The Stetson University women's golf team will open play on Monday in its final event of the fall and will square off against some of the top Division II teams in the nation in the Saint Leo Invitational.
 
The event, which is being played at the Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club South Course, includes six teams ranked among the top 15 in the nation in Division II.
 
Almost the entire Stetson roster, minus junior Elizabeth Jackson, will compete in the event. Jackson told Hatters coach Danielle Shelburne on Friday that she is going to leave the golf team to join the Hatters' softball squad. She was offered a scholarship to play softball at Arkansas out of high school.
 
The South Course at Lake Jovita will play to 6,105 yards with a par of 72. Designed by former U.S. Open champion Tom Lehman, the course features a 94-foot drop in elevation from tee to green on the par five 11^th hole – the largest such elevation change on any golf course in the state of Florida.
 
The Stetson squad has had a different lead player in each of the three tournaments this fall, with both sophomore Hanna Kiefer and junior Justine Lauer earning ASUN Player of the Week honors for their play. Last week it was sophomore Sarah May who led the way.
 
Those three will be joined by sophomore Meghan McLain, who also played well last week at Pinehurst, and freshman Bianca Sol Cruz. Sophomore Emma McCloskey and junior Erikah Neger will compete in the event as individuals.
 
The field for the event includes third ranked Nova Southeastern, No. 4 Barry, fifth ranked Florida Southern and 14^th ranked Flagler with individual players from 12^th ranked Rollins. The host team from Saint Leo comes into the event ranked seventh in Division II. Other teams in the field include Eckerd, Tampa and West Florida.
 
Play is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday with a single round on both Monday and Tuesday. The Hatters will open play on the back nine and are paired with players from Flagler and Nova Southeastern. Individuals will tee off from the first tee in the opening round.
 
Live scoring will be available throughout both rounds through Golfstat.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.