<thryn Schmidt ’12 ended her career as a Carleton Knight with a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Individual Championships. A three-time All-American, Schmidt was one of just 32 players in the nation selected to participate in the tournament.
Although she fell in the first round to Laura Danzig of Amherst College, Schmidt remains one of the most successful players in the history of Carleton women’s tennis, and is only the third Carleton tennis player ever to advance to the national tournament all four years of her career.
Schmidt tallied a 76-19 overall record in singles during her career at Carleton, with an incredible 37-1 record this season alone. She also earned a 75-22 combined overall record at first doubles, including a 37-2 MIAC record. Each of her years at Carleton, she has been named to the all-MIAC singles and doubles teams.
Both Schmidt and her opponent were ranked third in their respective regions, with Schmidt in the Central Region and Danzig in the Northeast Region. After a difficult 2-6 defeat in the first set, Schmidt rallied to take the second set, 6-1, before falling, 6-3. In a hard-fought third set. Danzig later won her second-round match as well, advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Schmidt’s loss also marks the end of a great season for the Knights, which culminated in the team’s first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament. The Knights also defeated Gustavus, the twenty-time champion, for the regular-season championship, before defeating Gustavus once again to win the MIAC Playoffs. In the most recent national rankings, the Knights were ranked 30th.
Although the Knights will lose both Schmidt and three-time All-MIAC player Erin Gudul ’12, the Knights return four all-conference performers next season, and will look to repeat this year’s successes.