OWENS CROSSROADS, Ala. – Led by a pair of under par scores, the JU women's golf team shot up to fourth place Monday in the second round of the ASUN Women's Championship. One Dolphin is tied for the lead in individual scoring and a second is tied for eighth.
Sophomore Casey Powell and redshirt junior Susana Olivares each posted solid 71s to lead the charge as the Dolphins shot an 8-over-par 296 team score bettering their opening round total a whopping 16 strokes. The effort propelled the Dolphins into the top five at the 6,150-yard, par 36-36-72 Highlands Course at Robert Trent Jones Trail Hampton Cove.
JU began the day in eighth after Sunday's opening round and Monday's team score was only one stroke shy of the day's leader, Central Arkansas, which had low round of 295. The Dolphins' 608 total is a single stroke behind third place Kennesaw State and only five shots behind the leader, Florida Gulf Coast.
"It was pretty windy today, but we hung in there,' JU coach Kathryn Dougan said. "They (the team) seemed like they were relaxed and having a good time and the vibe was good out there all the way around.''
Dougan noted JU was helped by being grouped with Central Arkansas.
"We played up to Central Arkansas,' she said. "When you are playing with players who are playing well it tends to elevate your game.''
Powell, who carded an opening round 73, has an even-par 144 two-day total leaving her tied for the lead in individual play with Jahnavi Prakhya of North Alabama. Powell recorded nines of 34-37 which included four birdies and an abundance of steady play.
Olivares, from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, improved eight shots over her opening round making her presence felt with a 36-35 day, shot up 24 positions and landed in a six-way tie for eighth in individual play with a two-day 150 total. She was equally as steady as her teammate recording a pair of birdies and a single bogey on her day.
"Casey and Susana played steady all day,' Dougan said. "(Heading into the final round) we are going to keep doing what we're doing. We want to stay relaxed, stay in routine and I will remind them this is important, but they must be mindful to stay in the present moment.''
Junior Jenna Fonda, from Wellington, Fla., had a round of 37-40-77, a five-shot swing from her opening round 82. Redshirt senior Laura Pasalodos, playing in her final tournament for JU, had four birdies on her way to a 39-38-77 to add to her first round 78 and Ponte Vedra redshirt freshman Ashley Huffman, making her first start in this event and playing in the number 5 spot, shot 43-39 for her second consecutive 82. Freshman Ivete Rodrigues, Azores, Portugal, is scheduled to start in the fifth spot for the final round.
The tournament's final round on Tuesday will see play beginning at 8:30 a.m. and fans can follow along live at golfstat.com.
Team standings: Florida Gulf Coast 603, Central Arkansas 604, Kennesaw State 607, Jacksonville 608, Lipscomb 609, Eastern Kentucky 613, North Florida 615, Jacksonville State 617, Bellarmine 620, North Alabama 622, Austin Peay 625, Stetson 625, Queens 644.
