KISSIMMIEE, Fla. – Backed by an even-par score of 72 by sophomore Madison Easterbrook, the FGCU women's golf team stands in third place through the first round of the 2016 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship event. The Eagles shot a team score of 303 on the tournament's first day on Reunion Resort's Watson Course.
 
Including the sophomore's 72, the team saw four rounds at 78 or better in the first round with three players among the field's top-15. The Eagles sit five strokes out of UNF's second place and nine away from leader Kennesaw State's score of 294. FGCU finished the first round eight strokes ahead of Jacksonville and also bested Stetson, USC Upstate and Lipscomb.
 
"I think overall today was a solid start for us," said head coach Sarah Trew. "We had some doubles and a few shots we would like to have back, but I think we put ourselves in a good spot for the next couple of days. We had some nerves and that's to be expected, however I am proud of the way we settled in and stuck to our game plan."
 
Easterbrook (Burlington, Ontario/Aldershot High School) leads the team and ranks second in the field with the first-round score of 72. The sophomore started on hole 10 with a birdie and carded seven even holes with just a single bogey in her first nine holes. Easterbrook started the second nine with four-straight par holes before a bogey on five, but finished the day with three even holes and a birdie on eight. Easterbrook stands just two strokes behind tournament leader Clara Aveling of Kennesaw State with two rounds to play.
 
"I am extremely proud of Maddie for her play today," Trew noted. "She will be the first to tell you she wasn't hitting in the way she would like, but she found a way to get it in the hole. She has really dedicated herself this semester and it is great to see the hard work pay off."
 
Junior Megan Blonien (Altus, Okla./Altus High School/Oklahoma State) shot a 76 in her first A-Sun Championship round and stands among the top-10 of individual competitors. Blonien started on 10 and was even through her first four holes. She added a pair of strokes on 14 and went up plus-4 through 17. The junior went on to card three bogeys in a span of four holes to swing the momentum in her favor. Blonien finished plus-1 on her last nine holes and plus-4 overall for the 10th-place standing.
 
Senior Sara Detlefsen (Eagan, Minn./Minnesota Virtual Academy) carded one of her best rounds in recent play with a 77 in the first round of the postseason tournament. Detlefsen started with a bogey on 10 but used three par holes and birdie to stay even through her first five holes. The upperclassmen carded six bogeys and a birdie to finish out the round at plus-5. The score of 77 stands 15th in the field of nearly 40 golfers and helped FGCU to the top-three standing.
 
Senior Mei Khuan Yong (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia/ S.M.K. Cochrane) completed the team's scorers with a 78 in the first round. Yong carded seven even holes through her first nine with one double and a bogey. She added three bogeys on her final nine holes but was consistent throughout with 13 total even-par holes.
 
Madeline Marck-Sherk (Ridgeway, Ontario/Ridgeway Crystal Beach High School) rounded out the lineup with a score of 80 in her first collegiate championship round. Marck-Sherk birdied hole 13 but added five bogeys and two doubles through 18 holes. She finished plus-8 on the day and holds a 26th-place standing in the field.
 
The Eagles continue action at the 2016 A-Sun Conference Championship Monday, April 11 with tee times between 8 and 8:36 a.m. The Green and Blue will play with tournament leaders Kennesaw State and North Florida and will begin the round on hole 1. Live scoring for the A-Sun Championship will be available via GolfStat.com and can be found by clicking here. As always, complete results will be available at FGCUAthletics.com daily.
 
TEAM RESULTS (GolfStat Ranking)

1	Kennesaw State (104)	294
2	North Florida (96)	298
3	FGCU (142)	303
4	Jacksonville (151)	311
5	Stetson (139)	314
6	USC Upstate (233)	319
7	Lipscomb (222)	322

 
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

T2	Madison Easterbrook	72
T10	Megan Blonien	76
T15	Sara Detlefsen	77
T17	Mei Khuan Yong	78
26	Madeline Marck-Sherk	80

 
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU women's golf program, follow on Twitter at @FGCU_WGolf and on Facebook at /FGCUWGolf.       
 
Head coach Sarah Trew enters her fifth season at the helm of the FGCU women's golf team. Trew took over in 2011 and has since guided the Eagles to the program's best-ever finish in the Atlantic Sun Tournament and to 20+ top-10 finishes. A year ago, Trew led the team to several records on and off the course. The 2013-14 squad set a new single-season scoring record with a team average of 307.88, while also setting a new benchmark academically. The team earned a team grade point average of 3.8 in the fall semester and set the FGCU team record with a 3.92 during the spring of 2014. The spring of 2015 saw the Eagles again take third place at the A-Sun Championship, and recording their best team score of the season.