EMCC women’s golf team claims second tournament title in inaugural season
The inaugural East Mississippi Community College women’s golf team earned its second championship of the fall season by outdistancing the three-team field earlier this week at the Meridian CC-hosted Jim Redgate Invitational played at Briarwood Golf Club.
MERIDIAN – The inaugural East Mississippi Community College women's golf team earned its second championship of the fall season by outdistancing the three-team field earlier this week at the Meridian CC-hosted Jim Redgate Invitational played at Briarwood Golf Club.
The EMCC women posted their lowest team rounds of the young season with Tuesday's fall-best 346 coming on the heels of an opening-round 355. The Lions' two-day total of 701 bettered both Northwest Mississippi (374-352—726) and Pearl River (441-429—870).
In their women's program competition debut last month at Tunica National, the Lions fired consistent rounds of 367 and 365 to total a winning team score of 732 ahead of Northwest (812) and PRCC (918).
Individually for the EMCC women, Lucy Lunceford again led the way with a runner-up finish to Northwest's Kali Figueroa. A native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., out of Northside High School, Lunceford carded a second-round 80, including completing her back nine at even par, to finish at 162 and four shots behind medalist Figueroa.
With all five EMCC golfers again placing in the top 10 among the 15-player field, the Lions also held down third and fourth place in the individual standings with Reese McNeer (Olive Branch, MS/Center Hill HS) and Caymen Bunting (Brandon, MS/Northwest Rankin HS) finishing with scores of 173 (88-85) and 175 (87-88), respectively.
Lion teammates Lannee Bray (Raymond, MS/Central Hinds Academy) and Kaylee Dufrene (New Orleans, LA/Mount Carmel Academy) rounded out EMCC's scorecard this week with respective two-day totals of 191 (98-93) and 199 (99-100).
The EMCC women's team is slated to finish out its fall golf schedule by returning to district competition at the Jefferson State Invitational, Oct. 28-29, to be played at Musgrove Country Club in Jasper, Ala. In their district debut at the Snead State Invitational earlier this month, the Lions placed eighth among the 12-team field that included teams from the states of Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, and Illinois.
"We are definitely trending in the right direction with our women's team," EMCC head golf coach Ashton Maddaloni said. "We are coming together as a team, and I believe we will start becoming more competitive in our district once we tighten up a few things 100 yards in and with our course management."