Hayes cards low round as Eagles finish Ross Resorts Invite tied for 11th

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. – The Carson-Newman women's golf team finished the Ross Resorts Invitational in a tie for 11^th-place after firing a final round 336 at Mid Pines Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C.

Sophomore Elizabeth England (Oakland, Tenn.) was the top-finisher for the Eagles as she finished in a tie for 11^th-place at the event featuring most of the top teams in the nation.

"The team had a difficult round to finish this event. Even Elizabeth had a tough 84. Our one bright spark was freshman Taylor Hayes who had a team low score today, 81," coach Suzanne Strudwick said. "We need to build some stamina for playing in these type of events; the girls looked sluggish and mentally were not as resilient as yesterday. This gives us something to work on."

England carded a final round 84 on Tuesday to finish the event at 18-over. The sophomore opened the tournament with scores of 76 and 73 during her first two rounds and entered the final round in a tie for the lead.

Freshman Taylor Hayes (Lake Ozark, Mo.) shot the team's low round of the day with an 81 during the round. She placed in a tie for 34^th at the completion of her first collegiate tournament at 26-over.

Senior Meridith Hawkins (Powell, Tenn.) finished the third round tied for 47^th after a round of 84 finished her tournament. The reigning South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year finished the Rollins-hosted event at 29-over.

Sophomores Ashley Kay (Palos Heights, Ill.) and Mikaela Thibodeau (Davie, Fla.) placed tied for 77^th and 81^st respectively on the leaderboard. Kay fired her second-consecutive round in the 80s with a Tuesday score of 87. Thibodeau's round on Tuesday carded a 92, which was her second-lowest round of the tournament also.

Host Rollins won the tournament as Barry and West Florida rounded out the top-three. Rollins's Hally Leadbetter won the individual competition at nine-over after shooting a 74 in the final round. Carson-Newman tied with SAC competitor Newberry to be the league's highest finishers; Wingate came in 14^th in the tourney.

The Eagles return to East Tennessee for their next event as they host the Smokey Mountain Intercollegiate next week at the Sevierville Golf Club.

T11 Carson-Newman 330-317-336 983

T11 Elizabeth England 76-73-84 (+18)

T34 Taylor Hayes 82-81-81 (+26)

T47 Meridith Hawkins 83-78-84 (+29)

T77 Ashley Kay 92-84-87 (+48)

81 Mikaela Thibodeau 91-87-92 (+54)