KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. --- The Tusculum College women's golf team will open the spring portion of its 2015-2016 schedule this weekend when it hosts the 14th 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, South Carolina.

Entering its 14th year, the Tusculum/Kiawah Island Intercollegiate has proven to be one of the premier NCAA Division II women's golf tournaments in the nation. The 17-team tournament field includes six colleges and universities which are nationally ranked in the top-50 of the Golfstat head-to-head standings.

The Pioneers come to Kiawah after posting a solid fall campaign by finishing third or better in three of its four events, including team titles at the Tusculum Fall Classic and the Pioneer Classic.

UNC Pembroke, ranked 26th in the country by Golfstat, posted top-three finishes in four of its five fall events, including team championship honors at the Cutter Creek Invitational.

No. 27 Armstrong State returns to Kiawah after a fifth-place finish at last year's Intercollegiate. The Pirates five top golfers all posted a stroke averaged under 79.0, led by sophomore Nikita Arjun with 75.25.

Florida Southern returns to Kiawah for a 10th consecutive year and are currently ranked 38th in the country. The Lady Mocs have won this event in four of the last eight years (2008, 2009, 2011, 2015) and are the defending champions.

West Alabama also returns to Cougar Point as the Tigers are 39th in the country after finishing third or better in three of their four fall tournaments, including one win.

Along with Tusculum, South Atlantic Conference members Anderson, No. 38 Carson-Newman, Catawba, Lenoir-Rhyne, Lincoln Memorial, Newberry and Wingate are competing this weekend at Kiawah.

The lone non-DII participant is Faulkner University, located in Montgomery, Alabama. The Eagles are listed in 23rd in the latest NAIA Golfstat standings.

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

Freshman Katie Tomassoni has been having a stellar rookie campaign so far. The Mason, Ohio native leads the team with a 75.9 scoring average and has finished third on three occasions in the fall, including back-to-back rounds of 74 for 148 at the Patsy Rendleman Invitational.

Ciara Rattana, the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year, has picked up where she left off from a year ago. The All-SAC first team honoree is second on the roster with her 77.9 stroke average, including three top-10 finishes and twice in the top-five. The Chicago, Illinois sophomore finished runner-up at the Pioneer Classic in November. In her first Kiawah Intercollegiate event last year, Rattana was TC's top finisher with 79-74=153 to tie for 13th place.

Also making the trip to Kiawah this weekend is junior Taylor Lambertsen. The Palos Park, Illinois native has an 83.3 scoring average this season with a pair of top-20 performances, including a fifth place finish at the Pioneer Classic. She shot 89 in last year's opening round at Kiawah, but rebounded with a solid 74 on the final day to finish in 49th place.

Senior Calley Lawson will be competing in her final Kiawah Intercollegiate this weekend. The Gaithersburg, Maryland product has an 84.2 stroke average while finishing in the top-15 twice in the fall. The CoSIDA Academic All-American® shot a round of 79 two years ago at Cougar Point.

Junior Lindsay Butler is slated to round out the TC starting five at this weekend's event. The Milan, Ohio native carded an 89.4 average in the fall, including a 16th place showing at the Pioneer Classic.

Freshmen Kelsey Haun (Dandridge, Tenn.) and Cydney Murrell (Maryville, Tenn.) will be playing as individual competitors this weekend. Murrell played in all four events in the fall where she carded an 80.9 scoring average. She finished in the top-20 in three tournaments with a season-best eighth place performance at the Pioneer Classic. Haun has an 82.6 average with a pair of top-20 finishes.

The final round of the Kiawah Intercollegiate will be held Sunday beginning at 8 a.m. on the par 72, 5,825-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 -