By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – An individual title, two All-Tournament bids and a third-place finish were all claimed by the Tennessee Tech women's golf team at the F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate Tuesday afternoon, giving the Golden Eagles their second consecutive top five finish.
Junior Maddi Everts powered her way to the top spot at the event, fighting off Belmont's Mallory Sullivan over three playoff holes to claim Tech's first individual medalist honors since 2009. Entering the final day of play in a tie for second, the veteran carded the second-lowest round of the event before finally taking control of first place after 39 holes.
Everts turned in a final card of 73-71=144 for the event, marking the second-lowest 36-hole round in program history. She also claimed her second straight All-Tournament nod and fifth such honor of her career.
"We've known for a long time what Maddi was capable of and it's fantastic to see her finally healthy enough to turn in the kind of rounds she is," head coach Polk Brown said. "She's been a leader since her first day and this is a great accomplishment that just reflects her skills and hard work."
The Ooltewah native kept a small tradition of success at Austin Peay's annual event alive, becoming the fifth Golden Eagle to take home the crown since the inaugural tournament in 1999. It marked the first individual tournament title for a Tech women's golfer since Megan Bradford won the same event in 2009. Julie Smith, Kylie Crouch and Cherry Bevis also claimed individual medalist honors at the Lady Gov's event during their careers.
The junior continues to lead the Ohio Valley Conference in stroke average, lowering her mark to 74.5 on the year. Over her last five rounds, she hasn't shot above a 75.
Sophomore Whitney Robertson played a huge role in Tech's third-place ranking, taking home her own All-Tournament honors after finishing third overall at the event. She joined Everts to become the first set of Golden Eagle teammates to both claim All-Tournament nods at the same event since Diana Carson and Ashley Spangler achieved the feat at the same course in 2008.
A native of Clarksville, Robertson returned home to fire a 72-74=146 over the two-day event. The All-Tournament honor marked her second of the year and third in her last five matches dating back to the 2014 OVC Championships.
Junior Megan Williamson played consistently all week, carding scores of 78 and 78 for a 156 and partial claim to 16th place in the 62-player field.
Sophomore Lydia Triplett and redshirt freshman Anna Cunningham both narrowly missed top-25 finishes, tying for 26th in the tournament with identical days. Each shot 79 on Monday and 80 on Tuesday for 36-hole finals of 159.
Participating as individuals, junior Allison Geer and Haley Davidson made Tuesday count as well. Geer tied for 21st in the field after tallying a 79-78=157, while Davidson rallied from a tough first-round score of 89 to knock off eight strokes with an 81 in round two.
"We're playing well right now," Brown said of his team. "Maddi and Whitney have really stepped up this fall and everyone has been improving as the season goes along. We still have some work to do, but the talent is there to win some titles and I'm excited to see how we finish out the fall at Middle Tennessee next week."
The Golden Eagles were edged out by defending OVC Champion Murray State by a mere two strokes. In-state rival Belmont took home the team title, however, exploding for a 295 on Tuesday to capture the event by seven shots.
Through four events, the Golden Eagles are on pace to shatter the all-time team stroke average mark, so far putting together an average of 309.82. The current record, held by the 2000-01 squad, is 315.25.
Tech will look to close out its strong fall season on Monday, Oct. 20 when the squad heads east for the Blue Raider Invitational. The two-day event concludes Tuesday, Oct. 21 and will be hosted by Middle Tennessee at the Old Fort Golf Club in Murfreesboro.
