GOLDEN SUNS FINISH FIRST DAY OF ARKANSAS BLUE CROSS
BLUE SHIELD/GSC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SECOND PLACE

        HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech’s Women’s Golf completed the first day of competition at the 2007 Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield/Gulf South Conference Women’s Golf Championships here at the Hot Springs Country Club in second place out of nine teams.

The Golden Suns shot a 322 in the first round to finish 25 shots behind first place West Florida and five shots in front of third place Henderson State. The 322 was a school-record best for Tech. Tech entered the GSC Meet with a team average of 338.8 in 19 rounds of the golf this season, but Sunday’s first round score was nearly 17 shots better than its season average.

“We really went out and played excellent golf, I’m proud of our team’s effort today,” Tech Head Women’s Golf Coach Amy White said. “I’m hoping we can carry today’s momentum into tomorrow and make a little history for Arkansas Tech.”

Tech has never finished higher than third in the GSC Meet as they have had three third place finishes and a fourth place finish in its previous four GSC Tournaments.

West Florida, who is ranked fifth in the lastest NGCA Division II National rankings and is fourth in the latest NCAA South Region poll, heads into Monday’s final round as the team to beat as they fired a 297 in Sunday’s first round to take the first round lead. West Florida is the defending GSC Women’s Golf champion.

Leading the way for Tech was senior Carissa Sullivan (Van Buren, Ark.), who fired a season-best 78 to finish the first round in a four-way tie for fifth place. Sullivan carded a 40 on the front nine and then shot a 38 on the back nine of the 5,834-yard Hot Springs Country Club course.

West Florida’s Sarah Nicholson leads the way as she fired a two-under par 70 in Sunday’s first round. Nicholson’s Lady Argonaut teammate, Victoria Jackson, shot an even-par 72 to finish the first round in second place, while West Georgia’s Natalie Beach fired a 75 in the first round to finish in third place.

In addition to Sullivan, senior Jamie Moore (Conway, Ark.) and junior Cassie Bartley (Shirley, Ark.) shot 81s to finish in a tie for 11th place entering Monday’s final round. Moore carded a 43 on the front nine and 38 on the back nine, while Bartley had a 40 on the front nine and a 41 on the back nine to shot her season-best 81. Sophomore Casey Wheeler (Little Rock, Ark.) fired a season-best 82 in the first round to finish in a tie for 13th place and sophomore Danielle Lewis (Toronto, Canada) shot an 83 to finish in a tie for 15th place.

The women will conclude the tournament with another 18 holes on Monday beginning at 8 a.m. In addition, the Tech men open up the 54-hole GSC Men’s Golf Championship on Monday with 36 holes beginning at 8 a.m. and will complete the tournament with 18 holes on Tuesday.

Complete results of the meet will be available daily on the GSC Golf Championship homepage which is located on the GSC’s website at www.gulfsouthconference.org.

First Round results of GSC Women's Golf Championships

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