SORRENTO, Fla. - Natalia Nassar is tied for first place with a 1-under 71, and her performance has helped the FGCU women's golf team to a five-stroke lead over all other teams through one round of the MSU Citrus Classic at Red Tail Golf Club.

The Eagles, who had their entire starting five shoot 79 or below, shot a 297, which is five ahead of second-place Keiser University and nine strokes ahead of Murray State in third place. Kate Williamson (74), Kelsy Holbert (76), Madison Easterbrook (76) and Madeline Marck-Sherk (79) rounded out the starting five, while Ailsa Clark fired an 80 as an individual.

"I am very pleased with the way we handled ourselves," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "We functioned much better as a team and stayed positive the whole day. It was one of those rounds that certainly could have gotten away from us but we just put our heads down and gutted it out. I am very proud of Nat's round. She was very consistent for us and is in a great position. Tomorrow we are looking for another positive day."

Digging deeper, Nassar (Floridablanca, Colombia) finished even par in Par 3 scoring, which was best on the team. She went 2-over on Par 4's and excelled on Par 5's by shooting 3-under. In fact, her Par 5 scoring led all golfers - just ahead of Williamson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Archbishop McCarthy HS), who went 2-under. 

Nassar also had the most birdies of anyone on the team with four, while Williamson added three. Holbert (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS) led the team in pars with 14, while Marck-Sherk (Ridgeway, Ontario/Ridgeway Crystal Beach HS) had 12. Easterbrook (Burlington, Ontario/Aldershot HS) and Nassar each had 11.

The team's 297 is the sixth sub-300 round of the year and the third of the spring season. It ties the third-round 297 from the Amelia Island Collegiate on Feb. 20 as the best round of the spring.

Furthermore, Nassar's 71 is the lowest round of her collegiate career, topping her 72 in the second round of the Johnie Imes Invitational on Oct. 3. It also ties Marck-Sherk (71, 2nd Round, Johnie Imes Invitational & 71, 2nd Round, WKU Spring Break Shootout) and Williamson (71, 2nd Round, Pat Bradley Invitational & 71, 3rd Round, Amelia Island College) for the best round of the year individually.

The tournament continues on Monday and will conclude Tuesday.

FGCU LINEUP
T-1. Natalia Nassar 71 (-1)
T-5. Kate Williamson 74 (+2)
T-11. Madison Easterbrook 76 (+4)
T-11. Kelsy Holbert 76 (+4)
T-25. Madeline Marck-Sherk 79 (+7)
*T-36. Ailsa Clark 80 (+8)
*Competed as an individual

TEAM STANDINGS
1. #120 - FGCU - 297 (+9)
2. #12 (NAIA) - Keiser University - 302 (+14)
3. #84 - Murray State - 306 (+18)
T-4. #169 - High Point - 311 (+23)
T-4. #215 - Morehead State - 311 (+23)
T-6. #197 - Austin Peay - 312 (+24)
T-6. #1 (NAIA) - Savannah College of Art and Design - 312 (+24)
8. #243 - Siena College - 313 (+25)
9. #177 - Western Illinois - 318 (+30)
10. #234 - Western Carolina - 321 (+33)
11. #228 - Northern Kentucky - 325 (+37)
12. #220 - Dayton - 331 (+43)
13. #253 - Eastern Illinois - 334 (+46)
14. #59 (NAIA) - IU - East - 375 (+87)

COACH TREW
Head coach Sarah Trew is in her 7th season at the helm of the FGCU women's golf team. She took over in 2011 and has since guided the Eagles to the program's best-ever finish in the ASUN Tournament and 24 top-5 finishes. 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. In 2015-16, Trew earned her first ASUN Coach of the Year title after the squad recorded a new program best with a 305.29 average and took second-place at the conference tournament – the program's best finish in the event. In the second round of that tournament, the Eagles carded a team score of 290 to set a low-round program record. The 2016-17 Eagles repeated that success with another second-place finish in the ASUN Championship and for the third time since Trew took over, set a new record with a 302.30 stroke average on the season.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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.

SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help.