Georgia State women's golf climbed in the top 10 of a 23 team field, led by sophomore Charlotte Lorentzen's 72 (E), after carding a 305 (+17) in the second round of the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga. on the University of Georgia Golf Course.

"Our goal was to finish in the top 10, so we could get an automatic invitation for next year," said Georgia State head coach Cathy Mant. "The girls played better today. I think one day of familiarizing ourselves with the greens helped. We still left a lot on the golf course but Charlotte's even-par round was phenomenal. The girls have been striking the ball well."

"The wind blew from the opposite direction today, which made it very difficult to get to the hole. You have to be really creative and have good touch to get it close. Having confidence in your putting stroke, and hanging in there is important. I take my hat off to them."

Lorentzen moved up 25 spots by tying for the best round of the day with her even-par score to tie for seventh place in a nationally-elite field.? The Soroe, Denmark native finished the second round posting 151 (+7).

Currently, Lorentzen is nine shots from leader Lindy Duncan of Duke, but only four shots back of second-place, Cheyenne Woods of Wake Forest, two shots back of a pair of golfers in third, and one shot behind the nation's top-ranked player, Cydney Clanton of Auburn.

"She's a little bulldog, not to say that because we're at Georgia, but she keeps a level head and keeps plugging away," said Mant. "Her attitude is great. Whether she's had a great round or a crummy round, she does her best. That's kind of how she plays. She loves playing a golf course like this, and, if she keeps that attitude up, she'll slip away with a victory in one of these events. "

Senior Sandra Maier slipped on the second day, after finishing 13th on day one, by shooting a 78 (+6). Maier's 154 (+10) puts her 22nd overall, within striking distance of her best finish of the season, 12th.

Junior Iliska Verwey climbed 21 spots into a tie for 61st with her second round 78 (+6).

Senior Cathrine Madsen bounced back nicely by following an opening round 85 (+13) with a second round 77 (+5) to move up 32 places to 68th. Madsen is closing in on her best career finish at the University of Georgia Golf Course, a tie for 63rd at the 2007 Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic.

Freshman Ellie Robinson rounded out the scoring for the Panthers, moving to 92nd place with a second round 81 (+9), improving on her first round 84 (+12).

Georgia State passed 10 teams ranked in the top 50 by GolfStat with their second round: #11 Tennesee, #12 Florida, #15 Virginia, #16 Georgia, #20 Denver, #27 South Carolina, #31 Tulane, #33 Kent State, #47 Furman, and #50 Mississippi.

The Panthers are only eight shots back of the fifth place team, sixth-ranked Alabama (+42). Also within range for Sunday's final round are #9 Wake Forest (+44), #14 Michigan State (+45), and #13 Purdue (+49).

Georgia State is on pace to post their best team finish ever at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, previously a 17th of 18 in 2007. The Panthers best finish ever on the University of Georgia Golf Course came at the 2008 NCAA East Regional with a 14th of 21.

The final round of the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic takes place tomorrow beginning at 8:30 a.m. Live scoring for the event is available at www.GolfStat.com, with full results posted at www.GeorgiaStateSports.com at the end of the round.

T7. Charlotte Lorentzen 79-72--151 +7
T22. Sandra Maier 76-78--154 +10
T61. Iliska Verwey 83-78--161 +17
T68. Cathrine Madsen 85-77--162 +18
T92. Ellie Robinson 84-81--165 +21

1. Duke 300-300--600 +24
2. Auburn 310-299--609 +33
3. North Carolina 310-304--614 +38
4. Arkansas, U. of 312-303--615 +39
5. Alabama, U. of 316-302--618 +42
6. Wake Forest 316-304--620 +44
7. Michigan State 314-307--621 +45
8. Purdue 310-315--625 +49
9. Ohio State 315-311--626 +50
10. Georgia State Univ. 322-305--627 +51
11. Kent State 320-309--629 +53
12. Virginia 320-311--631 +55
13. Georgia 321-311--632 +56
T14. South Carolina 324-309--633 +57
T14. Denver, Univ. of 321-312--633 +57
16. Tulane University 319-315--634 +58
17. Florida, U of 314-322--636 +60
18. Tennessee 318-319--637 +61
T19. Furman University 323-319--642 +66
T19. Mississippi, U. of 327-315--642 +66
21. UCF 330-327--657 +81
22. Georgia 329-340--669 +93
23. Mississippi St. U. 342-333--675 +99