HICKORY, N.C. – Paced by freshman Kerington Lamb's 3-over-par 75, the Anderson women's golf team is tied for fourth place alongside Carson-Newman, following opening-round action Sunday at the 2019 South Atlantic Conference Championship, which is being hosted at the 6,065-yard, par-72 Lake Hickory Country Club layout.
Nationally 29th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne (300), which is seeking its second title in three years, leads defending champion Wingate (301) by one shot entering Tuesday's second round. Coker, which is ranked 57th nationally, holds the third spot after notching a 310 on Sunday. The 22nd-ranked Trojans and No. 24 Carson-Newman are deadlocked in fourth place, one stroke further back after each squad posted 311s. Catawba (315) is in sixth place, while Tusculum (316) holds the seventh slot.
Lincoln Memorial (318), Newberry (320), Queens (321) and Mars Hill (336) round out the 11-team field.
Wingate's Diana McDonald, the only golfer to reach par (72) on Sunday and last year's SAC Player of the Year, leads the chase for individual medalist honors by one shot over Lenoir-Rhyne's Abbey Hartsell and by two strokes over five additional players. Three more golfers, including Lamb, are just three shots off the pace.
Lamb's three birdies on the day helped lift the native of Easley, S.C., into a three-way tie for eighth place, while fellow freshman Victoria Hall fired a 6-over-par 78 and is in a five-way deadlock for 18th place. Junior Kate Hill, who led the Trojans at last year's SAC Championship with a third-place showing, posted a 7-over-par 79 and is tied for 23rd place, alongside sophomore Anna Freeman, who also carded a 79 in the opening round. Senior Tiffany Elam is tied for 34th place after notching an 8-over-par 80.
Monday's second round of the 54-hole tournament is slated to get underway at 8 a.m.