Lakewood Ranch, Fla. – Members of the Stetson women's golf team knew going into play on Tuesday they would need to turn in a strong performance if they hoped to capture the title at the 42^nd Annual FIU Pat Bradley Invitational.
 
The Hatters didn't have a strong performance, they had a record-setting performance.
 
Stetson posted a school-record team score of eight-under par 280 in the final round on the Cypress Links Course at Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club to pull away from the field for a four-shot victory. The Hatters' three-round total of 856 also set a new Stetson program record.
 
Both records that were broken were set last spring at the Bethune-Cookman LadyCat Invitational.
 
The Hatters closed a dominant fall season with consecutive tournament titles. Overall, Stetson earned top five finishes in each of their events during the fall season.
 
Stetson was led in its dominating effort by senior Justine Lauer, who posted the lowest round of the tournament on Tuesday with a six-under par 66, which ties for the lowest single round in Hatters history while at the same time breaking the school record for single-round score in relation to par.
 
Giulia Vandenberg posted a 66 in the opening round of the 2015 GolfWeek Program Challenge at the Caledonia Golf & Fish Club at Pawley's Island, SC, but that round came on course set for a par of 71. Twice Stetson players have recorded rounds of 67 against a par of 72, but Lauer is the first to go to six-under par.
 
Lauer's three-round total score of 10-under par 206 also established a new Stetson record. The previous low mark for the program was a 210 by Alexandria Buelow at the 2012 Morehead State Ocala Spring Invitational.
 
Lauer missed a long birdie putt on the final hole of the tournament that would have tied her for the tournament title. FAU freshman Justine Fournand missed a short eagle putt on the hole that would have given her a third consecutive round in the 60s, but tapped in for birdie and an 11-under par 205 to take medalist honors.
 
Lauer had a bogey-free final round that included a stretch of four birdies over five holes on the back nine.
 
Despite Fournand's performance, the Owls were unable to keep pace with the red-hot Hatters. FAU finished second, four shots behind Stetson. FGCU finished third, 18 shots behind the Hatters.
 
In addition to Lauer, senior Erikah Neger and junior Hanna Kiefer both earned top 10 finishes thanks to final round scores of two-under par 70. Like Lauer, Neger played a bogey-free final round that included 13 consecutive pars to finish. Kiefer had a more up-and-down day with four birdies, four bogeys and an eagle on the par five fifth hole.
 
Kiefer had the only eagle of the three-day event.
 
Both finished the tournament with one-under par scores of 215 to tie for 10^th.
 
Junior Sarah May finished tied for 28^th after her final round score of 74 left her at five-over par 221 for the tournament. Freshman Wendy Hsiao also closed the event with a final round 74 to finish tied for 47^th.
 
As a team, Stetson led the tournament with 45 birdies and also led in both par three and par four scoring.
 
With a record-setting fall season in which the team averaged 293.3 per round, the Hatters will now enjoy some time off before opening the spring season at the Amelia Island Collegiate, hosted by Jacksonville, on February 17-18. Other spring competitions include a match play event hosted by The Citadel, a tournament at the University of Hawaii and the Babs Steffens Invitational.
 
Stetson is also looking to add another event in the spring, an effort that should be aided by the Hatters' consecutive tournament wins to close the fall season.
 
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.