Wilmington, N.C.–Georgia State stands fifth after the opening day of the 14-team UNCW Seahawk Classic, but is just five strokes off the lead heading into Sunday's final round. The Panthers led the event after an opening around 304 and shot 314 in the afternoon to stand at 42-over.
Junior Maria Palacios leads a group of three Panthers among the top 20. Following an opening round 72, Palacios shot a second round 77 to stand at 5-over and tied for fourth, just three strokes off the individual lead.
Junior Laura Sanchez is in a tie for tenth following rounds of 77 and 75 to stand at 8-over with 18 holes to play.
“I was extremely pleased with our first round,” commented head coach Cathy Mant. “Lately, we have been playing well, but two or three holes in each round have hurt us. In the morning, we played solid golf throughout. In the second round, we let a couple of holes slip, but overall, I thought we did well and put us in a good position for tomorrow.
“It is a difficult golf course, but Maria made it look easy in the morning and still did well in the afternoon. Laura also played some solid golf. The entire team has been working hard and today that hard work paid off.”
Junior Melissa Siviter is tied for 17th following rounds of 76 and 78 to stand at 10-over following Saturday's action.
Following rounds of 79 and 84, junior Solveig Helgesen stands tied for 45th at 19-over. Freshman Julie Lied rounded out the Panthers line-up and is in a tie for 52nd at 21-over following rounds of 81 and 84.
Host UNCW is in first place by three strokes after rounds of 305 and 308 for a 613 total. Old Dominion and UNCG are tied for second, each shooting two-round totals of 616 on Saturday. Princeton is in fourth with a 617 total, followed by the Panthers at 618.
UNCG's Fanny Cnops leads by one-stroke at 2-over following rounds of 74 and 72. Princeton's Kelly Shon and UNCW's Lori Beth Adams are in second at 3-over. Along with GSU's Palacios, UNCG's Courtney Taylor and Longwood's Ariel Witmer stand fourth at 5-over.
Sunday's final round is scheduled for an 8:45 a.m. shotgun start.
Following this weekend's event, Georgia State will return to the course for the Sun Belt Conference Championship, April 15-17. A victory there would send the Panthers back to the NCAA Regionals.
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