GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum will host the 22nd annual Agnes McAmis Memorial Women's Golf Invitational this Monday and Tuesday at Link Hills Country Club.
This year's tournament field consists of teams and players representing seven institutions from five different states including Tennessee, Missouri, North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia.
Joining Tusculum at this year's McAmis Memorial are fellow NCAA Division II programs Catawba College, King University, Missouri Science & Technology, Shorter University and UVa-Wise. Former South Atlantic Conference member Brevard College will also be represented this week.
Tusculum has won their spring home tournament six times (1998, 1999, 2000, 2012, 2013, 2018) and are the defending champions. King won this event two years ago.
The Pioneers will field two teams at this year's event. Leading the Tusculum Orange squad is senior Katie Tomassoni. The three-time All-SAC performer has played in all eight events this year and has a 75.80 stroke average which is on-pace to break the Tusculum single-season record of 76.71 which was posted by former SAC Player of the Year Emee Herbert in the 2011-2012 campaign. Tomassoni has accounted for seven top-20 finishes including four in the top-10 and three top-five performances. She is a two-time medalist this year, winning at the Bob Dibble Classic in the fall at Link Hills and won at the Buccaneer Spring Classic in her last time out.
Tomassoni finished runner-up at the Mars Hill Fall Invitational and placed ninth at the Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate. All but two of her rounds have been in the 70s this year including a season-best 71 in the opening round of the Dibble Classic.
The Mason, Ohio product will be playing in her final collegiate tournament at Link Hills this week. She enters the McAmis Memorial with a career 77.81 stroke average which is the third lowest in program history. She has won four tournaments and needs one more to match the school record five held by Jillian Corum (2009-2013).
Senior Cydney Murrell will be seeing her first action of the spring after posting a 75.57 stroke average in her four fall tournaments. She carded back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Mars Hill Invitational and the Myrtle Beach Intercollegiate. She also finished fourth at the Dibble Classic.
At last year's McAmis Memorial, Murrell lost by one shot to TU teammate and 2018 medalist Ciara Rattana. Murrell posted a 54-hole total 225 including a 71 (-1) in the final round. The Maryville, Tennessee native has a 79.46 career scoring average which is the fourth lowest in TU history.
The freshmen duo of Julia Johannson and Olivia Cunningham are third and fourth respectively on the team in scoring average with one stroke separating the two. Johannson has a 78.2 average in her eight events which includes five top-20 finished and two times in the top-10. She finished fourth at the Dibble Classic in her collegiate debut with 76-75=151. She tied for eighth place at the Mars Hill Invitational and posted an 11th place showing at the Buccaneer Spring Classic in her last outing this month.
Cunningham, a rookie from Nashville, Tennessee, has a 78.3 average with four top-four outings including three in the top-five. She finished runner-up at the Mars Hill Invitational and fourth at the Dibble Classic. She posted back-to-back rounds of 76 to finish third at the Buccaneer Spring Classic.
Sophomore Mackenzie Butler is slated to round out the Tusculum Orange line-up this week. The Milan, Ohio native has appeared in two events this year. She opened the season with a 12th place showing at the Dibble Classic and finished 29th at the Buccaneer Spring Classic. At last year's McAmis Memorial, Butler finished in a tie for 20th with a three-round score of 86-85-84=255.
Senior Taylor White will lead the Tusculum Black squad this week. The Kingsport, Tennessee product has played in five events where she posted consecutive 15th place finishes at the Dibble Classic and the Mars Hill Invitational. She has an 83.67 stroke average this season and her 82.44 career scoring average is eighth in Tusculum history. Some of her best collegiate rounds have come at Link Hills during her career. She has carded a career-best 73 at Link Hills in tournament play on two occasions including the 2017 Dibble Classic and the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Championship.
Senior Trista Holder will be competing in her final home tournament this week. The Maryville, Tennessee native finished 30th at last year's McAmis Memorial. She currently has an 88.5 scoring average this season.
Rookie Lauryn Munn (Newport, Tenn.) has appeared in three tournaments this season including a season-best 16th place showing at the Dibble Classic where she carded 85-79=164.
Freshman Jacque Butler (Milan, Ohio) has earned her way into the starting five on four occasions this year, including three tournaments this spring. She has an 88.9 stroke average and her 19th place finish at the Dibble Classic is her best of the year. She has carded a season-low 81 in back-to-back rounds at The Battle of Hilton Head where she carded a 42nd place finish.
Sophomore Meredith Barton will also compete on the TU Black team as she has played in two events this year including the Dibble Classic and the Buccaneer Spring Classic. She has a 95.0 average but finished 18th at the Dibble Classic last fall with rounds of 88-87=175.
The opening round starts Monday morning at 11 a.m. on the par-72, 5,910-yard layout.