Claisse, Darling and Rydqvist Named WGCA All-Americans

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Senior Mathilde Claisse, sophomore Hannah Darling and sophomore Louise Rydqvist were named All-Americans by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA), the organization announced on Friday. Darling was a First Team selection for the second straight season and Claisse and Rydqvist were Honorable Mention picks.

A total of 50 student-athletes were selected to the three All-America teams. The criteria used to determine the WGCA All-American Teams include:

• Head-to-head competition
• Comparison with common opponents
• Scoring average
• Place finishes in regular season events and tournament wins
• Strength of schedule

The trio just helped the team at Carolina tie its best finish in program history at the NCAA Championship (May 19-23) as the Gamecocks made match play for the second time ever and T-5^th (finished fifth in 2012 and T-5^th in 2016). The team finished fourth in stroke play and shot the lowest 72-hole score in program history at the NCAA Championship at 1,153 (+1). The Gamecocks and top-ranked Stanford were the only teams in the 30-team field to have three players finish in the top-25. Carolina finished in the top-five in all 12 of the team’s events this season, a new program record, and finished the year ranked No. 4 in the final Golfstat Team Rankings. The Gamecocks had the toughest schedule in the country via the Golfweek/Sagrain Rankings.

Darling followed up one of the best freshman seasons in school history last season with a fine sophomore campaign. She paced Carolina with a T-18^th finish at the NCAA Championship, shooting 286 (-2), which tied All-American Katie Burnett (2010) for the second-lowest 72-hole score in program history. Darling finished eighth in the Golfstat Player Rankings after leading the team with a 71.83 scoring average, eight top-20 finishes and four top-fives in 10 stroke play starts. She also led the team with 17 rounds of par or better. She joines Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Katelyn Dambaugh and Krsty McPherson as the only multiple, First Team All-America selections in school history.

Claisse put together the best season of her career with a 72.97 scoring average, five top-20 finishes and her first career win at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate (Feb. 27-March 1). She T-12^th at the NCAA Athens Regional and finished T-21^st at the NCAA Championship with a 72-hole total of 287 (-1) and a pair of under par rounds. Claisse leaves Carolina with the fifth-lowest career scoring average all-time (73.64). Rydqvist, an All-American last season as a freshman, finished the season with a 74.15 scoring average. She had four-top 20 finishes in nine stroke play starts, including a trio of top-10s. Rydqvist paced Carolina at the NCAA Athens Regional with runner-up medalist honors thanks to a career-best, 54-hole score of 209 (-7).

South Carolina has now garnered 42 All-America honors by 15 different players in 16 seasons under head coach Kalen Anderson. Darling is the 12^th First Team All-America honor (five different players) under Anderson. It’s the eighth-straight season the program has had multiple All-America selections.

WGCA First Team All-Americans

Jenny Bae, University of Georgia

Zoe Campos, UCLA

Karisa Chul Ak Sorn, Iowa State University

Hannah Darling, University of South Carolina

Charlotte Heath, Florida State University

Madd Hinson-Tolchard, Oklahoma State University

Rachel Kuehn, Wake Forest University

Andrea Lignell, University of Mississippi

Ingrid Lindblad, Louisiana State University

Julie Lopez Ramirez, Mississippi State University

Megan Schofill, Auburn University

Lauren Walsh, Wake Forest University

Crystal Wang, University of Illinois

Lottie Woad, Florida State University

Rose Zhang, Stanford University

WGCA Second Team All-Americans

Kajsa Arwefjall, San Jose State University

Rosie Belsham, Baylor University

Carla Bernat, Tulane University

Sadie Englemann, Stanford University

Laney Frye, University of Kentucky

Sera Hasegawa, Baylor University

Lion Higo, Pepperdine University

Carolina Lopez Chacarra, Wake Forest University

Ashley Menne Arizona State University

Jennie Park, Texas A&M University

Amanda Sambach, University of Virginia

Celina Sattelkau, Vanderbilt University

Latanna Stone, Louisiana State University

Chiara Tamburlini, University of Mississippi

Mirabel Ting, Augusta University

WGCA Honorable Mention All-Americans

Amari Avery, University of Southern California

Phoebe Brinker, Duke University

Jensen Castle, University of Kentucky

Mathilde Claisse, University of South Carolina

Aine Donegan, Louisiana State University

Megha Ganne, Stanford University

Melanie Green, University of South Florida

Tiffany Le, University of California Riverside

Mackenzie Lee, Southern Methodist University

Lucia Lopez-Ortega, San Jose State University

Patricie Mackova, University of Maryland

Caitlyn Macnab, Texas Christian University

Antonia Malate, San Jose State University

Caley McGinty, The Ohio State University

Emilia Migliaccio, Wake Forest University

Catherine Park, University of Southern California

Louise Rydqvist, University of South Carolina

Emma Schimpf, College of Charleston

Jeneath Wong, Pepperdine University

Michelle Zhang, Southern Methodist University

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