KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. --- The Tusculum College women's golf team will open the spring portion of its 2014-2015 schedule this weekend when it hosts the 13th annual Tusculum/Kiawah Island Intercollegiate. The first round of the 36-hole, two-day event, will begin Saturday morning at Cougar Point Golf Club in Kiawah Island, S.C.

Entering its 13th year, the Tusculum/Kiawah Island Intercollegiate has become one of the premier NCAA Division II women's golf tournaments in the nation. The 16-team tournament field includes 11 colleges and universities that are currently nationally ranked in the Golfstat head-to-head standings.

Florida Southern returns to Kiawah for a ninth consecutive year. The Lady Mocs have won this event in three of the last seven years (2008, 2009 & 2011) and are currently ranked 15th in the country. Florida Southern finished fourth at the Lady Falcon Invitational in the fall.

No. 19 Armstrong returns to Kiawah after a fourth-place finish at last year's Intercollegiate.

Limestone, the No. 21 team in the country, placed fourth or better in three fall events, including third place honors at the Lander Lady Bearcat Invitational and the Myrtle Beach Intercollegiate.

Montevallo comes to Kiawah listed 23rd in the Golfstat head-to-head standings, while UNC Pembroke had a solid fall as the 28th-ranked Lady Braves won the Tusculum Fall Classic at Link Hills Country Club and the Lady Flames Shootout.

Converse is 39th in the Golfstat rankings as the Valkyries captured a pair of team titles and finished third at the Tusculum Fall Classic earlier this season.

Along with Tusculum, South Atlantic Conference members Anderson, Carson-Newman, Lincoln Memorial, Newberry and Wingate are competing this weekend at Kiawah. Wingate is listed 27th in the latest Golfstat rankings as the Bulldogs finished runner-up at the Myrtle Beach Intercollegiate in the fall. Newberry is ranked 37th as the Wolves won the Etowah Intercollegiate, while No. 43 Carson-Newman finished second at Etowah. No. 45 Lincoln Memorial finished third or better in four of its six fall events, including runner-up performances at the Anderson Invitational, Tusculum Fall Classic and the Pioneer Classic.

The lone non-DII participant is Northwood University out of West Palm Beach, Florida. The No. 23 Seahawks may be the hottest team entering this weekend's tournament having won three of their four fall events, including the NAIA Fall Preview.

Also competing in this year's tournament are NCAA Division II members Barton, Belmont Abbey and West Alabama.

The host Pioneers recorded a pair of top-five showings in the fall, including a team tournament title at the inaugural TC Pioneer Classic.

Leading the charge for Tusculum is freshman Ciara Rattana. Rattana posted a 77.7 stroke average in the fall, while finishing in the top-20 on three occasions, including runner-up honors at the Pioneer Classic.

Senior Alec Cunningham is second on the squad with her 80.0 scoring average. Cunningham accounted for a pair of top-20 outings, including a season-best sixth-place finish at the Pioneer Classic.

Sophomore Taylor Lambertsen is third with her 82.6 stroke average. Lambertsen has tallied two top-20 finished, while junior Calley Lawson has one top-10 performance to go along with her 84.9 average.

Rookie Blythe Scrivner has an 83.4 scoring average in her four events, while Lindsay Butler (89.1), Kelly Horrell (90.1) and Sayre Hopper (112.3) round out the scoring for the Pioneers.

The final round of the Kiawah Intercollegiate will be held Sunday beginning at 8 a.m. on the par 72, 5,800-yard layout.

Tusculum College, located in Greeneville, Tenn., is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA and is a NCAA Division II member of the South Atlantic Conference which is comprised of 12 colleges and universities in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

- TC -