By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

TUNICA, Miss. – If there were a Most Improved Award from round one to round two of the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Women's Golf Championships, Tennessee Tech would easily be the front-runner after delivering a superb display at Tunica National Golf Course Monday afternoon.

The Golden Eagles tied for the second-best round of the day in the field of nine, storming up the leaderboard to rank fifth after carding a 305 for a two-day total of 640. Tech soared three spots after shredding a whopping 30 strokes from its showing in Sunday's opening trip around the course and ended round two just two shots back of fourth place Lindenwood. 

Little Rock stayed out in front of the leaderboard, but Morehead State closed the gap to just five shots after turning in a tournament-best round of 301. Anna Dawson of Little Rock also kept her position on the top of the individual charts, edging out to a three-stroke advantage among the 44 golfers in competition. 

Sophomore Kaydi Rhodes led the way to Tech's resurgence on the links, firing a career-low 72 to move into a tie for eighth overall with a score of 155. The youngster's gem of a round featured an eye-popping five birdies to go along with nine pars, setting up her team for a run at a top-three finish.

Shaving seven shots off her first-round tally was Gittle Sciolis, delivering a 76 to ascend the individual charts and tie for 16th in the field with a 159. The fifth-year senior made the most of her second opportunity around Tunica National, collecting three birdies and 10 pars.

Following her second-ever round at the OVC Championships, rookie Chloe Griffith jumped into the top-25 in the standings after trimming six shots from her Sunday round. The freshman produced a pair of birdies and 10 pars on her way to a 79 and composite tally of 164.

Tying for 27th were two ends of the experience spectrum for Tech, led by senior Ainsley Simms. The veteran turned in an 82 with one birdie on the day, bringing her two-day total to 166. Freshman Lexus Julian also moved into a tie for 27th, knocking 10 strokes off her first experience in the OVC Championships for a 78 on Monday. The Cookeville native totaled three birdies while also securing a 166 for the first two rounds.

The third and final round of the OVC Championships will feature tee times starting at 8:20 a.m. CT for the Golden Eagles. 

Photo by Jahmil Taylor, OVC