ANDERSON, S.C. - The Anderson University women's golf team is slated to open its spring season this weekend at the 13th annual Tusculum/Kiawah Island Intercollegiate, hosted at the Cougar Point Golf Club.

The first round of the 36-hole, two-day event, will begin Saturday morning in Kiawah Island, S.C.

The 16-team tournament field includes 11 colleges and universities that are currently nationally ranked in the Golfstat head-to-head standings. Along with the host Pioneers and Anderson, South Atlantic Conference members Carson-Newman, Lincoln Memorial, Newberry and Wingate are competing this weekend.

Wingate is listed 27th in the latest Golfstat rankings as the Bulldogs finished runner-up at the Myrtle Beach Intercollegiate in the fall. Newberry is ranked 37th after winning the Etowah Intercollegiate, while No. 43 Carson-Newman finished second at Etowah. No. 45 Lincoln Memorial finished third or better in four of its six fall events, including runner-up performances at the Anderson Invitational, Tusculum Fall Classic and the Pioneer Classic.

Florida Southern returns to Kiawah for a ninth consecutive year. The Lady Mocs have won the event in three of the last seven years (2008, 2009 & 2011) and are currently ranked 15th in the country. Florida Southern finished fourth at the Lady Falcon Invitational in the fall. No. 19 Armstrong returns to Kiawah after a fourth-place finish at last year's Intercollegiate.

Limestone, the No. 21 team in the country, placed fourth or better in three fall events, including third place honors at the Lander Lady Bearcat Invitational and the Myrtle Beach Intercollegiate.

Montevallo comes to Kiawah listed 23rd in the Golfstat head-to-head standings, while UNC Pembroke had a solid fall as the 28th-ranked Lady Braves won the Tusculum Fall Classic at Link Hills Country Club and the Lady Flames Shootout.

Converse is 39th in the Golfstat rankings as the Valkyries captured a pair of team titles and finished third at the Tusculum Fall Classic. The lone non-DII participant is Northwood University out of West Palm Beach, Florida. Also competing in this year's tournament are NCAA Division II members Barton, Belmont Abbey and West Alabama

Junior Braiden Furtick led the Trojans in three of their four outings in the fall, including a fifth-place finish at the AU Invitational with a two-round 155. The Lexington, S.C. native carded her best outing of the fall at Cobbs Glen and went on to average a team-best 80.7 strokes per round. One of two seniors on the squad, Natalie Feder notched a season-best two round 163 at the AU Invitational, while averaging an 84.9 in the four fall events. Fellow senior Sarah Timms fired a season-best 166 and shared the 23rd spot at the AU Invitational and was just behind Feder with an 85.0 stroke average in the fall.

Junior Garyt Hamilton carded a season-low 165 and led the Trojans with a 43rd -place outing at Catawba's Patsy Rendleman Invitational, while averaging 87.5 in eight rounds of play during the fall. Junior Arista Setro posted a season-low 173 and tied for 26th at the AU Invitational last fall.

The final round of the Kiawah Intercollegiate will be held Sunday beginning at 8 a.m. on the par 72, 5,800-yard layout