Women’s Golf Takes Third

The Black and Gold women’s golf team again impressed in their third event of 2009, as the team tied for third place Oct. 5-6 at the 2009 Lenoir-Rhyne/Myrtle Beach Intercollegiate.

The Lady Braves shot a team-record 310 on the second day of competition at the par-72, 5,802-yard Meadowlands Golf Club to finish with a 630 for the event and a third-place tie with Lincoln Memorial.

Newberry College won the team event with a two-day total 611, while Wingate finished 13 strokes back with a 624 for second place.

In the individual competition, junior Katja Dammann led the way for the Black and Gold with a third place finish.  Dammann finished two strokes back of Newberry’s Maria Luz Besio who place first, as the UNCP golfer shot a two-round total of 151.

Catawba’s Kelsey Babos finished a stroke ahead of Dammann for second, while Wingate’s Andrea Velasques and Newberry’s Barbara Castro tied Dammann for third.

The Lady Braves had one other competitor finish in the top-10, as senior Christina Crovetti shot a two-day total of 154 to finish in seventh place.

Freshman Shauna Walor (158) tied for 17^th at the event, while sophomore Alexa Mooney and freshman Abby Shipley finished 34^th and 61^st, respectively.

With their top-10 finishes, both Dammann and Crovetti have finished in the top-10 at all three of the Lady Braves’ events this season, with Dammann finishing no less than third in each event.

Men’s Golf Places 20th

The UNCP men’s golf team managed a 20^th place finish at the Oct. 6 Aflac/Cougar Invitational, a nine-spot drop from their showing in 2008.

The Braves shot a two-day total 595 at the par-71, 6.435-yard Green Island Country Club in Columbus, Ga., but the team’s five-stroke second day improvement could not hold off the talent-laden field.

The event featured 13 top-25 programs, including six Peach Belt Conference foes, with Georgia Southwestern’s Craig Gibson taking top medalist honors.  Gibson shot a five-under 65 on the second day of the tournament to finish with a 137 in his two rounds.

Valdosta State’s Chesley Gunn (138) finished one stroke behind Gibson for second place, while Barton’s Thomas Muto, Jr. (139) finished third.

Sophomores Jonathan McCurry and Jordan Walor tied for 33^rd overall with a three-over 145 to lead the Black and Gold.  Freshman Luke Ovenden (151), sophomore Parker Houston (154) and senior Taylor Ferguson (159) finished 77^th, 92^nd and 101^st to round out the Braves’ top-five.

In the team competition, Barry University took home top team honors with a 561 to best North Alabama by 10 strokes.  Barton College rounded out the event’s top-three with a two-round total of 572.

The Black and Gold men’s golf team will next be in action Oct. 18-19 at the NCAA Division II Southeast Preview hosted by Belmont Abbey.