<ng (Jr./Beijing City, China/Lighthouse Christian Academy) was tabbed as the MIAC’s Co-Player of the Year, all five Carleton College starters were voted All-MIAC, and head coach Eric Sieger earned conference coach-of-the-year honors as the MIAC announced its post-season awards for women’s golf.
Wang led the MIAC and set a school record with a 77.30 stroke average. She captured the MIAC Championships individual crown, matching the 54-hole scoring mark at eight-over par 224. She won the Carleton Invitational, firing a seven-over par 151. She tallied eight top-10 finishes in nine events during the 2017-18 season, six of those being top-three finishes.
Wang was the best MIAC finisher at the NCAA Championships, as her 22-over par 314 score placed her in a tie for seventh. Wang is a two-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American, three-time WGCA All-Region and three-time All-MIAC honoree. She is the first Knight golfer, male or female, to compete in three NCAA Championships.
Wang earned the MIAC’s Newcomer-of-the-Year award in 2015-16, and joins sophomore Alyssa Akiyama (Terrace Park, Ohio/Seven Hills) and Shannon Holden ’17 as Carleton’s only three MIAC players of the year.
Ayumi Sakamoto (Jr./Honolulu/’Iolani School), Abby Euyang (Fy./Seattle/Lakeside) and Akiyama had, like Wang, earned All-MIAC honors by finishing in the top 10 at last fall’s MIAC Championship. Alexis Chan (Fy./Castle Rock, Colo./Rock Canyon) was voted on to the team, making the second time in program history that five Knights earned All-MIAC honors in the same season.
Sakamoto finished second on the squad with a 79.3 stroke average, tallying five top-10 finishes in seven events. She tallied back-to-back third-place finishes at the D3 Classic and College City Invitational and closed the season with a flourish by posting scores of 77 and 79 during the third and fourth rounds, respectively, at the 2018 NCAA Championships. She is a three-time All-MIAC and WGCA All-Region performer.
Akiyama, meanwhile, finished third on the team with a 79.6 stroke average. A two-time All-MIAC and All-Region honoree, she won the Wartburg Fall Invitational by closing with a two-under par 70 and finishing the 36-hole event with a school record one-under par 143. She posted seven top-10 finishes in her nine events, with three of those finishes coming inside the top five.
Euyang and Chan had solid rookie campaigns. Euyang came alive at the MIAC Championships, finishing fourth. She tallied six top-10 finishes and ended with a 79.8 stroke average. Chan’s best showing came at the NCAA Championships, as her 30-over par 322 was the second-best score on the team. She ended the season with an 81.0 stroke average and tallied her best tournament finish at the season-opening CSB Invitational. She broke into the starting line-up in the season’s fourth event and stayed the for the duration, eventually starting in six events.
Sieger, meanwhile, garnered his fifth MIAC Coach-of-the-Year award. He led the Knights to their second MIAC title in the last four years and the program’s first undefeated regular season. They finished the season with a 315.0 average, second-best in school history. He previously won the award following the 2007-08, 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2016-17 campaigns. In the past five seasons, the Knights have amassed an astounding 24 major invitational victories and .901 head-to-head winning percentage (496-53-4).
The All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team was also announced. Members of this squad are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate positive sportsmanship both on and off the course. Senior Tory Peterson (Sr./Marlborough, Conn./Loomis Chaffee School) was chosen as Carleton’s representative. She participated in 16 career tournaments for the Knights, including three this season.
