Golden Eagles secure top-three finish at OVC Championships for second straight year
TUNICA, Miss. – It was a banner day for the Tennessee Tech women's golf team Wednesday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles secured a third-place finish at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships, rallying from an eighth-place ranking after day one of action at Tunica National Golf Course.
By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
TUNICA, Miss. – It was a banner day for the Tennessee Tech women's golf team Wednesday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles secured a third-place finish at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships, rallying from an eighth-place ranking after day one of action at Tunica National Golf Course.
The purple and gold earned a third-place showing at the league's annual tournament for the second year in a row, representing the first time the program earned back-to-back top-three finishes since 2015 and 2016. Tech fired off the lowest round of the day to close things out, stamping a 303 to move up the leaderboard to third with a 943.
Little Rock captured the OVC Championship, holding off Morehead State for an eight-stroke win with a 911 overall. The Trojans' Anna Dawson earned individual medalist honors, topping her own teammate by one shot with a 223.
Capping off a career weekend by earning her first All-Tournament honors, Kaydi Rhodes led the Golden Eagle effort with a round of 74, three birdies, 11 pars, and a three-day total of 229. By tying for fourth in the field of 44 golfers, the sophomore became the first member of the purple and gold to earn OVC All-Tournament accolades since Allyson Dunn in 2016.
Chloe Griffith put an exclamation mark on a historic rookie campaign by tying for 12th overall behind a 237. The freshman carded a 1-over 73 thanks to a pair of birdies and 13 pars.
The Huntington Beach, Calif. native ended her first season in the purple and gold by breaking the program's single-season scoring average record. Competing in 26 tournament rounds throughout the year, Griffith compiled an average of 75.81, topping Maddi Everts' mark of 75.86 set back in 2014-15.
Rounding out her Golden Eagle career with a final push to a score fo 239 to tie for 16th was Gittle Sciolis. The fifth-year senior locked down a pair of birdies on her way to an 80 in the last trip around the links donning the purple and gold.
Cookeville native Lexus Julian completed her first action at the OVC Championships with a trio of birdies and round of 76. The freshman's final score of 242 tied her for 23rd overall. Senior Ainsley Simms concluded her final showing as a Golden Eagle with an 80 and two birdies, carding a 246 for the week.
The third and final round of the OVC Championships will feature tee times starting at 8:20 a.m. CT for the Golden Eagles.
| Top 5 Teams: | ||||||
| 1. | Little Rock | 302-305-304=911 | +47 | |||
| 2. | Morehead State | 311-301-307=919 | +55 | |||
| 3. | Tennessee Tech | 335-305-303=943 | +79 | |||
| 4. | Lindenwood | 325-313-314=952 | +88 | |||
| 5. | Western Illinois | 325-305-324=954 | +90 | |||
| Leaderboard (44 Golfers) | ||||||
| 1. | Anna Dawson (Little Rock) | 72-75-76=223 | +7 | |||
| T-4. | Kaydi Rhodes | 83-72-74=229 | +13 | |||
| T-12. | Chloe Griffith | 85-79-73=237 | +21 | |||
| T-16. | Gittle Sciolis | 83-76-80=239 | +23 | |||
| T-23. | Lexus Julian | 88-78-76=242 | +26 | |||
| T-26. | Ainsley Simms | 84-82-80=246 | +30 | |||
Photo by Jahmil Taylor, OVC
