By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MOBILE, Ala. – Improvement was the name of the game for the Tennessee Tech women's golf team Sunday, as the Golden Eagles shaved 13 shots from its opening round of the USA Intercollegiate for a solid showing in round two at Crossings Course at the RTJ Trail at Magnolia Grove.
The purple and gold posted a 299 on the day, building off a 312 from Saturday to sit ninth with a 611 with one round to go. ULM continued to pace the field, turning in a 289 for an overall score of 566. Middle Tennessee's Kendall Maynard took over the individual lead, recording her second straight 69 for a 138.
For the Golden Eagles, it was rookie Chloe Griffith firing a remarkably clean 2-under 70 in round two, moving into the team lead with an overall total of 147. Tied for 18th among the 55 individuals in competition, Griffith recorded two birdies and a whopping 16 pars for the second-lowest round by a freshman in program history.
Senior Ainsley Simms made her own improvements in round two, trimming two strokes from her Saturday round for a 1-over 73. Tied for 20th overall with a 148, the veteran racked up three birdies to go along with 11 pars.
Showing a five-shot improvement herself, Gittle Sciolis registered a 2-over 74, bringing her two-round total to 153 to tie for 38th. The fifth-year senior totaled three birdies for the day.
Reagan Stuke rounded out the scoring effort for Tech, finishing with an 82 and one birdie for a total of 163. Cookeville native Lexus Julian completed her second career round with 82 of her own, adding to an 83 in round one for a 165.
The third and final round of the USA Intercollegiate will begin at 8:30 a.m. CT for the purple and gold as part of another shotgun start.
Top 5 Teams: | ||||||
1. | ULM | 277-289=566 | -10 | |||
2. | Middle Tennessee | 290-290=580 | +4 | |||
3. | Jacksonville State | 290-292=582 | +6 | |||
4. | Southern Miss | 295-290=585 | +9 | |||
5. | Little Rock | 292-299=591 | +15 | |||
9. | Tennessee Tech | 312-299=611 | +35 |
Leaderboard (55 Golfers) | ||||||
1. | Kendall Maynard (Middle Tennessee) | 69-69=138 | -6 | |||
T-18. | Chloe Griffith | 77-70=147 | +3 | |||
T-20. | Ainsley Simms | 75-73=148 | +4 | |||
T-38. | Gittle Sciolis | 79-74=153 | +9 | |||
52. | Reagan Stuke | 81-82=163 | +19 | |||
53. | Lexus Julian | 83-82=165 | +21 | |||
File photo by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Athletics Communications