Northwestern Freshman Golfer Finishes Fifth at Big Ten Championships
In Havre de Grace, Maryland, the Wildcats largely struggled against a loaded field at the Big Ten Championships. However, one freshman had a career-best day, finishing with her lowest score and best place yet in her young career.
Hsin Tai Lin, a first-year from Taoyuan, Taiwan, finished tied for fifth in the Big Ten with a score of -2 (72-71-71=214). After making par on Day 1 of the Championships, Lin raised her standing by hitting -1 in each of the final two days.
Sophomore Ashley Yun and junior Dianna Lee also both cracked the top 20 at 15th (+2) and 19th (+3), respectively. Lee climbed 23 spots with a -2 on Day 3, helping the Wildcats finish fifth as a team at the conference meet.
Northwestern's highest-ranked golfer, senior Lauryn Nguyen rounded out the team's scoring with a +8 (75-74-75=224) performance. Nguyen was ranked No. 29 in the nation entering the weekend and has since dropped to No. 34.
Freshman Elise Lee also competed, tying for 61st with a score of +12.
Leading the way for the Big Ten title was No. 5 Oregon, which scored a sterling -12. Following the Ducks were No. 24 Michigan State at +2, Illinois at +6, No. 14 Ohio State at +9 and No. 10 Northwestern with +10. The 'Cats also finished ahead of No. 7 USC, which placed ninth.
Northwestern now must ready for the NCAA Regionals, which are set to take place from May 5 to May 7.
Read More Northwestern Wildcats Coverage
Gavin Dorsey is the Lead Writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI and covers a handful of other teams in the On SI network. Before joining On SI in February 2025, he wrote for the Star Tribune and Inside NU while broadcasting college sports for both radio and television. Dorsey is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where he also studied psychology. In his free time, he enjoys running and being outdoors. Dorsey is currently a freelance writer for the Associated Press, covering Chicago area sports teams.
Follow gjdorsey7