GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Wednesday was a better day on the links for the Lee University women as they battled back from 11th place after round two to place 7th in the final standings of the 54-hole NCAA South Regional Championship at Chattahoochee Golf Club.
The Lady Flames tallied their best round of the tourney on Wednesday (291) after struggling with the 308 on Tuesday to go along with the opening round of 295 on Monday and the final total of 894.
Flagler College (Fla.) claimed top honors with an 871 total. Nova Southeastern University was second (878). Anderson University (S.C.) moved all the way up to the third spot and posted an 888. the University of Tampa also made its way up the scoreboard and earned a three-way tie for fourth place with Wingate University of (N.C.) and the University of North Georgia at 891. Only the top four teams advance so there was a three-way tie breaker for the final spot with Wingate winning the battle.
Hannah Nall played her best golf of the event and paced the Lady Flames with a 1-under par 71 on Wednesday. After having bogeys on holes 2 and 5, she came back with birdies on 6 and 8 while rolling in seven pars on the back to finish with her 1-under tally. She settled for a three-day total of 224.
Lehane Louis-Dumond followed with an even-par 72. Her round consisted of four birdies, two bogeys and one double bogey. After rounds of 75-79 she totaled 226. Olivia Ireland followed with three-day totals of 74-79-74 (227) and Banthita "Pearl" Phoncharatkun countered with a 74 today to go with her 73-82 (229). Haley Blevins had the score that did not count on Wednesday when she turned in a 77 added to her 75-76 for a 226 total.
The medalist honors belonged to Limestone's Claudia Hastings, who was playing as an individual. She had an impressive 210 total for a one-stroke win over Henriette Stranda (211) of Flagler. Rosanna Halls of Nova Southeastern was third (213) and Kajsa Lindquist of Lander (S.C.) was fourth (216). Two other golfers were tied for fifth.
Coach Geandra Almeida's Thoughts:
"This is not the way we wanted our season to end, but there are so many things to be proud of. We had a great season. We were very competitive, came into the regional with confidence and made a solid run. Obviously the second round set us apart from the competition, but we never gave up. We came back on the third day determined to play our best round and we did that. In reality we were only three strokes off what we needed, so it was a close call. It really stings right now, but one bad result should never define our season or the type of team we are.
I am excited for what lies ahead. I believe we learned a lot this week and our returners will use this experience as motivation to come back next year even stronger. I also want to say how grateful I am for my seniors, Haley and Pearl, who competed this week and also Hope and Lily, who did not play at regionals but still made a big impact on our team throughout their careers. I am thankful for all of them.
The word for this season is gratitude. I feel so grateful for the opportunity we had this year. I am thankful for my players and their hard work. We had many ups and downs, but they were always willing to learn and adjust. This is a very special group, and I am excited to continue the work and keep building the winning culture we believe in.
I am thankful for my assistant Beck Burnette. He made a real impact on our team. I am so appreciative of his support throughout the season.
Lastly, I want to thank our athletic department. I believe we have the best in the country; our coaches, administrators and staff go above and beyond, and I am incredibly thankful for the support we receive at Lee. It is something very special.
I am also grateful for all our supporters, the Cleveland Country Club, our parents, and our families for being behind us every step of the way."
