KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - After finishing in a tie for ninth on day one of the Kiawah Invitational, the Carson-Newman women's golf team moved up two spots on Sunday to finished the tournament tied for seventh with a score of +69 645 at the Oak Point Golf Club in Kiawah Island, S.C.
"The team did an excellent job playing one shot at a time and keeping it together," coach Suzanne Strudwick said "The players battled through tough conditions and some brutal weather. Taylor Hayes (Lake Ozark, Mo.) had an excellent performance and [we got] another really good score from Elizabeth England (Oakland, Tenn.). A solid performance from Allie [Fletcher] (Cumming, Ga.), she keeps showing how freshman can make a difference. Jessica [Hart] (Roanoke, Va.) had a good comeback with an 80 today. All in all, I was really pleased."
Hayes was the star of the show for C-N over the final 18 holes. Her Sunday score of a +2 74 allowed her to jump from 20th into a tie for seventh, which also marks her seventh top 10 finish since coming to Mossy Creek. For the event, Hayes carded a +7 154, which also tied her for the second best score among South Atlantic Conference student-athletes at the event, trailing only Anderson (S.C.)'s Kate Hill.
England also moved up the leaderboard and entered the clubhouse in a deadlock for 13th with Kylie Nizolek of Queens (N.C.), two spots better than she finished on day one. The Tennessee native knocked a pair of shots off her Saturday 79 to post a +5 77 and an overall score of +12 156.
The third score for Coach Strudwick's crew came from the freshman Fletcher, the first time she's put up C-N's third highest score in an event. She completed 36 holes tied for 37th after an 84 on Sunday.
Hart had an outstanding day on the links following a difficult 18 holes on Saturday. She peeled 12 shots off her score and ended the afternoon with a +8 80. Only four players showed more improvement from Saturday to Sunday. The senior tied for 63rd in the tournament.
Rachel Watts (Newport, Tenn.) ended the event with Carson-Newman's fifth score, a +45 189, which placed her tied for 80th.
Sophie Bargeron of Armstrong State captured Kiawah's individual title by scoring a +4 148 and in doing so, led the Pirates to tourney championship. ASU's score of +42 was five shots ahead of second-place Limestone. Among the eight schools from the SAC competing in the event, Anderson (S.C.) claimed the best weekend, finishing fourth, while Wingate placed fifth, and Queens sixth.
The next competition for coach Strudwick and her student-athletes comes on Feb. 18th, when they will travel to Elgin, S.C. for a dual match against Newberry.
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