WALLACE, N.C. – A standout performance by Anna Davenport (Roswell, Ga.) through the first two rounds of her first stint as a top-team player helped push Carson-Newman to land at a tie for second on the leaderboard on Monday at the Sunoco Campbell Oil Classic.
Initially entering the event as an individual, a sudden shakeup at the event moved Davenport into the travel team's No. 3 spot to replace Taylor Hayes (Lake Ozark, Mo.) who was forced to withdraw due to an injury she sustained in the practice round.
"I called her up with just 20 minutes to go before tee off to step in for Taylor Hayes on the first team," Strudwick mentioned. "To shoot the team's lowest two-round scores and leading the team tomorrow in the No. 1 position is an amazing performance."
Davenport's sudden move did not shake her focus as she ended the first round tied for fifth in the field with a five-over score of 77. She did one stroke better in the second round, shooting a 76. Her two rounds mark her third and second-lowest round score of the season, respectively. She holds a +12 total of 153 heading into Tuesday.
Allie Fletcher (Cumming, Ga.) joined Davenport at the fifth-spot on the leaderboard through the first round of play. Her 77 matched her second-lowest round score of the 2017-18 campaign. In the afternoon, she was seven-over par, putting her in a tie for 9th with a 156 two-round total.
Elizabeth England (Oakland, Tenn.) sat at a tie for 11th by the end of the morning with a +7 score of 79, matching her third-highest round score of the season. She shot the same score in the second round, moving her down to 15th in the field.
Jayla Sims (Hixson, Tenn.) ended Monday tied with the senior with a 158 total through 36 holes. The freshman shot a 10-over round of 82 in the first half of the day before turning around in the afternoon to shoot a 76.
Reagan Kinnie (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) also fell in a tie with Sims through the first round of play with an 82. She shot another +10 round in the afternoon to move her to a tie for 31st.
The Eagles ended the first round sitting at a tie for second in the field with host team UNC Pembroke. Both teams carded a 316 total through the first 18 holes, sitting just three strokes behind Wingate. By the end of the entire first day, C-N and UNC Pembroke stayed put at the No. 2 spot, 49 shots over par, while Lenoir-Rhyne made a four-spot jump into first. The Bears made a 17-shot improvement from a 319 in the first round to shoot a 302 in the second.
L-R's Ainee O'Connor and UNC Pembroke's Madison Corley are at the top spot on the leaderboard heading into the final day of play with a seven-over total of 151. Lincoln Memorial's Lise Malherbe sits one shot behind the duo at third place.
The final day of the event begins at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday with a final round of 18 holes. Kinnie will be the first Eagle to tee off at 10:31 a.m.
