KISSIMMIEE, Fla. – The FGCU women's golf team earned a program-best second-place finish Tuesday, April 12 at the 2016 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship. The Eagles fired a 308 in the third round at Reunion Resort and finished the three-day tournament with a team score of 901.
 
With scores of 303, 290 and 308, the Eagles carded the event's best single-round score Monday and placed ahead of five of the league's seven teams overall. FGCU finished play just 11 strokes behind conference champion North Florida's 890 and held on to edge defending champion Kennesaw State's final score of 904. Jacksonville and Stetson rounded out the top five with scores of 908 and 923, respectively, while Lipscomb and USC Upstate completed the field with scores in the 950s. The second-place finish is an improvement from last year's third-place standing, which previously served as the team's best postseason performance.
 
"Today was a tough day for the entire field," said head coach Sarah Trew. "We definitely felt some nerves at the start of the day. It was not our best performance but we kept our heads in the game to finish strong. I am so proud of our grit this week and can't wait to be in a position to win again with even more experience under our belts."
 
The Eagles finished Sunday's first round in third place and used the program's best-ever 290 score to catapult into second after two rounds. FGCU began Tuesday's final round just one stroke out of first place but carded a 308 in the final round to maintain second place.  
 
FGCU's team finish was aided by three top-10 individual performances as Megan Blonien (Altus, Okla./Altus High School/Oklahoma State), Madeline Marck-Sherk (Ridgeway, Ontario/Ridgeway Crystal Beach High School) and Mei Khuan Yong (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia/ S.M.K. Cochrane) all finished among the top individual competitors.
 
Blonien led the team and placed fifth in the field in her first A-Sun Championship appearance. The junior carded scores of 76, 73 and 74 in the three-day event to finish at 223. Blonien's final round began with five-straight even-par holes. She added two bogeys on the front nine and moved to plus-3 through 11 holes. The junior improved to plus-2 with a birdie on 13 and finished the round with five-straight even holes for the team's best score of the day. Blonien's final card of 223 was just five strokes from tournament winner Clara Aveling of Kennesaw State. Aveling finished at 218 after holding the lead for all three rounds.
 
"I'm proud of Megan for her low round today and a solid overall finish," Trew added. "She will continue to be a leader for this team as a senior next season."
 
Marck-Sherk took eighth place in the field while also competing in her first postseason event. The rookie carded scores of 79, 70 and 77 in the three-round event for a final score of 226. In Tuesday's round, Marck-Sherk carded five bogeys, a double and a birdie to stand at plus-6 through 10 holes. The freshman finished the round strong with seven even-par holes and a birdie on 15 to take the plus-5 score on the day and finish among the field's top-10.
 
"Madeline had a solid tournament," noted Trew. "Finishing eighth as a freshman is a huge accomplishment and I'm excited to see her continue to grow and develop."
 
In her senior season, Yong helped the team to its best finish with a ninth-place standing. Yong carded a 78 in the final round to finish at 227 (78-71-78). In Tuesday's go around, the senior started the day with a birdie on one but fell to plus-3 on hole five. She added three bogeys in the remaining holes but again remained consistent with 10 even scores on her last 13 holes. Yong finished at plus-6 on the day for the 78 in the last round.
 
"Myka capped off a great senior year with a top-10 finish," Trew said of the senior. "I'm proud of the way she has led the team all spring."
 
Sophomore Madison Easterbrook (Burlington, Ontario/Aldershot High School) finished just one stroke behind Yong and earned an 11th-place finish with a total score of 228 (72-76-80). Easterbrook entered the final day of play tied for fourth but carded eight bogeys through her last round. Despite the bogeys, Easterbrook's consistency shined as the sophomore carded 10 even holes and never dropped more than one stroke on a single hole.
 
Senior Sara Detlefsen (Eagan, Minn./Minnesota Virtual Academy) rounded out the lineup for the Green and Blue with a total score of 236 and a 25th-place finish. Detlefsen carded a 79 in the final round with eight bogeys and a birdie on hole 14. Detlefsen's final tournament of her career included rounds of 77, 80 and 79.
 
"This year overall has been one of the best in program history," Trew added of the 2015-16 campaign. "We broke our overall scoring record as a team this year, posted our lowest 18-hole round yesterday and had our best conference finish this week. I'd like to thank Sara and Myka for everything they've done for this team for the last four years. They have been great representatives of FGCU and really model Eagle student-athletes. Myka and Sara are my first recruits to graduate, which has been really special for me as a coach. I wish them the best in the future and am certain they will go on to do big things."
 
TEAM RESULTS (GolfStat Ranking)

1	North Florida (96)	298	294	298	890
2	FGCU (142)	303	290	308	901
3	Kennesaw State (104)	294	304	306	904
4	Jacksonville (151)	311	300	297	908
5	Stetson (139)	314	299	310	923
6	Lipscomb (222)	322	317	314	953
7	USC Upstate (233)	319	322	317	958

 
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

5	Megan Blonien	76	73	74	223
8	Madeline Marck-Sherk	79	70	77	226
T9	Mei Khuan Yong	78	71	78	227
T11	Madison Easterbrook	72	76	80	228
T25	Sara Detlefsen	77	80	79	236

 
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.