GREENVILLE, SC – In her first collegiate tournament, freshman Maria Atwood led the way for the James Madison women’s golf team as the Dukes used a late charge to take home fifth place on Sunday afternoon at the Lady Paladin Invitational, hosted at the par-72, 6,256-yard Furman University Golf Course.
Atwood improved each day in her first action with the Dukes, posting rounds of 75-72-71 (+1) on the weekend to tie for 11th among 95 competitors after jumping nine spots with her first under-par round on Sunday afternoon.
As a team, the Dukes bounced back from a difficult opening round, carding 295 (+7) in Saturday’s second round before capping the weekend with a final-round 286 (-2). Sunday’s loop tied the fifth-lowest round in program history and marked the second-lowest round carded at the event on the weekend, trailing only the final-round 284 (-4) posted by Furman on its home course.
The performance vaulted JMU four spots up the standings and into sole possession of fifth on a strong leaderboard, three shots ahead of Minnesota and four ahead of Sun Belt rival Georgia State.
Junior Kendall Turner tallied her own turnaround on the weekend, rebounding from an opening 79 to shoot 71-69 in her final two rounds and tie for 14th, just one shot behind Atwood at 219 (+3). Senior Kate Owens was consistent throughout, shooting 73-75-74 (+6) as she climbed into a tie for 22nd.
Sophomore Haley Quickel tied for 51st, shooting 76-77-75 on the weekend, while junior Amelia Williams (80-77-72) tied for 58th, but provided an even-par 72 in the final round as the Dukes made their charge.
Playing as individuals, sophomore Kayleigh Reinke (77-77-78) and senior Ana Tsiros (78-85-78) finished tied for 71st and in sole possession of 87th, respectively.
UP NEXT
The Dukes will be back in action almost immediately, traveling to Virginia Beach next weekend to take part in the Evie Odom Invitational at Princess Anne Country Club on Sept. 30-Oct. 2 (Fri.-Sun.).
GolfStat will provide live results throughout the event.