GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Paced by freshman Kate Hill's 2-over-par-74 in the final round, the Anderson women's golf team posted its best finish since joining the South Atlantic Conference in 2011 by wrapping up the 2017 SAC Championship in fifth place, Tuesday afternoon at the 5,910-yard, par 72 Link Hills Country Club.
Lenoir-Rhyne overcame a three-shot deficit following Monday's second round to claim its third SAC Championship and first since winning back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004. The Bears rallied past host Tusculum by posting the sixth-best round of the three-day tournament on the heels of carding a conference-record in Monday's second round.
Tusculum entered the final round with the three-stroke lead and was searching for its third overall conference championship and first since claiming back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001. Lincoln Memorial jumped from fifth to a third-place finish by posting the day's best score, while Wingate held onto the fourth spot and edged the Trojans by three strokes.
Anderson began the day in sixth and in a reversal from Monday's second round, the Trojans struggled on the opening nine holes, but posted seven birdies on the second nine en route to a total 307, which marked AU's fourth-best round of the season, just behind Sunday's opening-round 305. The Trojans' fifth-place showing eclipsed their seventh-place finishes in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016.
Coker wrapped up the 56-hole event one shot behind the Trojans in sixth place, while Carson-Newman, which won the title two years ago, fell from third place and finished seventh. Queens was three shots further back in eighth, with Catawba, Newberry and Mars Hill rounding out the 11-team field.
After firing a SAC Championship record 6-under-par 66 on Tuesday, Carson-Newman's Elizabeth England held off SAC Player of the Year, Abbey Hartsell of Lenoir-Rhyne, to win the individual title by a single stroke. The Bears' Ainee O'Connor and Tusculum's Ciara Rattana were each 11 shots further back in a tie for third place.
Hill began the final round tied for 12th, but moved into a three-way tie for fifth by firing a team-best 2-over-par 74 on the day – equaling the fourth-best score of the afternoon. Sophomore Tiffany Elam carded a 7-over-par 79, equaling her second-round 79 on Monday, and shared 15th place. Junior Riley Lovorn notched a pair of birdies on the day en route to matching her first-round 76 and moved from a share of 30th place into a tie for 19th.
Sophomore Makalyn Poole posted a 6-over-par 78 and wrapped up the tournament in a five-way tie for 26th, with classmate Blake Hodges carding a final-round 83 during Tuesday's final round and finishing 48th.
Anderson 305 315 307 927 +63 5th
Kate Hill 78 75 74 227 +11 t-5th
Tiffany Elam 73 79 79 231 +15 t-15th
Riley Lovorn 76 82 76 234 +18 t-19th
Makalyn Poole 78 79 78 235 +19 t-26th
Blake Hodges 84 83 83 250 +34 48th
Fin. Team Scores Total Par
1. Lenoir-Rhyne 307 297 304 908 +44
2. Tusculum 298 303 310 911 +47
3. Lincoln Memorial 300 318 300 918 +54
4. Wingate 307 308 309 924 +60
5. Anderson 305 315 307 927 +63
6. Coker 305 316 307 928 +64
7. Carson-Newman 309 305 315 929 +65
8. Queens 312 314 306 932 +68
9. Catawba 322 316 321 959 +95
10. Newberry 328 324 315 967 +103
11. Mars Hill 387 383 382 1152 +288
SAC All-Tournament
First Team
Elizabeth England, Carson-Newman
Abbey Hartsell, Lenoir-Rhyne
Ainee O'Connor, Lenoir-Rhyne
Ciara Rattana, Tusculum
Kate Hill, Anderson
Reagan Greene, Lincoln Memorial
Lise Malherbe, Lincoln Memorial
Second Team
Diana McDonald, Wingate
Katie Tomassoni, Tusculum
Bella Harris, Coker
Chelsea Mansell, Lenoir-Rhyne
