GOLDEN SUNS FINISH FIFTH AT 2009 GSC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

        HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Women’s Golf concluded play here Tuesday in the 2009 Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield/Gulf South Conference Championships at the Hot Springs Country Club with a fifth place finish.

Tech, who was in fifth place after shooting a 341 in Sunday’s first round, carded a 344 in Monday’s final round to shoot a score of 685 over 36 holes to fins

The Golden Suns, who were in fifth place after shooting a 352 in Sunday’s first round, carded a 330 in the final round to shot a score of 682 over 36 holes to finish in fifth place out of nine teams. It was the second straight season that Tech finished fifth as the Golden Suns shot a 682 at last year’s championship.

West Florida took home the GSC title for the fourth consecutive season as the Lady Argonauts fired a 36-hole total of 638 to finish 12 shots in front of runner-up Henderson State (650) and 14 shots in front of third-place Montevallo (652). West Georgia fired a 657 to finish in fourth place, while Harding (691), Southern Arkansas (734), Christian Brothers (785) and Arkansas-Monticello (1,074) finished sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth respectively.

Leading the way for Tech was senior Danielle Lewis (Toronto, Ont.). Lewis, who was playing in her final match as a Golden Sun, carded a 166 to finish in 14th place overall. Lewis shot 83s in both the first and second rounds.

West Florida’s Bhavna Shetty took home individual medalist honors as she shot a 154 (75-79) for 36 holes. Shetty was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Henderson State’s Jenna Araco (158), West Georgia’s Michelle Meher (158), Janie Redfearn (159) and Natalia Espinosa (159). Espinosa was last year’s GSC individual medalist.

In addition to Lewis, freshman Kristine Villines (Compton, Ark.) shot a season-best 170 to finish in 17th place. Villines carded an 84 in the first round and then followed with an 86 in Monday’s final round. Senior Casey Wheeler (Little Rock, Ark.) fired a 174 (87, 87) to finish in 21st in her final tournament as a collegiate golfer, while sophomore Kyla McIsaac (Kentville, Nova Scotia) shot a 175 (87, 88) to finish in 22nd place and freshman Alyssia Duvall (Greenwood, Ark.) carded a 184 (96, 88) to finish in 30th place.

ARKANSAS TECH                  341   344 – 685 

14      Danielle Lewis                83      83 – 166    

17      Kristina Villines               84      86 – 170    

21      Casey Wheeler              87      87 – 174    

22      Kyla McIsaac                 87      88 – 175    

30      Alyssia Duvall                 96      88 – 184                        

Team Scores

1.       West Florida                    315    323 – 638  

2.       Henderson State             330    320 – 650  

3.       Montevallo                      335    317 – 652  

4.       West Georgia                  337    320 – 657  

5.      Arkansas Tech              341   344 – 685 

6.       Harding                          356    335 – 691  

7.       Southern Arkansas         376    358 – 734  

8.       Christian Brothers           393    392 – 785  

9.       Arkansas-Monticello        542    532 – 1,074         

Top 12 Finishers (Par 72, Yardage 5,834)

1.       Bhavna Shetty, UWF        75      79 – 154    

T2.     Jenna Araco, HSU             81      77 – 158    

          Michelle Meher, UWG        78      80 – 158    

T4.     Natalia Espinosa, UWF       80      79 – 159    

          Janie Redfearn, HSU          79      80 – 159    

T6.     Rachel Williams, UWF         78      83 – 161    

          Jenna Chadwick, HSU        82      79 – 161    

          Emily Gibson, Montevallo   81      80 – 161              

          Britney Martin, Montevallo  79      82 – 161    

T10.   Regan Freville, UWG           86      76 – 162    

          Emma Breen, Montevallo    87      75 – 162    

T12.   Tara Steakin, UWF              82      82 – 164              

          Sarah Ross, UWG               86      78 – 164    

Complete results of 2009 GSC Women's Golf Championships

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