PALM DESERT, Calif. – The 10th-ranked Washington and Lee women's golf team secured its best finish in program history at the NCAA Division III Championship on Friday, shooting 4-over in the final round to place fourth.
 
COURSE STATS:

• Desert Willow Golf Resort - Firecliff Course | Palm Desert, Calif.
• Par 72 | 5,830 Yards
• Total Average Score: 78.01 (338 rounds)
• Round 1 Average Score: 84.07 (90 rounds)
• Round 2 Average Score: 75.87 (86 rounds)
• Round 3 Average Score: 76.57 (81 rounds)
• Round 4 Average Score: 75.00 (81 rounds)
• For more course information, click here.

COACH'S QUOTE:
"I am incredibly proud of this team and all that they accomplished this season," said Head Women's Golf Coach Jane Hopkinson-Wood. "A fourth-place finish at nationals in team golf is something special, but what stands out most is the way they stayed rooted in who they are throughout the journey. This group never lost sight of the process, choosing growth, belief, and the small wins along the way. More important than any finish was who they became through it all. Teammates who showed grit, integrity, and a commitment to something bigger than themselves. That is what made this season unforgettable."
 
FINAL TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL LEADERS:

• Top-ranked Emory claimed the team title with a final-round 4-under (284) to finish the tournament two strokes over par (1,154). No. 3 Carnegie Mellon finished as the runner-up after a 2-over (290) put them at 9-over for the week. No. 2 NYU rounded out the Top 3 at 14-over par overall. The Violets were 3-under on Friday.
• The Generals matched their best round of the tournament to close things out, shooting 4-over (292) to round out the week at 22-over par. No. 7 WashU made a run at fourth place with an 11-under round, the best by any team in any round, but the Bears finished one stroke behind the Generals.
• Carter Sichol (Carleton) was the individual champion behind a four-day par score of 5-under. She was 2-under on Friday to pass Emma Wong (CMU), who shot even-par for the day. Sichol finished one stroke ahead of Wong and Alyssa Lim (CMU).

W&L ROUND 4 PLAYER SUMMARIES:

• First-year Toral Bhatt capped off a strong rookie campaign with a 2-under (70) to tie for 16th overall at 5-over par. Bhatt birdied Holes 1, 4 and 6, and parred each hole on the back nine to move up 12 places during Friday's final round.
• First-year Bella Scucchi shot even-par for the second time at the championship to tie for 24th (+7). Scucchi had a birdie and bogey each on the front and back nines, with 14 pars on her card.
• First-year Mackenzie Cline shot 1-over (73) in the final round to finish in a tie for 36th at 9-over across the 72 holes. Cline rebounded after a front-9 3-over par to shoot 2-under on the back nine. That came on seven pars and birdies on 16 and 17.
• Senior Julia Haetzel rounded out the team scoring for Friday's final round at 5-over par. Haetzel was 2-over on the back nine and just 3-over across her last 15 holes.
• Sophomore Berkeley Bundy rounded out the Generals' lineup with fourth-round 84 (+12). Bundy birdied the 15th hole and had eight pars.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• The Generals' fourth-place finish at this year's national championship event tops their previous best finishes of ninth in 2023 and tied for ninth in 2021. Their four-day scores of 1,174 and 22-over par were also program-best marks at the NCAA Championship.
• Bhatt's four-day totals of 5-over par 293 tied the program's 72-hole records set by Megan Kanaby '23 at the 2022 NCAA Division III Championship. Additionally, Scucchi (295 | +7) posted the third-best 72-hole totals in program history, with Cline (297 | +9) notching the fourth-best marks.
• Bundy's NCAA Championship scores of 21-over par on 309 strokes are now tied for the fifth-best across 72 holes of play in program history, while Haetzel's 24-over on 312 shots is seventh best.
• The Generals finished the tournament second in the field in par-5 scoring at 10-under par (4.88 per hole). They also logged the sixth-most pars (220) and seventh-most birdies (43).
• Bhatt concluded the championship tied for second in pars (50) and sixth in par-4 scoring (E). Scucchi was fourth-best among all players on par-5 holes, finishing the tournament at 6-under at an average of 4.63.