The Stetson University women's golf team will dive into the deep end of the pool on Monday to start the spring season at the Black Diamond Ranch Quarry Course in Lecanto when the Hatters compete in the Florida Challenge.
 
The event, which is being hosted by the University of South Florida, features all of the top women's golf teams from the state of Florida, including ASUN conference members North Florida, Jacksonville and Florida Gulf Coast.
 
"This event will be a good test for our team as we start the spring season," Hatters interim head coach Danielle Shelburne said. "Not only will there be three other teams from our league in the field, but some of the best teams in the nation will also play."
 
The event, which will include 36 holes of play on the par 72, 6,075 yard, course, which was designed by Tom Fazio, will also feature four of the top 20 teams in the nation, according to Golfstat, including 11 of the top 70 players in the NCAA. The field will also include the top two ranked junior college teams in the nation.
 
"When you start talking about Florida, Florida State, Miami and UCF, you are talking about national contenders," Shelburne said. "The great thing about golf, however, is you never know what is going to happen. It is not like basketball where you have to play against teams that are bigger and more athletic than you. In golf, you all have to play against the course."
 
The Quarry Course has regularly been ranked among the best in the nation. Famed golf writer Dan Jenkins said the middle five holes on the back nine are "the best five consecutive holes of golf anywhere in the world."
 
National rankings for the teams entering play includes: FSU (4), Florida (8), Miami (14), UCF (20), FIU (79), Jacksonville (112), UNF (121), FGCU (150), USF (162) and Stetson (167) in addition to junior college powers Daytona State (1) and Seminole State (2).
 
Miami's Dewi Weber (3) and FSU's Matilda Castren (T9) are the highest ranked players in the field.
 
With the unusually early start to the spring season, the Hatters did not hold qualifying for the event. Stetson will start the spring with the same lineup that finished the fall. Junior Paige Kemp closed the fall season with the hottest hand for the Hatters, earning medalist honors at the Dennis Rose Invitational in Hawai'I after a 14^th place finish at Pinehurst.
 
Kemp will be joined in the tournament by juniors Carolin Schart and Eilidh Watson, senior Giulia Vandenberg and freshman Erikah Neger.
 
The one-day event is scheduled to have a shotgun start at 8 a.m. on Monday with pairings based on Golfstat rankings. The forecast for Monday calls for temperatures in the mid 40s to open play, rising to a high of 59 degrees under sunny skies with a WNW wind from 8-10 mph.
 
Live scoring will be available after every hole at BirdieFire.com.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.