GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Ashlii Thompson fired a two-under 70 to lead the UNC Pembroke women's golf team to the first round lead at the 2014 Tusculum Fall Classic. The two-day, 36-hole tournament is being held at the par-72, 5,805-yard Link Hills Country Club.

UNCP posted a team score of 297 and has a seven-shot lead over second place Lincoln Memorial University (304). Converse is third with 305, while host Tusculum is fourth with 308. Catawba, Mars Hill and West Alabama are in a three-way tie for fifth place with 316. Lenoir-Rhyne is eighth with 329, while North Greenville is ninth with 334.

UNCP's 297 is the lowest first round score in tournament history and the third-best overall 18-hole score in the 17 rounds ever played at the Tusculum Fall Classic. The Lady Braves are vying for their third TC Fall Classic title in four years.

Thompson's 70 establishes a new first round record, breaking the previous opening day best of 71, carded by former Tusculum great Shannon Palenkas in the 2006 event.

Thompson leads by three shots over Catawba's Anthea Gnielinski and four strokes clear of the Tusculum duo of Taylor Lambertsen and Ciara Rattana. Five players are tied for fifth with 75, including Laura Bird (UNCP), Maddisen Cox (Converse), Lindsay Davis (LMU), Marley Felthousen (Converse) and Sarah Johnson (Mars Hill).

Tusculum's team score of 308 is tied for the ninth-best 18-hole tally in program history.

Tusculum senior Alec Cunningham is tied for 24th place with 79, while junior Calley Lawson is 31st with 81. Junior Lindsay Butler posted a 92 and is 51st to round out the TC team scoring

Three Pioneers played as individual competitors. Freshman Blythe Scrivner posted an 84 in her collegiate debut, while junior Kelly Horrell shot an 89 and is in 49th place. Rookie Sayre Hopper posted 108 for the Pioneers.

Along with the men's tournament, which is being held in conjunction with the women's event, a combined championship is also being competed for. LMU leads that chase with a combined score of 583, four shots ahead of host Tusculum (587). Mars Hill is third with 604, followed by Catawba (609) and Lenoir-Rhyne (613).

The final round of the Tusculum Fall Classic will be held on Tuesday morning with women's tee times starting at 8:40 a.m. on the first tee, while the men's tournament starts at 9 a.m. on hole No. 10.

- TC -

Combined Results
Pl School MTOT WTOT Total
1 Lincoln Memorial 279 304 583
2 Tusculum 279 308 587
3 Mars Hill 288 316 604
4 Catawba 293 316 609
5 Lenoir-Rhyne 284 329 613

Tusculum Fall Classic
Link Hills CC
Greeneville, Tenn.
Dates: 09/29-30/2014
1st Round Scores
Par 72, 5805 yards

Fin. Team Total Par
1 UNC Pembroke................... 297 +9
2 Lincoln Memorial............... 304 +16
3 Converse....................... 305 +17
4 Tusculum....................... 308 +20
t 5 Catawba........................ 316 +28
t 5 Mars Hill...................... 316 +28
t 5 West Alabama................... 316 +28
8 Lenoir-Rhyne................... 329 +41
9 North Greenville............... 334 +46

Fin. Player Team Total Par
1 Ashlii Thompson...... UNC Pembroke................... 70 -2
2 Anthea Gnielinski.... Catawba........................ 73 +1
t 3 Taylor Lambertsen.... Tusculum....................... 74 +2
t 3 Ciara Rattana........ Tusculum....................... 74 +2
t 5 Laura Bird........... UNC Pembroke................... 75 +3
t 5 Maddisen Cox......... Converse....................... 75 +3
t 5 Lindsay Davis........ Lincoln Memorial............... 75 +3
t 5 Marley Felthousen.... Converse....................... 75 +3
t 5 Sarah Johnson........ Mars Hill...................... 75 +3
t 10 Danielle Burrell..... Lincoln Memorial............... 76 +4
t 10 Miranda Juarez....... Converse....................... 76 +4
t 10 Amanda Levy.......... UNC Pembroke................... 76 +4
t 10 Mercedes Smith....... Lincoln Memorial............... 76 +4
t 10 Savannah Thompson.... UNC Pembroke................... 76 +4
t 10 Brandy Van Etten..... Lincoln Memorial............... 76 +4
t 16 Sydney Gallant....... Lincoln Memorial............... 77 +5
t 16 Bree Keller.......... Lenoir-Rhyne................... 77 +5
t 16 Lexi Kershaw......... Catawba........................ 77 +5
t 16 Emma Lundvall........ Mars Hill...................... 77 +5
t 20 Hannah McCracken..... West Alabama................... 78 +6
t 20 Lindy McGuire........ Lincoln Memorial............... 78 +6
t 20 Tori Smith........... West Alabama................... 78 +6
t 20 Jessica Smyth........ West Alabama................... 78 +6
t 24 Victoria Barrett..... Mars Hill...................... 79 +7
t 24 Alex Bruce........... Converse....................... 79 +7
t 24 Alec Cunningham...... Tusculum....................... 79 +7
t 24 AnnaLeis Dibert...... North Greenville............... 79 +7
t 24 Allie McCain......... Converse....................... 79 +7
t 24 Dana Watkins......... UNC Pembroke................... 79 +7
30 Ansley Vaughn........ Converse....................... 80 +8
t 31 Calley Lawson........ Tusculum....................... 81 +9
t 31 Grace McEachern...... Converse....................... 81 +9
t 31 Samantha McMillin.... Converse....................... 81 +9
t 34 Victoria Hedrick..... Catawba........................ 82 +10
t 34 Savannah Payne....... West Alabama................... 82 +10
t 34 Christine Stryken.... West Alabama................... 82 +10
t 37 Elizabeth Ewing...... Lenoir-Rhyne................... 83 +11
t 37 Morgan Reece......... North Greenville............... 83 +11
t 39 Blythe Scrivner...... Tusculum....................... 84 +12
t 39 Ashlyn Setzer........ Lenoir-Rhyne................... 84 +12
t 39 Callie Taylor........ North Greenville............... 84 +12
t 39 Annika Winebarger.... Catawba........................ 84 +12
t 43 Kasey Ankrom......... Lincoln Memorial............... 85 +13
t 43 Raven Brown.......... Mars Hill...................... 85 +13
t 43 Madison Kennedy...... Catawba........................ 85 +13
t 43 Tessa Young.......... Lenoir-Rhyne................... 85 +13
47 Evelyn Stein......... Lenoir-Rhyne................... 87 +15
48 Lauren Childs........ North Greenville............... 88 +16
49 Kelly Horrell........ Tusculum....................... 89 +17
50 Lindsey Ball......... Mars Hill...................... 91 +19
51 Lindsay Butler....... Tusculum....................... 92 +20
52 Erin Campbell........ North Greenville............... 96 +24
53 Sayre Hopper......... Tusculum....................... 108 +36