ORLANDO – The Georgia State women's golf team opened the spring season on Sunday with a first-round 12-over 300 in the UCF Challenge at Eagle Creek Golf Club. The Panthers are tied for 14th in the 19-team field with 36 holes to play.
The Panthers were led by a pair of 74s from senior Laura Sanchez and freshman Solene Le Coz. The duo is tied for 38th after 18 holes of play. Sanchez made three birdies en route to her 2-over par round. Le Coz is competing in the line-up for the first time this season.
Georgia State is making its fifth-straight appearance at the event in Orlando, finishing as high as second in 2010.
“We did some good things today and struggled in some other areas,” head coach Cathy Mant said. “There is no doubt that the weather in Atlanta the last few weeks has affected our ability to practice. The team came out with the right mind-set and I think with a little work, we will be right back to where we want to be.”
Senior Melissa Siviter and junior Lauren Court each shot rounds of 4-over, 76, and are tied for 66th. Court made a pair of birdies during the opening day. Siviter is coming off her first win as a Panther at the Palmetto Intercollegiate to finish the fall.
Senior Maria Palacios rounded out the line-up with a first-round 8-over par 80 and is tied for 97th with two rounds to play.
No. 24 UCF opened play with a 6-under 282 and stands alone in first-place by five strokes. No. 33 Miami is second at 1-under, followed by East Tennessee State in third at even par. No. 49 GRU-Augusta and South Florida are tied for fourth at 2-over.
UCF's Fanny Cnops opened play with a first round 5-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead into Monday's action. GRU-Augusta's Casey Kennedy and ETSU's Gabriella Wahl are tied for second at 4-under par. South Florida's Anna Hancock is alone in fourth following a first round 3-under, 69. Four golfers are tied for fifth at 2-under, including UCF's Ashley Holder, Texas State's Lejan Lewthwaite and a duo from Miami, Leticia Ras-Anderica and Kailey Walsh.
The normally strong field includes a pair of teams currently ranked in the top-25 and a third in the top-50 in the latest rankings.
Live scoring of the second and third round will be available at Golfstat.com.
Following this week's action, Georgia State will be back in action March 14-16 at the JMU Eagle Landing Invitational in Orange Park, Fla.