Women's Golf Southern Conference

Catamounts Finish 18th at UCF Challenge

Western Carolina finishes 18th at UCF Challenge

ORLANDO, Fla. – Western Carolina carded a final-round team score of 312 on Tuesday to close the three-day UCF Challenge with a score of 917 (309-296-312), finishing 18th overall in the spring season-opening event hosted at the par-72, 6,349-yard Eagle Creek Golf Club.

The Catamounts were paced by junior Mariah Hopkins, who finished amidst a seven-way tie for 69th overall with a three-round score of 228. The Greensboro, N.C., product backed up her opening rounds of 77 and 75 with a team-best 4-over-par final round of 76 on Tuesday. Hopkins countered five bogeys with a birdie on the par-4 12th to wind up her tournament scoring.

Sophomore Olivia Landino came home in a three-way tie for 78th after shooting 77 on Tuesday. Coupled with her first two rounds of 79 and 74, the Hermitage, Pa., product closed with a three-round score of 230. Landino charted a birdie on the par-5 13th against four bogeys and one double-bogey for the 5-over round on the final day.

Rounding out WCU’s scoring five were junior Kim Mitchell (231) in a four-way tie for 81st, sophomore Ashley Thompson (233) amidst a three-way tie for 88th and WCU’s first-round leader, sophomore Bethany Galloway (236) tied with one other for 93rd overall. Mitchell scored par on 12 of her final 18 holes with six bogeys on Tuesday, while Thompson and Galloway both had one birdie in the final round.

Second-round leader Virginia edged hard-charging Tulane for the team championship by a single stroke, 850-851. Tournament host UCF finished third, eight strokes off the pace at 858, followed by Vanderbilt (859) and a two-way tie for fifth between Wisconsin and Iowa State at 870.

Lauren Diaz-Yi of Virginia and Vanderbilt’s Jennifer Hahn shared the individual medalist honors, both firing matching scores of 9-under-par 207.

Western Carolina returns to action March 1-3 at the Edwin Watts / Kiawah Island Spring Classic, a three-day, 54-hole event hosted by the College of Charleston at the Osprey Point Course at the Kiawah Resort in Kiawah Island, S.C.