WCU puts four scorers inside individual top 10
Montpelier, Va. - Western Carolina maintained its opening round, one-stroke lead on Sunday, finishing with four individual scorers among the top 10 finishers to claim the 2010 Tribe Invitational held at the Hollows Golf Course, which played at par-71, 5,820 yards over the two-day event.
Sophomore Malin Jansson, who was tied for the individual lead after Saturday's opening round, finished in second place to lead the Catamounts, finishing three-strokes in arrears of individual medalist, Emma Jonsson who plays for the team runner-up, Morehead State. Jansson carded rounds of 70 and 76 to finish with a four-over, 146.
The team championship was the first of the season for WCU and the first under first-year head coach Mallory Hetzel. The Catamounts also stretched their string of team championships to 10 years, having claimed a team title every season dating back to 2000.
"I am really proud of the effort this team gave this weekend in securing a team championship," said Hetzel. "WCU has played at a high level and experienced team championships for a long time now. This squad knows how to play at the championship level. Each week presents a new challenge, and we will look to build upon this title and use it as we move forward in finishing the fall strong and to propel us into our spring season."
Western Carolina finished the 36-hole event with a two-day total of 598 after shooting 303 during Sunday's final round. Morehead State, which trailed the Catamounts by a stroke entering Sunday's round, mirrored WCU over the final 18, shooting 303 and finishing one-stroke back in second place at 599. Fellow Southern Conference member, Wofford, finished third, 16 strokes off the pace at 614, followed by host William & Mary (617) and Old Dominion (625) rounding out the top five teams.
Senior Josefine Sundh advanced eight spots in the final standings from a 14th-place tie on Saturday to a fifth-place tie on the final leader board. It is her team-leading, second top-five finish of the season. Sundh, a native of Kumla, Sweden, shot rounds of 76 and 74.
Junior Blaire Minter and redshirt senior Tiffany Schisler posted identical scores of 151 to place amidst a four-way tie for seventh. Minter advanced three spots from her opening round standing for her 10th career top 10 finish, while Schisler posted her second career top 10, matching teammate Jansson for the most birdies in the tournament as the duo both recorded seven and paced the field in par-5 scoring at two-under.
All told, the Catamounts led the tournament in par-4 scoring (4.34), par-5 scoring (5.13) and with 21 birdies. WCU was second in par-3 scoring at 3.24 overall and with 100 par scores.
Junior Rachel Nelson rounded out WCU's five players in the tournament, shooting 160 over the two-round event to finish tied for 27th overall.
Western Carolina will wrap-up the fall portion of its 2010-11 slate on October 25-26 at the Palmetto Intercollegiate, hosted by the College of Charleston at the Oak Point Golf Club in Kiawah Island, S.C. The Catamounts finished eighth for the second-time in the last three years a season ago, with a 13th-place showing during the 2008-09 season.