Women's Golf Climbs Leaderboard at USA Intercollegiate

MOBILE, Ala. – Led by a pair of 73's from Kelly Strickland and Ari Acuff, the Georgia State women's golf team shot a second round 7-over 295 to climb two spots into ninth-place at the USA Intercollegiate at the Robert Trent Jones Trail - Magnolia Grove (Crossings Course) on Sunday.

Acuff made three birdies during the second round to move into a tie for 26^th at 3-over par with 18 holes to play, while Strickland made a pair of birdies and moved into a tie for 41^st at 5-over par.

Redshirt-sophomore Jenny Marston continues to lead the Panthers in a tie for 24^th at 2-over par thru 36 holes.

Following the second round the Panthers are at 18-over par and just three strokes behind seventh-place Troy entering the final round.

"Today was a pretty good day on the course," head coach Jessica Steward said. "Everyone is excited that were able to gain some strokes on the field and move up in the standings a little bit. We're happy to have one more day here though because we still have some things left to accomplish on this course. Jenny was 3-over par with a triple bogey on the 13th hole. Kelly scored very well and fought for her 73 although she wasn't striking her irons very well. Acuff is long enough to get under par on the par 5's, so I know she wants to make more birdies tomorrow. I'm confident we'll be able to put the pieces together and move up after day three."

Following a remarkable 14-under 274, Sam Houston leads the 17-team field at 17-under par. Arkansas State's Olivia Schmidt and Sam Houston's Zulaikah Nasser are tied for the individual lead at 10-under par entering the final round.

Top 5 Teams
1. South Florida: -17
2. Middle Tennessee: -8
3. South Florida: -6
4. Arkansas State: -1
5. Houston Baptist: +2

Top 5 Individuals
t1. Olivia Schmidt (Arkansas State): -10
t1. Zulaikah Nasser (Sam Houston): -10
3. Sophie Burks (Middle Tennessee): -8
t4. Melanie Green (South Florida): -7
t4. Jennifer Herbst (Sam Houston): -7

Georgia State Results
t24. Jenny Marston: +2 (71-75)
t26. Ari Acuff: +3 (74-73)
t41. Kelly Stickland: +5 (76-73)
t62. Maria Blasco: +8 (78-74)
t77. Emma Berlin: +10 (78-76)

Two Down, One to Go: The tournament will conclude on Monday with the final 18 holes. Tee times will begin at 9 a.m. ET each day. Georgia State will be paired with Sun Belt foes Troy and Little Rock on Monday teeing off on Hole #1 at 9 a.m. ET.

How to Follow: Live scoring will be provided on GolfStat.com

Field: UAB, Little Rock, Arkansas State, Georgia State, Houston Baptist, Lamar, ULM, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Sam Houston State, USF, South Alabama, Southern Miss, UTA, UTEP, Troy, and Western Kentucky

Next Up: FIU Pat Bradley Invitational; Oct. 16-18; Lakewood Ranch Golf Club; Sarasota, Fla.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Emma Berlin: 5' 8"; Senior

Maria Blasco: 5' 7"; Senior

Jenny Marston: 5' 4"; Junior

Kelly Strickland: 5' 5"; Senior

Ari Acuff: 5' 10"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Emma Berlin
: 5' 8"; Senior

Maria Blasco
: 5' 7"; Senior

Jenny Marston
: 5' 4"; Junior

Kelly Strickland
: 5' 5"; Senior

Ari Acuff
: 5' 10"; Graduate Student