JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the third-straight season, No. 25 Carson-Newman gears up for one final trip of the regular season, making its way Wallace, N.C. for the UNC Pembroke's Sunoco Campbell Oil Classic on Monday and Tuesday at the River Landing Golf Club.
The Eagles head to the event following a fourth-place showing at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate, giving them their first finish out of the top-three in six-straight tournaments this season.
After carding its best round in four appearances with a 301, No. 25 #CNWG closed out the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate with a fourth-place finish.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) March 20, 2019
This is C-N's best placement since tying for fourth in 2017.
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Strudwick will rely on the same starting lineup that she took to the BNI for this upcoming tournament.
Reagan Kinnie (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) will lead the way for the Orange and Blue for a second-straight event and third time on the season. She was 13-over last week at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate, moving her adjusting scoring average to 76.9, the second-best clip on the team. The junior is looking to improve on her 30th-place finish in the event from a year ago in Wallace where she shot a 243 through three rounds.
Maeve Cummins (Waringstown, Northern Ireland), the team's No. 2 seed, comes into her first appearance at Wallace holding a team-leading 76.5 scoring average. She was the highest-placed Eagle on the leaderboard at the BNI with a 12-over showing that was good enough for 12th-place.
Rachel Watts (Newport, Tenn.) remains at the three-seed for a third-consecutive event. Through 18 rounds, the junior has amassed a 77.3 scoring average.
At the No. 4 seed is Taylor Hayes (Lake Ozark, Mo.). She was supposed to take part in the event last year but had to be replaced before the opening round after sustaining an injury in the practice round.
This year, the senior has played 14 rounds, holding a 77.9 scoring average.
Rounding out the starting lineup for the Eagles will be Jayla Sims (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.). Like Kinnie, the sophomore will be making a return to the Sunoco Campbell Oil Classic field after finishing in a tie for 25th last year at 27-over. This season, she has carded a 78.4 average through 14 rounds while making the starting lineup for seven events.
One individual will get to join the field for Strudwick's group this year in the event. Matilda Frövenholt (Öjersjö, Sweden) earned that additional spot, allowing her to make her event debut. The sophomore has played eight rounds this season with a 79.6 adjusted scoring average.
This will be Frövenholt's first appearance in an event since the Lady Cougar Classic in early March where she played at the No. 3 spot for C-N. As for playing as the individual, this will be just the second time this season, the last being at the Jekyll-O-Lantern Intercollegiate in October 2018.
In the past two showings at the Sunoco Campbell Oil Classic, C-N has seen a pair of top-five finishes. Last year, the team's fifth-place 71-over result was highlighted by a fifth-place finish for Anna Davenport (Roswell, Ga.). It was the best result of her junior campaign at 12-over and stands as the second-best finish of her career.
A year prior, C-N's first appearance in the event came with a second-place result as former Eagle Elizabeth England was also second in the field.
Lenoir-Rhyne was the top team in the field last year in Wallace with a 54-over showing. Hosting UNC Pembroke was second with Wingate following close behind at third. On the player side, Ainee O'Connor of L-R and Diana McDonald of Wingate tied for first at seven-over.
The Classic marks the third 54-hole event the Eagles have taken part in this season and the second-consecutive this spring. The tournament takes place at the River Landing Golf Club, which holds a 5,812-yard course with a 72 par. The course was affected by Hurricane Florence back in September 2018 with flood waters overtaking the clubhouse.
The tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. Monday with two rounds of action before a final 18 holes are played through on Tuesday. Stay close to cneagles.com for a recap and full results from each day of competition.