STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. – The FGCU women's golf team completed its second round of play at the John Kirk Panther Intercollegiate on Monday afternoon. The Eagles, who carded a team score of 300 yesterday, slid one spot from fifth to sixth in the field after shooting 303 in today's round for a total of 603.
 
"We were very up and down today," said head coach Sarah Trew. "We had 14 birdies, but we hurt ourselves with six doubles and three triples. If we want to be successful, we know we can't continue to compound mistakes. I'm very proud of Kelsy (Holbert) for her steady play these last couple of weeks. She's been working very hard, and it's nice to see all that extra time she's put in pay off."
 
Holbert (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS) followed up yesterday's 74 with a plus-one score of 73 in round two. She once again found success on the front nine with four birdies, but a triple on hole 7 kept her from an under par score. Her total score of 147 after two rounds marks a 36-hole season low for the Eagles sophomore. She's currently tied for sixth in the 82-player field.
 
Megan Blonien (Altus, Okla./Altus HS) and Madeline Marck-Sherk (Ridgeway, Ontario/Ridgeway Crystal Beach HS) are tied for 16th with total scores of 150, however, the two had very polarizing rounds. Blonien bounced back from her first round score of 77 to card a 73 on day two of the tournament. Shaving off four holes catapulted the FGCU senior 17 spots in the rankings. Marck-Sherk, who tied for second place in the field after day one with an under-par round of 71, wasn't able to find the same rhythm on day two. Her struggles on holes 7 and 16 ultimately led to a second round score of 79.
 
Freshman Ailsa Clark (Navarre, Fla./Navarre HS), who shot a 78 in round one, corrected some mistakes on the back nine and even birdied on hole 11 – a hole that she bogeyed on yesterday. However a plus-six score on the front nine today, compared to an even score in round one caused her to card an 81 leaving her with a total score of 159.
 
The Eagles remain just two shots out of the top-five positions. Eastern Kentucky leads the field with a total score of 590. Kansas State trails the Racers by just one shot after shooting a low round of 293 today. Murray State – the only team to top FGCU at the MSU Citrus Classic last week – is currently in third place with a total score of 595. Winthrop and Tulsa finish out the top-five with scores of 599 and 601 respectively.
 
The Eagles will attempt to climb the leader-board tomorrow during the final round of tournament action. Live scoring will be available at GolfStat.com.
 
FGCU Lineup
T6 Kelsy Holbert: 74 73 = 147 ( 3)
T16 Madeline Marck-Sherk: 71 79 = 150 ( 6)
T16 Megan Blonien: 77 73 = 150 ( 6)
T52 Ailsa Clark: 78 81 = 159 ( 15)
-- Madison Easterbrook: DQ
 
COMPLETE FIELD (Golfstat rankings as of 3/21)
1. 99 Eastern Kentucky: 294 296 = 590 ( 14)
2. 48 Kansas State: 298 293 = 591 ( 15)
3. 92 Murray State: 293 302 = 595 ( 19)
4. 162 Winthrop: 300 299 = 599 ( 23)
5. 105 Tulsa: 303 298 = 601 ( 25)
6. 136 FGCU: 300 303 = 603 ( 27)
7. 150 Oral Roberts: 296 309 = 605 ( 29)
8. 149 Georgia State: 310 306 = 616 ( 40)
T9. 175 Appalachian State: 312 309 = 621 ( 45)
T9. 158 UAB: 311 310 = 621 ( 45)
11. 153 Western Michigan: 315 307 = 622 ( 46)
12. 178 Western Carolina: 315 312 = 627 ( 51)
13. 196 ULM: 329 303 = 632 ( 56)
14. 200 South Alabama: 317 315 = 632 ( 56)
15. 230 Central Michigan: 338 327 = 665 ( 89)
 
COACH TREW
Head coach Sarah Trew recently is currently in her 6th season at the helm of the FGCU women's golf team after being named ASUN Coach of the Year in 2016. Trew took over in 2011 and has since guided the Eagles to the program's best-ever finish in the ASUN 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 spring of 2015 saw the Eagles again take third place at the ASUN Championship, and recording their best team score of the season while 2016 again set a new standard. The 2015-16 squad recorded a new program best with a 305.29 average and took a second-place finish at the conference tournament. In that event, the Eagles carded a team score of 290 to set the program's new record and earned the top finish in program history.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
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.