's golf team finished 11th at the 2026 NCAA Division III National Championships following Friday's final round at Desert Willow Golf Resort. The Knights were led by a historic performance from senior Carter Sichol, who became the first NCAA Division III individual national champion in Carleton women's golf history.
Entering Friday in second place (-3), Sichol showed grit and determination in the final round of her collegiate career. After back-to-back rounds under par in the second and third round, the senior would need another great round to have a chance at the individual title.
She cruised through six straight pars to open her round before a birdie on the 510-yard par-five seventh brought her under par. But consecutive bogeys at the eighth and ninth sent her to one-over on the round at the turn and two-under for the tournament.
With nine holes left in her time wearing the Maize and Blue, Sichol didn't hold back. The New Trier (IL) graduate let it loose over the next six holes. A birdie on the par-four 10th got her going and brought her round back to even-par. Back-to-back birdies on the par-four 12th and par-five 13th launched her back up the individual leaderboard before another birdie on the par-four 15th pushed her to the top. A bogey on the par-three 17th was the only blemish on the back nine, that ended up with a three-under 33 to complete her two-under round of 70.
From there, Sichol and the Knights played the waiting game for over an hour as the final teams finished up their rounds. Heading to the final hole of the day, Sichol led by a stroke over Carnegie Mellon's Emma Wong, who needed a birdie on the 460-yard par-five 18th to tie the Winnetka, Ill., native. A great shot to six feet gave her that birdie chance she needed, but the putt would not fall, securing Sichol as the 2026 Division III Women's Golf Individual Champion.
Sichol joins "C" Club Hall of Fame member Carole (Pushing) Burch '61 as the only two national champions in program history. Burch won the National Women's Collegiate Golf Championship as a first-year in 1958.
After struggling through the first three rounds of the tournament, senior Cythia Lu came alive in Friday's final round. The Redmond, Wash., native carded a two-over-par 74 to finish out her Carleton career. Lu tallied a pair of birdies on the way to an even-par 36 on the front nine. She put an exclamation on her round with a birdie at the par-five 18th to secure the two-over 74 to finish in a tie for 152nd.
Sophomore Anna Lee came next with a four-over par 76 in the final round. A string of four consecutive holes over par gave her a five-over 41 on the front nine thanks to back-to-back pars on the eighth and ninth holes. But the Vernon Hills, Ill., native came in roaring down the stretch. Lee came home in a one-under 35 without a single bogey, making it 11 consecutive holes bogey-free to cap her first national tournament appearance tied for 88th.
Senior Sarah Zheng went 38-42 to card an eight-over-par 80. She finished with the second-most birdies for the Knights with four in Friday's final round. She concluded her collegiate career tied for 131st, while junior Mindy Zhai put up a 11-over 83. Zhai finished tied for 113th at 22-over-par.
Carleton finishes the season in the final round after making the cut for a sixth consecutive time. The Knights have finished in the top 10 four times, but last made the cut and finished 15th in 2023.