Women's Golf Southern Conference

Samford Wins FedEx Memphis Intercollegiate

GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – The Samford University women’s golf team successfully defended its championship crown at the FedEx Memphis Intercollegiate on Tuesday as the Bulldogs cruised to a 14-stroke victory over second-place Xavier and a 19-stroke advantage over hometown favorite Memphis at the Ridgeway Country Club.

Samford carded a third-round score of 307 on Tuesday and finished the two-day, 54-hole competition with a total team mark of 913 (304-302-307). Xavier posted a three-round score of 927 (306-316-305), while Memphis (316-311-305=932), Louisiana-Monroe (314-310-309=933) and Central Arkansas (314-309-315=938) rounded out the top five.

The Bulldogs’ Natalie Mitchell made it a clean sweep for Samford on Tuesday as she earned Individual medalist honors. Mitchell, a native of Germantown, tallied a tournament-best score of 220 (71-74-75) and rolled to a two-stroke victory over Central Arkansas’ Julia Roth and Sarah Schober of Redlands Community College.

Samford finished with three players in the top eight in Tuesday’s final individual standings. The Bulldogs’ Mitchell paced the field with a 54-hole score of 220, while senior Anna Heim placed fifth in the tournament with a three-round tally of 225 (76-75-74). Emily Stallings, Samford’s rising sophomore from Fayetteville, Ga., finished tied for eighth place in the individual standings with a 230 (79-74-77).

Rounding out the Bulldogs’ scoring on Tuesday were junior Alex Jasper (79-79-81=239) and sophomore Bailey Gray (79-80-83=241). Jasper finished tied for 27th place in the individual standings, while Gray placed 34th.

In a similarly dominant performance last season, Samford won the 2011 FedEx Memphis Intercollegiate with an identical team score of 913. The Bulldogs were also paced by Mitchell, who finished tied for third place in the tournament with a three-day total of 224 (78-70-76).

The Samford University women’s golf team will next be in action this weekend, Friday through Sunday, at the Lady Paladin Intercollegiate. This week’s competition will mark the Bulldogs’ final tournament of the 2012 fall season and will be held at the Furman Golf Club in Greenville, S.C.