VIDEO: Suzanne Strudwick Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman looks to bounce back from a sixth-place finish at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate as the Eagles make a trip to Wallace, N.C. for the Sunoco Campbell Oil Classic, hosted by UNC Pembroke, on Monday and Tuesday.
The team's finish at the Division I event marked its third-straight finish outside of the top-five.
Through three rounds of play, the Eagles carded a 937 total at 85-over par in their second 54-hole event of the season. They landed as high as fourth on the leaderboard during the event during a strong second round but fell back to sixth after shooting 21 shots higher in the third round compared to the second.
This year's Sunoco Campbell Oil Classic marks Carson-Newman's second-straight showing in the event where they finished second at last season with a 49-over par score of 913. Senior Elizabeth England (Oakland, Tenn.) was second in the event last season with a +3 score of 219.
"I think we'll be good for this week," head coach Suzanne Strudwick said. "They have a lot of confidence going into it. We played very well last year."
England returns to the field again this year as C-N's team captain at the No. 1 spot after a Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate performance that saw her finish at a tie for 11th, marking her second-lowest concluding placement this season.
Three other Eagles are making a second trip to the event alongside England -- Reagan Kinnie (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Taylor Hayes (Lake Ozark, Mo.) and Allie Fletcher (Cumming, Ga.)
Kinnie moves into the No. 2 position for C-N this year after serving as an individual in 2017 when she finished 13th in the field with a three-round total of 232. That was the same total she shot for this past week at the Sevierville Golf Club in the team's second 54-hole event of the season. She is averaging a 78.4 score this season through 16 rounds of play.
As the third-seed, Hayes looks to build off of her +24 score of 237 from a week ago that placed her at a tie for 22nd. She finished last year's classic in a tie for 5th with a nine-over at 225.
Fletcher was 24th in the pack last season at +22 in the event. This time around, she serves as the No. 5 position with a stroke clip of 79.3 in 10 rounds of action. She was tied for 35th at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate with a 244 total.
Jayla Sims (Hixson, Tenn.) returns to the travel squad for the first time in nearly a month when she placed at a tie for 33rd in the Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate.
Anna Davenport (Roswell, Ga.) makes her second-straight appearance as an individual participant for the Eagles. This is just the third event that she has taken part in this season.
The junior is fresh off of her career lowest round of 75 in the final round of the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate which served as the primary highlight of a lackluster third day for the Eagles in the event.
"I don't care if you're a freshman, if you're a walk-on as Anna is, you know, if I can give you an opportunity to play and show me your stuff, you go out there and you do it," Strudwick mentioned. "We are a team, but we're also an individual sport. Each individual has their role on the team. We keep stressing that, but playing as an individual, it does free you up. I will say that it is a little bit of an easier position than a team member. So, you are playing with a little less pressure and baggage; you can just go out there and free-will it. There's not much consequence, but it also gives you an opportunity to compete."
Host team UNC Pembroke was the top team last year, edging out the Eagles by five strokes with a 908 three-round total. Fellow South Atlantic Conference team Queens took third at 59-over par.
Katy Flax of UNC Pembroke was the top overall player in the field with a 217, just two shots better than England. Mount Olive's Julia Kaeding finished third with a six-over score of 222.
The event will take place at the Rivers Landing Golf Club, housing a par 72 course that spans 5,812 yards.
The 54-hole event begins on Monday with two rounds followed by a single round of 18 on Tuesday.
