MONROE, N.C. – With Hannah Nall leading the way, the Lee University women placed fifth in the highly competitive Jerry Surratt Memorial Intercollegiate that was played at the Stonebridge Golf Course and was hosted by Wingate University.
Nall's 7-under par 65 in the second round on Monday was the all-time low score in the Jerry Surratt Memorial Intercollegiate tournament. She opened the event with an even par 72 and finished with a 1-under 71 for an 8-under total of 208. In the round of 65, she had seven birdies, one eagle and two bogies.
Nall finished second in the medalist competition. Wingate's Olivia Meinecke posted rounds of 69-69-67 – 205 (11-under) to claim top honors. Her teammate Amely Bochaton placed third, 67-69-75 – 221 (5 under). Ella Cheek of Dallas Baptist was fourth, 70-72-70 – 212 (4 under) and Ashleigh Duflo of Findlay University, 72-71-73 – 216 (even par) rounded out the top five.
Top-ranked Wingate walked away with the team honors (854). Dallas Baptist (870) was second, Findlay (880) was third, Anderson University (883) was fourth and Lee (884) rounded out the top five in the 18-team field.
In Lee's scoring, Nall was followed by Emilia Nordstrom, 74-73-74 – 221. Olivia Ireland tallied a 78-71-81 – 230. Justine Emond finished at 85-74-73 – 232 while Gabby Diaz had a 78-81-85 – 244. Lehane Louis Dumond, playing in the individual field scored an 81-81-76 – 238.
The Lady Flames will return to action next Monday and Tuesday, traveling to Florida to take part in the Peggy Kirk Bell Invitational (Longwood, Fla.).
Coach Geandra Almeida's thoughts:
"I'm really proud of the way we played this week. Finishing in the top five in such a loaded field, probably one of the strongest DII fields we will see all season, is something our team should be very proud of. Hannah really led the way with an incredible performance, shooting a career-low 65, which was amazing to see. It's a great example of how the hard work she's been putting in is paying off. Overall, it was truly a team effort with everyone stepping up and contributing. We did drop a few shots coming down the stretch, but we can't let those final holes take away from all the great golf the girls played this week. After a tough start in our first tournament of the spring, this feels like a great bounce-back performance. I'm really excited to see what this group can do next week in Florida and to keep building on the momentum we created here."
