GREENVILLE, N.C. – Georgia State tied for the second-lowest round of the day, a 15-over 303, to finish fourth at the Lady Pirate Intercollegiate on Tuesday afternoon. Senior Maria Palacios led the Panthers with a seventh place finish on the par-72, 6,004-yard Greenville Country Club.
The Panthers finished the three-round event at 44-over, after opening play with rounds of 306 and 299 on Monday.
Palacios, who matched a career-low on Monday with a second-round 69, shot a final round 5-over 77. Her round included three birdies, however, a quadruple-bogey eight on the 14th hole derailed a chance at taking home the individual title.
After a 64th-place finish to start the season, Palacios has finished in the top-12 in the last two events.
“We hung in there,” head coach Cathy Mant said. “The weather was chilly and the wind changed directions from yesterday, so it was kind of like playing a different course. I think everyone stayed focus on the plan which is what led to a solid round. There are always shots that we could have saved, but overall, I am pleased with our performance.
“It was great to see Maria play well again. She is very important to the team as we know she is capable of giving us very good numbers. I am glad to see her forming some consistency and building on her success from last year.”
Senior Laura Sanchez shot her third-straight round of 75 to finish 11th at 9-over. It marked her second-straight top-11 finish after an eighth-place result at the Old Waverly Bulldog Invitational last week.
Junior Lauren Court tied for 34th at 16-over with teammate Melissa Siviter. Court shot a final round 4-over 76, while Siviter tied for the team-low round with a 3-over 75.
Sophomore Julie Lied rounded out the Panthers line-up with a final round 78 to tie for 39th at 17-over.
No. 43 East Tennessee State earned a four-stroke win, shooting 33-over for the 54-hole event. Middle Tennessee finished second at 37-over, followed by host East Carolina in third at 40-over. Georgia State was fourth just ahead of former conference foe Old Dominion, which finished fifth at 45-over.
Middle Tennessee's Avery George finished as the lone golfer under par to earn medalist honors. George shot a final-round 73 to win by three-strokes over Longwood's Amanda Steinhagen who shot 2-over. Chattanooga's Jordan Britt and Maryland's Juliet Vongphoumy finished tied for third at 3-over par. East Tennessee State's Vivienne Chin and East Carolina's Nico Engstroem Skaug tied for fifth at 4-over.
Georgia State will return to the course Oct. 27-28 for the final event of the fall, the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate in Kiawah Island, S.C. It will mark the fifth time since 2006 that the Panthers made it to the event, winning it in 2008.