Claisse, Darling and Rydqvist Named WGCA All-Americans – University of South Carolina Athletics

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)….