England, Eagles lead King Invitational after first day

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Elizabeth England shot a first place one-over 72 while Anna Davenport shot a six-over 77 to end the first day of competition at the King Invitational at Bristol Country Club on Monday.

Carson-Newman as a team are leading the pack, posting a +26 score. Host King University trails by four strokes.

"I think the team did really well with its first start," head coach Suzanne Strudwick said of her crew. "There's obviously room for improvement as a whole, but I am really pleased with how we've performed."

England, who won last year's tournament in Bristol, shot for par on 13 holes through the first round. She was tied for first on par 3 scoring at one-under.

For her teammates in the invitational, Reagan Kinnie shot a tenth-place tying 80. Taylor Hayes was not far behind tied at 12^th with a +8 79. Freshman Matilda Frovenholt posted an 81 in her first team event with the orange and blue, tied at 17^th with four other players, including teammate Katie Medley.

On the individual side of the tournament, Davenport was able to enter as a last-minute participant. She ended Monday tied at 7^th on the leaderboard and led par 5 scoring at -2.

"I am extremely pleased with Anna as a late entry because she didn't get a real practice round on the course like the rest of the competitors had," Strudwick mused about the junior. "She did such a great job today."

Freshman Jayla Sims finished Monday shooting 80 tied at 15^th.  Rachel Watts found herself tied for 24^th with an 83.

"Overall, the girls seemed somewhat disappointed with their short game, but that just gives us something to work with in the coming weeks," Strudwick mentioned. "It was a bit of a hiccup, but it's a good starting point and I know that they can do even better on Tuesday."

The tournament will conclude tomorrow after 18 more holes of play.