Valdosta, Ga. – The Stetson women's golf team did not have the kind of finish to the 2021 season they had hoped for. The Hatters posted a 305 in the final round of the ASUN Championship at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club to finish fifth in the eight-team tournament.
For the third consecutive season, and fifth time in program history, Kennesaw State captured the team title, this time with a record-setting performance. The Owls totaled an 852 (-12) to break their previous 54-hole low score the team set in 2012.
Tai Anudit registered a final round 69 (-3) to capture medalist honors as she carded a 205 (-11) and set a new ASUN Championship record. She becomes the sixth Owl to claim the ASUN Medalist accolade as she broke the under-par mark by five strokes.
KSU's dominant performance was highlighted by top-three finishes from Anudit, Lara Jecnik and Alizee Vidal. Jecnik finished the final round with a 69 (-3) while Vidal improved two spots with her lowest championship round of 71. Tori Owens (T5th; +4) finished in a tie for fifth as she carded a final round 71 while teammate Bella Kill jumped 10 spots as she tied for 13th with her Tuesday score of 72.
Stetson senior
Sarah May finished just outside the top 10, earning a tie for 11
th, after her final round 75. She had a pair of double bogeys within the first five holes on Tuesday, but was one-under par the rest of the way.
Fellow senior
Hanna Kiefer got off to a terrible start, posting a nine on the par 5 fourth hole. She made a pair of birdies to open the back nine, but finished bogey/double bogey for a final round 80 that dropped her six spots to a tie for 13
th overall.
Sophomore
Wendy Hsiao had the best round of the day for Stetson, closing her first ASUN Championship with a two-over par 74 to finish tied for 19
th. Junior
Bianca Sol Cruz was never able to find her putting stroke in the last round, finishing with a nine-over par 81 to drop into a tie for 24
th.
Senior
Meghan McLean closed her Stetson career with a four-over par 76 with finish 30
th.
North Florida placed second on the team leaderboard with a three-day team total of 882 as four Ospreys finished with top-10 performances – Christin Eisenbeiss (4th; +3), Mindy Herrick (T5th; +4) and Marion Debove (T8th; +6). FGCU finished in third place, led by Sarah Edwards (T5th; +4) as she registered her lowest round of the tournament with 72.
Lipscomb carded its best-ever finish at an ASUN Championship as the Bisons moved up one spot to take home a fourth-place finish led by Olivia DiPaolo (10th;+8). She recorded a 70 on the final round as she improved eight spots to guide Lipscomb to a Tuesday team score of 297, which broke their previous team-best by nine strokes. North Alabama, Jacksonville and Bellarmine closed out the leaderboard in the final round.
ASUN Championship Team Standings
1. Kennesaw State (852; -12)
2. North Florida (882; +18)
3. FGCU (902; +38)
4. Lipscomb (911; +47)
5. Stetson (914; +50)
6. North Alabama (943; +79)
7. Jacksonville (964; +100)
8. Bellarmine (973; +109)
ASUN Championship All-Tournament Team
1. Tai Anudit, Kennesaw State (205; -11)
2. Lara Jecnik, Kennesaw State (209; -7)
3. Alizee Vidal, Kennesaw State (218; +2)
4. Christin Eisenbeiss, North Florida (219; +3)
T5. Sarah Edwards, FGCU (220; +4)
T5. Tori Owens, Kennesaw State (220; +4)
T5. Mindy Herrick, North Florida (220; +4)
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.
