DAVIE, Fla. – Behind a pair of 2-over-par 73s from sophomore Jessica Rathbone and freshman Kennedy McGaha, the nationally fifth-ranked Anderson women's golf team is tied for second place following opening-round action, Monday at the 2022 NCAA Division II Women's Golf South Region Championship.
The three-day, 54-hole tournament is being hosted by Nova Southeastern at the Grande Oaks Golf Club, on a par 71, 5,887-yard layout.
Squaring off against a field that includes nine of the top-17 teams in the nation, including six of the top-10 teams in the country, the Trojans posted their lowest round so far of their seven NCAA Tournament rounds.
"I'm proud of our ladies for grinding out a good first round," said Anderson Director of Golf, Danny Neal. "We started a little slow but settled into the round and finished just one shot off of the lead. Jess (Rathbone) and Kennedy (McGaha) were solid, and Kerington (Lamb), Victoria (Hall) and Emma (Charles) all finished with solid scores of 75, 75 and 76 respectively. We are excited to be where we are, but know we left a few shots out there. Hopefully, we can clean up a couple of things and continue to compete with the top teams through the next two rounds."
Nationally second-ranked Lynn leads the Trojans and 16th-ranked Saint Leo by just one shot heading into Tuesday's second round, while No. 4 Nova Southeastern and 15th-ranked Tampa are lurking four strokes further back in a tie for fourth place. Third-ranked Limestone holds the sixth spot, with No. 10 Lee and No. 6 Barry sharing seventh place.
West Florida and Columbus State are ninth and 10th, respectively, while No. 7 Rollins and UNC Pembroke round out the 12-team field.
Columbus State's Victoria Libaak, Saint Leo's Francesca Santoni and Nova Southeastern's Hanna Ahlander all sit atop the individual leaderboard after each fired even-par 71s on the day. Lander's Hannah Stephenson, who is competing as an individual, is alone in fourth place after posting a 1-over 74.
Rathbone, who is ranked 11th nationally, notched three birdies on the day and finished the opening round in a tie for fifth place, alongside teammate Kennedy McGaha, after each carded 2-over-par 73s on the day. The Trojan duo is among a six-way tie with Barry's Alice Gotbring, who is the top-ranked golfer in the nation, Nova Southeastern's Sofia Garcia Austt, and Lynn's Adriana Iribarren and Camila Madariaga, who finished fifth at last year's South Regional.
McGaha, the South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year, carded a pair of birdies in Monday's opening round. AU seniors Kerington Lamb and Victoria Hall enter Tuesday's second round in a tie for 20th place after each fired 4-over-par 75s. Junior Emma Charles also posted three birdies, including two on the front nine, en route to finishing the first round in a tie for 28th place.
Tuesday's second round is slated to get underway at 8 a.m.
2 Anderson 296
T5 Jessica Rathbone 73
T5 Kennedy McGaha 73
T20 Kerington Lamb 75
T20 Victoria Hall 75
T28 Emma Charles 76
1 Team Scores
1 Lynn 295 +11
T2 Anderson 296 +12
T2 Saint Leo 296 +12
T4 Nova Southeastern 300 +16
T4 Tampa 300 +16
6 Limestone 302 +18
T7 Lee 304 +20
T7 Barry 304 +20
9 West Florida 305 +21
10 Columbus State 307 +23
11 Rollins 308 +24
12 UNC Pembroke 318 +34
NOTABLES
• The top five teams from the regional along with the top two individuals not on an advancing team will move on to the NCAA Division II National Championships slated for May 10-14 at the Chattahoochee Golf Club in Gainesville, Ga.
• Nationally, 48 teams and 24 individuals are competing this week in the regional competition.
• Rathbone and McGaha's first-round 73s mark the third-lowest individual rounds by a Trojan at a Southeast Regional – behind Hall's third-round 71 in 2019 and Charles' 72 in 2021.
• The Trojans' opening-round 296 marks the best score in either of AU's previous Southeast Regional appearances, eclipsing the previous 305 from the third round of the 2019 Southeast Regional.
• The Trojans' opening-round 296 matches the 18th-lowest round in program history.
• AU is making its third consecutive appearance at the NCAA South Region Championships after winning the SAC Championship.
• AU also competed at the 2019 and 2021 NCAA South Region Championships (The 2020 Championship was canceled due to the pandemic).
• The Trojans are seeking their first appearance as a team in the NCAA National Championships.
• Victoria Hall competed as an individual at the 2019 NCAA National Championships.
• Emma Charles earned a berth in the 2021 NCAA National Championships.
• The Trojans have finished no lower than fourth in a tournament this year.
• Tampa claimed the 2021 South Region title by 13 shots over Lynn and finished 14 strokes in front of Limestone.
• Lynn won the 2019 South Region Championship by six strokes over runner-up Limestone.
• Barry captured the 2017 NCAA D-II National Championship.
• Lynn owns a pair of national titles (2013 & 2014).
• Rollins owns six national championships and is seeking its first title since 2016.
• Host Nova Southeastern claimed four straight national championships from 2009-12.
