October 30, 2018

Hayes, Eagles finish fall with third-place finish at Jekyll-O-Lantern Intercollegiate

JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. – An 18-over day in the second round helped Carson-Newman go wire-to-wire for a third-place finish at the Jekyll-O-Lantern Intercollegiate.

"Very pleased with Maeve (Cummins), Taylor (Hayes) and Rachel (Watts)," coach Suzanne Strudwick said. "Still a little too inconsistent as a team. We need to clean that up over Christmas Break."

This the third-straight top-three finish the Eagles have notched this season. They have now gotten three such finishes in back-to-back seasons.

Carson-Newman was two shots higher in the second round than on Monday, shooting a 306 total. It closed out the event three shots out of first.

The Eagles as a team were the third-best par-4 scoring group with a 4.25 stroke average. They shot for par on 105 holes with 16 birdies, the third-most of any team in the field for both categories.

Taylor Hayes (Lake Ozark, Mo.) picked up her first top-three finish since her freshman year with a five-over total of 149, landing her in a tie for third. The senior carded five bogeys on the day with a pair of birdies to go three-over in the second round with a 75.

Hayes finished six shots out of first place in a three-way tie for third. She tied for the second-best scoring on par-5 holes with an even 5.00 stroke average.

One shot behind her through the two rounds was Rachel Watts (Newport, Tenn.). The junior was even on the second day, making a six-shot improvement from the first to second round. Her 150 finish was enough for a tie at sixth in the field, her second top-10 finish of the season.

Watts was the only Eagle to make improvements in the second round. She shot five birdies and bogeys on the final day of competition. Her seven birdies through the entire event tied for second-most in the field.

Despite shooting six shots higher on Tuesday, Maeve Cummins (Waringstown, Northern Ireland) still stayed in the top-20 with a share of 11^th with a 152 total. The freshman was seven-over in the second round. She opened the day with a birdie on the first hole but followed it up with a pair of bogeys and double bogeys in the front-nine to be five-over at the turn. She was on par for the entire back nine save for a double bogey on the 11^th hole.

Cummins recorded 27 par shots in the tournament, the most of anyone in the field.

Matilda Frövenholt (Öjersjö, Sweden), C-N's individual in the event, was nine-over in the final round, giving her a 15-over total of 159 for a share of 33rd. Three of her first six holes on Tuesday resulted in bogeys with another being a bogey. She shot eight bogeys in the entire round with just one birdie.

In a tie for 35^th after the two rounds of play was Jayla Sims (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) at 16-over par. The sophomore shot a second-straight right-over round for back-to-back scores of 80 for a 160 total. She shot for bogey on her first three holes, leading her to nine in the entire round with just one birdie.

Senior Reagan Kinnie (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) was four shots higher on Tuesday with an 11-over round of 83, pushing her two-round total to 162 for a tie at 42^nd. She was five over in the front nine of the course with five bogeys. The back nine brought just a pair of bogeys and double bogeys.

Tampa's Kiira Riihijarvi remained in first place for the second round to take the individual title at one-under. Columbus State's Victoria Libaak finished one shot behind her in second.

On the team side, Columbus State retained its first-place spot in spite of shooting nine shots higher on Tuesday for a 21-over score of 597. No. 21 Tampa stayed in second, carding a 305 in the final round for a 600 total.

The Eagles now head into the winter break as they await the beginning of their spring schedule.

Carson-Newman	304	306	610	+34	3^rd
Taylor Hayes	74	75	149	+5	T-3^rd
Rachel Watts	78	72	150	+6	T-6^th
Maeve Cummins	73	79	152	+8	T-11^th
Matilda Frövenholt*	78	80	158	+14	T-33^rd
Jayla Sims	80	80	160	+16	T-35^th
Reagan Kinnie	79	83	162	+18	T-42^nd