Spartans Head Up The Hills For The Great Smokies Intercollegiate

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Spartanburg, S.C. - The USC Upstate women's golf team will play its second tournament of the season when the Spartans travel up the Mountains to play in the Great Smokies Intercollegiate at the Waynesville Inn Golf Resort Saturday and Sunday.

Upstate will make its third straight appearance in the tournament hosted by Western Carolina. Three of the 24 teams in the tournament have claimed a team championship in the event, including Elon, Tennessee Tech and Western Carolina. Elon is the defending champion and will be joined by Alabama Birmingham, Appalachian State, Belmont, Bowling Green State, Charleston Southern, The Citadel, Gardner-Webb, High Point, Jacksonville State, Middle Tennessee, Mobile, Old Dominion, Presbyterian College, Radford, Saint Leo, Savannah College of Art & Design, Tennessee Tech, USC Upstate, Western Carolina, Western Kentucky, William & Mary, Winthrop and Wofford.

The 54-hole tournament will begin with a shotgun start at 9:00 am on Saturday. The teams will play 36 holes on Saturday and 18 on Sunday. Upstate will be paired with Mobile, Saint Leo and Savannah College of Art & Design on Saturday.

Upstate claimed a ninth-place finish in the tournament in 2008, tying Akron for the spot in the 22-team field. Western Carolina won the event. Audrey Church led the way for Upstate with rounds of 77 and 72 to finish tied for 26th. Last year, the tournament was shortened to one round due to rain. The Spartans turned in a round of 320 to finish 20th in the 23-team event. Jennifer Judge fired a 74 and finished tied for 25th individually to lead the way for Upstate.

Upstate will send the lineup of Rachel Lewis, Amanda Hall, Taylor Pleier, Johanna Ebenhag and Madison Bryant into action this weekend. Ebenhag is the only player in this year's lineup to play in last year's tournament. She shot an 81 as the third-lowest Spartan in the tournament. Ebenhag, who is a senior, will be teamed with four freshman in the lineup for the Spartans as head coach Todd Lawton will field an even younger team than what hit the course two weeks ago in the JU Labor Day Shootout played on The Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass. The Spartans will look to make progress after opening the season on one of the world's toughest courses.

The Waynesville Inn Golf Resort is a 5,922-yard, par 72 course that tests accuracy. Length is not a priority on the course. The 27-hole resort was designed by Donald Ross, who also designed the famous Pinehurst #2 course. The teams will play the Carolina and Blue Ridge courses.

Freshmen Put Into The Thick Of Things
With only three players returning from last year's team, head coach Todd Lawton knew that he would see several fresh faces in the lineup every week. For the second straight week, the Spartans will have three freshman in the No. 1-3 spots. Rachel Lewis, who was the low Spartan in the JU Labor Day Shootout, qualified in the No. 1 position. She was followed by Amanda Hall and Taylor Pleier. Johanna Ebenhag,a senior and the only non-freshman in the lineup, qualified in the fourth spot, while Madison Bryant made the field in the No. 5 position.

Tweet, Tweet - Birdies On The Island Green
Whether you are a professional golfer, part of a collegiate team, or an everyday duffer, playing the famed par-3 island green 17th at the TPC Sawgrass is exhilarating. It is also more than a challenge. However, Spartans Johanna Ebenhag and Summer Wall, both seniors, birdied the famed hole in the JU Labor Day Shootout.

Competitive Nature Shines Through
Despite struggling in the season's opening tournament, the players on the Upstate squad are determined to use both the good and bad things that occurred in the tournament to good use. The positive thing is that the team has a competitive spirit that has a desire not to repeat negative results from the past, something head ocahc Todd Lawton likes in a team that has five freshman playing key roles on the squad.

Looking At The Newcomers
Head coach Todd Lawton has no choice but to rely on the five freshman who are starting their collegiate careers this fall. Though young and inexperienced, the group has a bevy of achievement on the high school and junior golf circuits. Local product Taylor Pleier was an all-state player and was a key member of the juggernaut Dorman High School program that is consistently one of the top two programs in the state. Amanda Hall, who is from Fort Mill, was also an all-state selection and helped lift her Fort Mill High School club to the most success it has had in the history of the program. Rachel Lewis may have the most difficult transition to make as any of the freshmen, crossing the Atlantic Ocean from her native Wales to play at Upstate. She is the reigning Welsh Girls' Champion and a member of the Welsh Girls' National Team that plays internationally. Madison Bryant (Chapin) and Lucia Oelsner (Mauldin HS) had solid careers as well.

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