KENNESAW, Ga. – Battling an all Division I field, the Lee University women's golf team placed ninth in the 12-team field of the Pinetree Women's Collegiate played at the Pinetree Country Club. Texas Tech claimed first place with a 54-hole total of 870. South Alabama and Notre Dame tied for second with 875 total. University of Louisiana – Monroe and Florida Gulf Coast tied for fourth (879).

After a slow start the Lady Flames had a first round of 311, they came firing back with a solid 289 on the second 18 and then totaled a 309 on Monday for a final total of 904. South Alabama's Karharina Schroll and Texas Tech's Klara Hurtova shared medalist honors, firing 1-under par 215.

Lee was led by freshman Lehane Louis-Dumond (73-71-78 – 222) and Banthita "Pearl" Phoncharatkun (76-72-74 -222), finishing in a tie for 18th. Haley Blevins followed with an 81-72-76- 229. Hannah Nall pitched in with an 81-74-76- 231. Olivia Ireland totaled an 81-75-77- 233 and Emilia Nordstrom finished with an 81-74-81- 236.

The Lady Flames will turn right around and head for Boca Raton, Florida and take part in the Lynn University Invitational which will be held next Monday and Tuesday.

Coach Geandra Almeida thoughts:
"We had a slow start in the first round and there is no excuse for our poor performance. We severely underperformed, struggled on the greens and failed to adjust to the tough conditions at Pinetree. While this was a Division 1 event, our play in the opening round would not have been good enough in a Division II field either. However, the team responded in a big way in the second round, stepping up and proving that we can compete head-to-head with any team in the field. A huge shout out to our freshman, Lehane, who put together two solid rounds.

The final round played tougher across the board, with higher scores overall. Despite the challenge, we had some great individual highlights with Pearl and Lehane both finishing inside the top 18. The tournament was a great experience for our team. Our goal was to compete against strong teams and play under conditions that pushed us outside our comfort zone. The challenges we faced highlighted areas that need improvement, but I'm really encouraged by the team's resilience. No matter how difficult the conditions, we never gave up, something we've been focusing on and will continue to build upon moving forward."