HICKORY, N.C. --- The Tusculum University women's golf team posted a final round score of 318 to finish with a total of 941 to finish seventh at the 2019 South Atlantic Conference Championship, which was held at the par-72, 6,065-yard Lake Hickory Country Club.
The Pioneers finish seventh in the league championship for a second consecutive year. Anderson University captured the championship as the Trojans posted its second straight round of 298 to finish with 907, four strokes clear of runner-up and host Lenoir-Rhyne University (911).
Wingate University claimed third-place honors with 914, followed by Carson-Newman University (923), Coker College (926), Newberry College (935), Tusculum (941), Lincoln Memorial University (945), Catawba College (958), Queens University of Charlotte (964) and Mars Hill University (1014).
Carson-Newman's Maeve Cummins was the SAC Tournament medalist as she posted an even-par round of 72 for a second straight day to finish with 219 (+3), three shots in front of Wingate's Diana McDonald (222).
Tusculum senior Katie Tomassoni posted a final day tally of 77 to post a 54-hole total of 228 and finish tied for 11th place and finished one stroke shy of earning a spot on the SAC All-Tournament team for a third consecutive year. Tomassoni's round on Tuesday included 13 pars and five bogeys. Her three-round total of 228 is tied for the fifth-lowest 54-hole score in TU history and matches the 228 she posted at the 2017 SAC Championship.
Tomassoni lowers her seasonal stroke average to a school-record 75.65, breaking the previous best of 76.71 tallied by Emee Herbert during the 2011-2012 campaign. She also lowers her career scoring average to 77.66 to move into second place in the TU record book past former teammate Ciara Rattana (77.68 from 2014-2018)
TU rookie Olivia Cunningham shot a final day 79 to finish tied for 21st place with 235 as did senior teammate Cydney Murrell.
Murrell wraps up her collegiate career with a 79.37 stroke average which is ranked the fourth-best in Tusculum women's golf history. Her 76.67 scoring average this year was also the second lowest by a Pioneer.
Cunningham wraps up a splendid rookie season where she carded a 78.10 scoring average which is 11th in school history and the second lowest ever by a Tusculum freshman as she played in all 10 events this year.
Julia Johansson carded a three-day score of 243 including a final round 83 to finish in sole possession of 41st place. Johansson, who also played in every tournament as a rookie, finished the season with a 79.00 average (ranked 4th-best by a Tusculum freshman).
TU sophomore Mackenzie Butler rounded the scoring with her 263 to finish in 51st place, while posting a 16-shot improvement from last year's showing at the SAC Championship.
Tusculum finishes the year with four finishes in the top-four including two tournament victories.
