ANDERSON, S.C. --- Tusculum University senior Nilubol Panno established a new 54-hole school record as she finished fourth individually at the 2023 South Atlantic Conference Women's Golf Championship on Tuesday at Cobbs Glen Country Club.
The Pioneers posted a final round 309 to finish with 933 and moved up one spot on the leaderboard to finish sixth in the 12-team tournament. Tusculum's sixth place showing is its best conference finish since placing second at the 2017 SAC Championship in Greeneville.
Panno fired an even par 72 to give her a three-day score of 219 which is a new Tusculum record, breaking the previous mark of 222 set by Jennifer Keim at the 2021 Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate.
Panno's 72 included a two-under par 34 on her inward nine to earn her a spot on the SAC All-Tournament team. She finished her round with three birdies, three bogeys and 12 pars.
Host Anderson led wire-to-wire to capture its second straight SAC title. The Trojans posted a 54-hole total 865 (+1) and won the championship by 34 shots over second place Wingate (899). Carson-Newman was third with 905, followed by Limestone (908), Lincoln Memorial (929), Tusculum (933), Newberry (934), Lenoir-Rhyne (951), Catawba (951), Coker (956), Mars Hill (1040) and UVA Wise (1043).
Anderson's Kennedy Gooding was the SAC Championship medalist as she posted a four-under 212 including a final round 71. She won by two shots over teammate and SAC runner-up Jessica Rathbone (73-69-72=214) and five shots clear of AU's Kennedy McGaha (72-72-73=217). Panno finished fourth with her 71-76-72=219 (+3), while Wingate's Hailey McLaughlin (74-73-73=220) rounded out the top-five.
Comprising the remainder of the SAC All-Tournament Team are Maeve Cummins (Carson-Newman), Pennie Osberberg (Limestone), Kerrington Lamb (Anderson), Thailia Perez-Vieco (Wingate) and Maria Morales (Limestone).
Tusculum rookie Reagan Padilla notched her fourth top-20 performance of the season as she tied for 16th with 229 including a season-best 73 (+1) on Tuesday. She was two-over par after nine holes but shot one-under par 35 for her inward nine.
TU's Adrienne O'Brien tied for 39th place with her 54-hole career-best 79-81-82=242. Emilie Bergh-Jacobsen finished 41st with 80-81-82=243 and rookie Lindsay Self placed 54th with 90-91-86=267.
TU's 933 team score is the second-lowest 54-hole total by the Pioneers at the SAC Championship and the fourth-best three-round score overall in program history.
Panno becomes the first Pioneer to record a top-five finish at the SAC Championship since Ciara Rattana tied for third at the 2017 event.
Panno's 75.72 stroke average this season is currently the second-lowest in program history and just off the record 75.65 recorded by Katie Tomassoni in the 2018-19 season. Panno also lowers her career scoring average to 76.86 which is third in the program record book.
Padilla finished her first TU campaign with a 78.32 stroke average which is the fourth-lowest by a Pioneer freshman and the 18th lowest overall.
