GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Buoyed by fifteen birdies on the day, including twelve over the final seven holes, the Anderson women's golf team is alone at the top of the leaderboard following opening-round action at the 2022 NCAA Division II Women's Golf National Championships, Tuesday at the par-72, 6,004-yard Chattahoochee Golf Club layout.
"We are really excited to be leading the national championship; but realize that this is just day one," said Anderson Director of Golf, Danny Neal. "There is a lot of golf left to be played this week. Our girls showed a lot of grit today recording 12 birdies on the back nine to finish at 295. I hope we can play steady golf the next two days. If we do that we will have a good chance to play on Friday. One step at a time."
Fifteen of the 18 teams competing in Gainesville, including seven of the nation's top-10 squads, are ranked in Golfstat's Top-25.
The fourth-ranked Trojans lead top-ranked and defending national champion Dallas Baptist by one shot heading into Wednesday's second round, while 10th-ranked Lee is one shot further back in third place. Nationally second-ranked Lynn is in fourth place, with Barry and Colorado Christian in fifth and sixth, respectively.
Rogers State is in seventh place, while West Texas A&M, Henderson State and Findlay all share eighth place. Texas A&M Commerce holds the 11th spot, with third-ranked Limestone in the 12th slot. Indianapolis and Central Missouri are tied for 13th place following Monday's first round, while Grand Valley State and Missouri-St. Louis are knotted in 15th place. Texas A&M International and Tiffin
rounded out the 18-team field.
Colorado Christian's Faith Kilgore, Lee's Alex Naumovski and Academy of Art's Anahi Servin are tied at the top of the individual leaderboard in the battle for medalist honors after firing 3-under-par 69s, with Henderson State's Daphney Tilton alone in fourth place after carding a 2-under-par 70.
Sophomore Jessica Rathbone notched three birdies in the opening round and is tied for 10th place after posting a 1-over-par 73. Freshman Kennedy McGaha added a pair of birdies on the back nine and is alongside Rathbone in 10th place. Junior Emma Charles closed out the round by recording three birdies over the final five holes, including both the 18th and 19th holes and shares 10th place.
Senior Kerington Lamb is in an 11-way tie for 33rd after carding three birdies en route to a 4-over 76, while senior Victoria Hall posted four birdies on the back nine and is tied for 44th place.
The Championships are being hosted by North Georgia and the Greater Gainesville Sports Alliance in Gainesville, Ga., through Saturday, and consist of both team and individual competition conducted concurrently. Eighteen (18) teams and eight (8) individuals are vying for team and individual championships over 54 holes and championship head-to-head medal play format.
Following 54 holes of stroke play, an individual champion will be declared along with finishers 2-10 on Thursday.
Tuesday's second round is slated to get underway at 9:30 a.m., with the Trojans teeing off at 9:50 a.m.
1 Anderson 295
T10 Jessica Rathbone 73
T10 Kennedy McGaha 73
T10 Emma Charles 73
T33 Kerington Lamb 76
T44 Victoria Hall 77
1 Team Scores To Par
1 Anderson 295 +7
2 Dallas Baptist 296 +8
3 Lee 297 +9
4 Lynn 298 +10
5 Barry 299 +11
6 Colo. Christian 301 +13
7 Rogers State 303 +15
T8 West Texas A&M 304 +16
T8 Henderson State 304 +16
T8 Findlay 304 +16
11 Texas A&M-Commerce 306 +18
12 Limestone 307 +19
T13 Central Missouri 310 +22
T13 UIndy 310 +22
T15 Grand Valley State 312 +24
T15 Missouri-St. Louis 312 +24
17 Texas A&M Int'l 315 +27
18 Tiffin 317 +29
NOTABLES
• AU's first-round 295 matched the 18th-best round in program history.
• Fifteen of the 18 teams competing in Gainesville, including seven of the nation's top-10 squads, are ranked in Golfstat's Top-25.
• Sixteen of the top-25 ranked individuals, including nine of the top-10, are in Gainesville.
• AU is making its third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first appearance as a team on the national stage.
• The Trojans have not finished lower than fourth in a tournament this year.
• During the 2021-22 campaign, the Trojans have posted the five lowest 54-hole tournament scores in program history, including a school-record 867 at the LeeAnn Noble Memorial in mid-October, with the third-round 282 marking a single-round school record.
• Current Trojans own or share the top-16 54-hole scores in school history, 17 of the top-18 36-hole scores and 14 of the top-15 single-round scores in school history.
• Victoria Hall competed as an individual at the 2019 National Championships.
• Emma Charles competed as an individual at the 2021 National Championships.
• Dallas Baptist is the defending national champion.
• Indianapolis is seeking its third title in seven years.
• Barry won the 2017 National Championship.
