ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Behind the strong play of senior Maria Palacios, the Georgia State women's golf team finished second in the JMU Eagle Landing Invitational on Sunday afternoon. Palacios finished second in the tournament at 2-over par following a final round 73.
With windy weather that had wind gusts reach 35 MPH, Palacios tied for the third best round of the day.
Junior Lauren Court finished tied for eighth at 6-over following a final round 5-over 77. She finished the 54-hole event at 6-over par.
Senior Melissa Siviter also finished in the top 15, tying for 13th at 7-over following a final round 6-over 78.
“We just did not have our A-game today and we tip our cap to Elon as they made a lot of putts and hit some great shots to get the win,” head coach Cathy Mant said. “I am proud of Maria for hanging in there and posting a great score in tough conditions. We started slow and I think some nerves might have played a roll early on. However, it is still a good result and we will use it as momentum heading into the next tournament.”
Senior Laura Sanchez finished tied for 48th at 18-over par, shooting a final round 79 on Sunday.
Freshman Jooeun Bae, making her collegiate debut, finished tied for 65th at 25-over following an 8-over 80 on Sunday.
Senior Solveig Helgesen, playing as an individual, shot a final round 85 to tie for 68th. One stroke behind Helgesen was sophomore Julie Lied, also playing as individual. Lied shot a final round 82. Freshman Solene LeCoz did not play on the final day because of an injury.
Elon finished the three day event at 28-over, shooting 299 on Sunday as the only team to break 300. The Panthers were second at 32-over followed by Delaware in third at 35-over. Southern Illinois finished fourth at 37-over with Daytona State College rounding out the top five at 39-over.
Dayton State's Tiffany Chan was the lone golfer to break par and earned low medalist honors at 1-under. Palacios finished second at 2-over, followed by Morehead State's Vanessa Bognot in third at 3-over. Western Carolina's Kristin Swindell, Southern Illinois' Cassie Rushing and Delaware's Andrea Slane finished tied for fourth at 4-over.
Georgia State will be back in action March 24-25 for the UALR Women's Golf Classic at Diamante Country Club in Little Rock, Ark.