With junior Anna Scott and freshman Iliska Verwey inside the top 20, the 32nd-ranked Georgia State University women's golf team retained hold of fifth-place through the second round of the SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday.

Scott shot a second-round score of three-over par 73 to remain in a tie for 11th place, while Verwey, who ranks 60th nationally, fired a second-round score of 75 (+5) to sit tied for 17th after the second round. Scott has a two-day total of 145 (+5) and Verwey sits one stroke back, with a score of 146 (+6).

The Panthers shot a second-round team score of 301 on the par-70, 5,907-yard Mark Bostick Golf Course to remain in fifth place with a two-day score of 600 (+40). State trails three teams ranked in the national top 30 and one addition squad from the top 100; fifth-ranked host Florida (563, +3), 26th-ranked Louisville (576, +16), 77th-ranked Mississippi (585, +25) and 17th-ranked Wake Forest (596, +36).

"I'm thrilled we're in fifth. This a strong showing for us against a great field and it's really an improvement over where we were last year," said Georgia State head coach Cathy Mant. "We hit the ball extremely well as a whole. There were a lot of wonderful shots that were fun to watch, but at times our short game was letting us down. The greens were slower from overnight rain and we left some putts begging. But, the good news is we have the talent to improve and get to where we need to be in the future and, in the short term, tomorrow."

Georgia State finished 14th in last season's SunTrust Gator Invitational with a three-round score of 949 (+109). The Panthers best single-round score was a 307, which the 2008 team has trumped twice in two days in this year's event.

In addition to Scott and Verwey's top-20 performances, sophomore Cathrine Madsen and junior Claire Starkie sit tied for 50th (156, +16) after posting rounds of 76 and 77, respectively, in their second day. Redshirt freshman Sandra Maier sits tied for 63rd with a two-day score of 159 (+19).

"Our team is playing very well. Florida and Louisville and posting some tremendous numbers and will be hard to catch, but with a good day we can move up a few sports and we're getting ready for a great day tomorrow," added Mant.

The Panthers will begin the third and final round at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday with a shotgun start. Check GeorgiaStateSports.com for updates following the final round or visit GolfStat.com for live scoring.


Georgia State Individuals Results:
T11th ? Anna Scott ? 72-73--145, +5
T17th ? Iliska Verwey ? 71-75--146, +6
T50th? Cathrine Madsen ? 80-76--156, +16
T50th ? Claire Starkie ? 79-77--156, +16
T63rd ? Sandra Maier ? 77-82--159, +19

Team Result: