Jacksonville State Wins Great Smokies Intercollegiate
WCU Tied for Third Jaime Ritter from UAB wins medalist honors; Blaire Minter paces Catamounts
Waynesville, N.C. - Jacksonville State led from start-to-finish and claimed the team title by eight strokes over second place Radford to win the 12th Annual Great Smokies Intercollegiate held at the par-72, 5,922-yard Waynesville Inn Golf Resort and Spa.
Jacksonville State, which was making its first-ever appearance in the tournament field, becomes just the fifth squad to take home team honors, edging Radford - which trimmed 16 strokes off its opening round score of 301 to shoot this year's tournament-low round of 285 on Sunday to move into the runner-up position - by a total of eight strokes.
Radford's 285 is the second-lowest team single-round in tournament history while Jacksonville State's two-day combined score of 578 ranks tied for second all-time with the 2008 Western Carolina squad, two strokes off the all-time tournament low of 276 set by the Catamounts in 2005.
JSU's eight-stroke team victory represents the largest stroke margin since 2003 when WCU won by nine strokes over Murray State.
Western Carolina and Elon mirrored each other with consecutive days of 300 and 288 to finish tied for third, while Gardner-Webb and Middle Tennessee State finished tied for fifth at the annual event. It was the second-straight season that Southern Conference foes WCU and Elon finished tied in the final team standings at the Great Smokies Intercollegiate. The two squads finished tied atop the leader board in the rain-shortened 2009 event.
Other SoCon teams in this year's field included Wofford College tied for ninth; Appalachian State in 13th; and The Citadel in 23rd.
Jaime Ritter from UAB claimed the individual medalist honors, becoming the 13th different women's golfer to claim or share medalist honors through the first 12 years of the Great Smokies Intercollegiate. Ritter, who's total of 140 was tied for the fifth-best in tournament history, posted rounds of 69 and 71 to edge Radford's Hannah Coles (71-70=141) and Samantha Morrell (70-71=141) from Old Dominion who shared the runner-up honors.
For Western Carolina, junior Blaire Minter led the way with her ninth career top 10 finish, placing in a tie for ninth in the final standings. The Marietta, Ga., native followed-up her opening round of two-over 74 with a team-best, two-under round of 70 on Sunday to lead the squad in the final standings. Minter shaved two strokes off on both her front and back nine scores in the final round.
Senior Josefine Sundh and her sophomore countryman, Malin Jansson, placed in a tie for 16th in the final standings for the Catamounts. Sundh carded her second-consecutive round of one-over, 73, to shoot 146, while Jansson posted an even-par 72 over the final 18 holes to also finish at 146. A native of Kumla, Sweden, Sundh carded a four-under average on the par-5 holes to rank tied for fourth in the tournament while Jansson, from Nykvarn, Sweden, finished one-under on the par-3 layouts.
Rounding out WCU's five scoring players were junior Rachel Nelson in a tie for 57th (153) and redshirt senior Tiffany Schisler with a 36-hole score of 162, tied for 108th. The Catamounts' Christina Amoriello, playing unattached as an individual, finished 120th overall with a final tally of 169 (85-84).
Western Carolina will return to action this coming weekend as it travels to the Starmount Fall Classic, hosted by UNC Greensboro. The Catamounts posted an eighth-place team finish in their last visit to the tournament back in the fall of 2008 with Sundh finishing 10th overall.
Mayer, McFadden Lift Elon to Third-Place Showing at Great Smokies Intercollegiate
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. -- Virginia Mayer totaled nine birdies for the tournament and shot a two-under final round of 70 to help lead the Elon women's golf team to a tie for third at the 2010 Great Smokies Intercollegiate hosted by Western Carolina. The Phoenix shot a 288 during its final round, tied for the second-lowest round of the day, to post a final score of 588 and finish 10 strokes behind team champion Jacksonville State.
Mayer's round of 70 was coupled with her first-round 72 for a tournament score of 142 which was good enough to tie her for fourth individually. One stroke back in a tie for sixth was Tara McFadden who shot a two-round total of 143 (72-71).
Diana Davis placed in a tie for 44th among the field of 124 individuals with a score of 151 (76-75). Shannon Prunty (80-73--153) was two strokes back in a tie for 57th. Finally, Martyna Mierzwa's total of 154 (80-74) placed her in a tie for 66th.
Jacksonville State (289-289--578) was followed by Radford (301-285--586) in the team standings. Then came Elon and Western Carolina (300-288--588) in the tie for third. Gardner-Webb (303-288) and Middle Tennessee State (302-289) tied for fifth with a total score of 591.
The Phoenix also finished ahead of Southern Conference foes Wofford (T9th; 303-294--597), Appalachian State (13th; 299-301--601) and The Citadel (23rd; 330-304--634).
Individually, UAB's Jaime Ritter took home individual medalist honors, shooting a four-under 140 (69-71) during her two rounds of play.
Elon will return to the links when it hosts the Sea Trails Intercollegiate tournament in Sunset Beach, N.C. from Sept. 24-26.
Terriers Take Ninth at Great Smokies Invitational
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. -- The Wofford College women's golf team finished the Great Smokies Invitational in a tie for ninth place our of 24 teams with a two-round total of 597 on Saturday and Sunday. The tournament was the team's first contest in 2010.
The Terriers finished 19 strokes off the tournament team winner Jacksonville State (578).
Wofford was led by Sarah Hurt, who finished the par 72 two-round tournament with a 146 (+2). She shot an even par in round won and slipped to a plus two 74 in round two. Hurt finish tied for 16th individually six shots off of individual winner Jamie Ritter from UAB, who turned in a 140 (-4).
Anne Marie Cover cracked the top 20 for the Terriers with a 20th place finish. She shot a 147 with scores of 73 (+1) and 74 (+2) over the two rounds.
Alex Hendricks turned in a 154 (79 and 75) and Alex Rankin 155 (84 and 71) were the final Terrier scorers.
Rankin's second round 71 was four strokes off the lowest single-round during the tournament, 67. She was also three strokes off her personal best round of 68.
The Terriers will return to action in the Winthrop Eagles Fall Invitational on October 2nd through October 3rd.
ASU Women's Golf Shows Off Consistency at Great Smokies Intercollegiate
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. - Following the best team single round score in Appalachian State University women's golf history, the Mountaineers followed up with another solid score on Sunday to place 13th at the season-opening Great Smokies Intercollegiate with a 299-301=600 (+24) over 36 holes.
Sophomore Yue Xu continued her string of top-10 finishes as she turned in rounds of 70-74=144 (E) for the weekend to place ninth. The reigning Southern Conference individual champion has placed in the top 10 in all seven tournaments since she joined the ASU squad in January.
Classmate Rumbidzai Masamvu shaved three strokes off her score on Sunday to finish in 31st place at 76-73=149 (+5) while Mimi Burke placed 57th out of 124 golfers with a score of 75-78=152 (+8). Both Masamvu and Burke's low rounds of the weekend were career-best rounds.
Kristina Boo carded a 78-76=154 (+10) for 66th place and senior Kerri Dice finished 96th at 79-80=159 (+15). Samantha Bonham competed individually and placed 118th with an 82-86=168 (+24).
Jacksonville State won the event by eight strokes at 578 (+4) with three golfers in the top six. Jaime Ritter won the tournament at 140 (-4) for eighth-place UAB.
From the Southern Conference, Elon and host Western Carolina tied for third place at 588 (+12), Wofford finished in ninth place, just three strokes ahead of ASU and The Citadel came in 23rd at 634 (+58).
Burke and Xu each recorded an eagle at the tournament, while Masamvu's 28 pars were the most by any player.
Appalachian returns to action next weekend at the Sea Trail Intercollegiate at Sunset Beach, N.C. The tournament runs Friday, Sept. 24 through Sunday, Sept. 26.
Freshman Erica Pellegrini Leads the Bulldogs in the Fall Opener This Weekend at the 12th-Annual Great Smokies Intercollegiate
Waynesville, N.C. - The Citadel Golf team kicked off the fall season at the Great Smokies Intercollegiate this weekend at Waynesville Inn Golf Resort and Spa in North Carolina. The Bulldogs concluded the competition in 23rd place of 24 teams with a two-day total score of 634 (+58). Five Bulldog golfers competed with freshman Erica Pellegrini leading the way for The Citadel in her first collegiate competition.
Pellegrini finished tied for 87th place, shooting an 81 on Saturday and concluding the tournament firing an impressive 76 on Sunday to complete her weekend in Waynesville with a total of 157 (+13). Right behind Pellegrini was junior Bree Baumgartner who shot a team-low 75 on Sunday, totaling 159 (+15) and tying for 96th overall. Junior Bulldog Alanna Jean-Keith shot a 161 through two rounds, while seniors Christine Clark and Sheri Rockefeller both shot a 162 to finish the weekend.
Jacksonville State took the trophy at the tournament in their first ever appearance, shooting eight strokes better than second place Radford University with a two-day total of 578 (+2). Southern Conference's Elon and Western Carolina finished tied for the second consecutive year, shooting 300 a piece to land them in third place overall. Other SoCon teams, Wofford University (ninth place) and Appalachian State (13th place), also competed in the two-day competition.
The Bulldogs will now prepare for the Sea Trails Intercollegiate, hosted next weekend, Sept., 24-26 in Elon, N.C. For complete results and information on Bulldog Golf, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics, www.citadelsports.com.