Allison, Western Carolina win Great Smokies Intercollegiate
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. – Western Carolina put all five scoring golfers inside the final individual top 15, including repeat medalist Taylor Allison, to rally past fellow Southern Conference member and first-round leader Samford to claim the 15th annual Great Smokies Intercollegiate, which concluded Tuesday at the par-72, 5,932-yard Waynesville Inn, Golf Resort & Spa.
The Catamounts recorded a program-best 18-hole score of 283 on Monday en route to a school and tournament-record 36-hole finish of 570 to edge Samford by four strokes at 574 after the Bulldogs likewise posted a school benchmark with their opening round of 281. Mercer finished third with an even-par tournament score of 576, followed by Eastern Kentucky (582) and Methodist University (590) to round out the top five.
WCU and Samford both broke the previous 36-hole tournament record score of 575 shot last season by Morehead State.
The team championship in its home event is the eighth for the Catamount women’s golf program all-time but just the first since sharing the top honors in the rain-shortened 2009 tournament. It also represents the most recent time WCU won both the team and individual title. The last time WCU won the team crown outright was 2008, when it slipped past Wofford by five strokes.
This year’s tournament championship represents the third straight top-two finish for the Catamounts, and the 11th time in Great Smokies tournament history. All told, it is the 25th team championship for the Catamount women’s golf program dating back to 2000, and the fourth under head coach Mallory Hetzel.
WCU made its move over the final four holes of the tournament. The Catamounts’ scorers played the final four holes at 6-under par while both Samford and third-place finishing Mercer were 1-over and 3-over, respectively, over those same holes.
Allison became just the third player in the 15-year history of the Great Smokies Intercollegiate to win both back-to-back tournament and to claim individual medalist honors more than once. She joins previous two-time champions – and both former Catamounts – Brandy Andersen, who claimed consecutive titles in 2002 and 2003, and Ashley Hovda, who won the tournament in 2004 and 2005.
Allison led the 67-golfer field with 11 birdies, one more than Mercer’s Macy McRaney with 10.
For the Catamounts, redshirt sophomore Kristin Swindell finished inside the top 10 with an even-par 144, following up her 2-under-par 70 on Monday with a 2-over-par 74 in the final round. Swindell carded back-to-back bogeys on fourth and fifth holes of her round, but was otherwise even with 16 pars.
Sophomore Mariah Hopkins trimmed five strokes off her opening round, shooting 2-under-par 70 on Tuesday to jump 12 positions in the final standings.
Rounding out the side for the Catamounts were sophomore Kim Mitchell and freshman Olivia Landino in a five-way tie for 15th at 4-over-par 146.
Playing as individuals in their first collegiate action, WCU freshmen Ashley Thompson and Bethany Galloway shot 75 and 76, respectively, on Tuesday. Thompson finished third among the individual competitors, placing in a tie for 26th overall at 5-over-par 149.
Western Carolina returns to action Sept. 30 through Oct. 1 at the Starmount Fall Classic, a 54-hole tournament held at the Starmount Forest Country Club. It's the fourth consecutive season for the Catamounts to attend the tournament hosted by fellow SoCon member UNCG, with teams playing 36 holes on the first day followed by an 18-hole final round.
Samford finishes second at Great Smokies Intercollegiate
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. – The Samford University women’s golf team carded a final-round score of 293 on Tuesday to earn a second-place finish at the 15th annual Great Smokies Intercollegiate hosted by Western Carolina University at the par-72, 5,932-yard Waynesville Inn and Golf Resort.
Samford concluded the two-day, 36-hole event with a total team score of 2-under-par 574 and finished just four strokes behind first-place Western Carolina (283-287=570).
Both Western Carolina and Samford broke the previous Great Smokies Intercollegiate tournament 36-hole benchmark of 575, which was carded by Morehead State in 2012.
Samford true freshman Sydney Needham finished the tournament with a 4-under-par 140 (68-72) and earned runner-up honors of the 67-player field.
Bailey Gray, Samford’s junior native of Trussville, Ala., registered a fourth-place finish Tuesday. After opening the tournament with a career-best 67 on Monday, she posted a second-round tally of 74 for a final mark of 3-under-par 141.
Senior Alex Jasper, who was competing as an individual in the Great Smokies Intercollegiate, also finished the tournament with a two-day total of 141 (72-69). Samford’s native of Clarksville, Tenn., concluded the event tied for fourth place.
The Bulldogs’ Natalie Mitchell finished tied for 10th place with a 36-hole mark of 144 (71-73), while true freshman Haley Harrington carded a 151 (77-74) and Emily Stallings added a 154 (75-79).
On Monday, Samford fired a school-record 18-hole team mark of 281 at the Great Smokies Intercollegiate. The Bulldogs’ monumental opening-round total of 281 surpassed their previous best mark of 291, which was set at last season’s Great Smokies Intercollegiate.
Samford’s opening round Monday proved to be the lowest 18-hole score in tournament history, shooting 281 to eclipse the previous tournament record of 282 carded by Gardner-Webb in the second round of the 2011 Great Smokies Intercollegiate.
So far this season, under the tutelage of first-year head coach Rachel Ingram, the Bulldogs have earned consecutive finishes of first place at the FedEx Memphis Intercollegiate and second place at the 2013 Great Smokies Intercollegiate.
The Samford University women’s golf team will next be in action this Friday through Sunday at the Lady Paladin Invitational being hosted by Furman University at the Furman Golf Course in Greenville, S.C.
Appalachian State finishes seventh at Great Smokies Intercollegiate
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. – Appalachian State finished up play in the Great Smokies Intercollegiate on Tuesday, carding a 304 in the second round after firing a 294 in the first round on Monday for a total of 598. Western Carolina finished first by carding a two-round total of 570.
Hannah Craver finished tied for 15th overall after shooting a 74 in the second round. Craver’s tournament total was 146. Finishing right behind Craver at 22nd overall individually was Haley Zagoria, who tallied a 77 in round two for a total of 148.
Emily Stinson finished tied for 26th after shooting a second-round total of 76 for a two-day total of 149. Madalyn Davis finished with a 77 in the second round and 155 overall to place in a tie for 40th. Lily Yatawara finished 67th with a two-day total of 167 after firing an 82 on Tuesday.
The Mountaineers will return to action when they travel to Greenville, N.C., for a tournament hosted by East Carolina. It will span two days, starting Monday, Oct. 7 and finishing on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
The Citadel finishes 12th at Great Smokies Intercollegiate
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. – Citadel junior Kellie Anderson fired a two-day score of 159 (+15) and finished in a three-way tie for 52nd at the Great Smokies Intercollegiate held at Waynesville Inn, Golf Resort & Spa.
Anderson recorded rounds of 79 and 80 to finish alongside fellow competitors Abby Driscoll (Presbyterian) and Bethany Galloway (Western Kentucky).
The Citadel posted a team score of 643 (+67). Western Carolina, the host team for the tournament, captured first place with a 570 (-6), while Samford (574, -2) edged Mercer (576, E) for second place.
Renata Sucha (81-80=161) notched a +17 to tie for 58th and Hollie Salvo (81-81=162) finished with a +18, one shot behind her Bulldog teammate in 61st.
Eraina Manor (83-80=163; +19) and McKenzie Duncan (81-85=166; +22) completed The Citadel scorecard.
The Dogs return the links next week they head to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to compete in the Myrtle Beach Fall Invitational hosted by High Point University.
Vidisdottir wins William & Mary Invitational, Elon finishes second
KINGS MILL, Va. – Thanks to a 1-under-par final round, Elon sophomore Sunna Vidisdottir claimed medalist honors at the William & Mary Invitational on Tuesday afternoon. Vidisdottir's performance helped the Phoenix place second in the nine-team event with a score of 898 (302-293-303).
Vidisdottir rallied from two strokes back to hold off Morehead State's Anna Appert Lund by one stroke for the individual title. Vidisdottir finshed the event with a mark of 215 (72-73-70) on her way to the victory. Aiding in her victory were Vidisdottir's tournament-best 11 birdies.
Freshman Kelsey Badmaev earned a 10th-place finish in her first collegiate tournament. Thanks to 37 pars, the most in the tournament, Badmaev carded a 222 (76-71-75) for a strong finish.
Just one stroke back in a tie for 11th was Emily Brooks. Brooks, who notched 32 pars, shot a 223 (74-74-75).
In a tie for 33rd in the field of 51 was Katie Partridge. She tallied a 243 (80-75-88) and had 33 pars.
Finally, Kristi Ingram placed 40th with a mark of 253 (88-82-83).
Morehead State grabbed the team title thanks to a three-round score of 881 (294-291-296).
Elon surpassed host William & Mary on the final day of play as the Tribe fell to third with a final tally of 903 (294-296-313).
The rest of the nine-team field consisted of Richmond (907), Radford (912), Georgetown (915), Hofstra (977), Randolph-Macon (1,036) and Hampton (1,115).
The Phoenix will next play at the Starmount Forest Tournament hosted by UNCG. That event will be played Sept. 30-Oct. 1.
Chattanooga finishes third at Cardinal Cup
SIMPSONVILLE, Ky. – Jordan Britt and Emily McLennan led the Chattanooga Mocs women’s golf team to a third-place finish at the Cardinal Cup. Britt finished ninth at plus-4 (220), while McLennan tied for 10th at plus-6 (222).
McLennan had the low round of the day for UTC. Her 1-over par 73 in windy conditions moved her 10 spots on the leaderboard after starting the day tied for 20th.
Tuesday’s final round saw the Mocs turn in 307 for a 901 total. It is the second straight year the squad has finished third in the event.
Agathe Sauzon ended up 25th for the Mocs, shooting 11-over par 227. Isabella Loza rounded out the counters with a 232 total.
The Cardinals ran away with the event played on their home course. Their 5-under-par 859 topped runner-up Kansas by 22 at 881. UofL’s Laura Restrepo was the wire-to-wire winner at 4-under 212. She won by a shot over her teammate Emily Haas and KU’s Yupaporn Kawinpakorn.
Chattanooga returns to action this weekend at the Mercedes-Benz Championship. This year’s event is at Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn. It opens Friday and ends on Sunday with 18 holes played per day.