Nassar's 2nd-Round 71 Vaults @FGCU_WGolf Into 2nd Place At ASUN Championship

BRASELTON, Ga. - Natalia Nassar fired a two-under 71 in the second round of the ASUN Championship this afternoon to lead the FGCU women's golf team to a second-place standing entering Tuesday's final round at Chateau Elan's Legends Course.

"I thought we played much better today," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "We managed the course very well and when we did miss, it was key that we were in the proper spots. I am very proud of the way we finished, and we have some good momentum going into tomorrow. Natalia finished her round on fire and really helped us turn in a good team score. Natalia, Laura, and Kelsy are all in a great position boasting Top-10 standings. We are looking to come out tomorrow with the same mindset we had today."

Nassar (Bucaramanga, Colombia/Colegio Panamericano) jumped 10 spots in the standings in large part due to three consecutive birdies to close out her round. Outside of a bogey on the ninth, she finished with a par on every other hole and sits seven strokes off Kennesaw State's Medy Thavong, who leads the tournament after a four-under 69 on Monday.

The Green and Blue entered the round three strokes behind North Florida, but jumped the Ospreys behind a second-round 301, which was 12 strokes better than their in-state rival. FGCU's 618 is 19 strokes behind first-place Kennesaw State, who has the top three individuals in the standings after a 290 on Monday.

FGCU finished the day strong by shooting a collective four-under over the final three holes. Laura Edmonds (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Cypress Bay HS) finished second on the team with a pair of birdies on Monday, including one on the 17th, and is positioned in a tie for fifth individually. Meanwhile, Kelsy Holbert (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS) shot her second-consecutive 77 of the tournament and is tied for seventh.

Thus, the trio of Nassar, Edmonds and Holbert are all in the top 10. Should that remain through Tuesday's final round, it would be the first time in program history the Eagles have done that in the ASUN Championship.

Madeline Marck-Sherk (Ridgeway, Ontario/Ridgeway Crystal Beach HS) birdied the 16th to finish at 77 (+5) for the day. She is tied for 13th as she goes for her third career top-10 finish at the event. Ailsa Clark (Navarre, Fla./Navarre HS) is tied for 20th with a two-round 167 (+21).

Fans can follow along during the seven-team tournament via GolfStat. The link to live scoring can be found here.

Notes
Edmonds leads all players with 27 pars through two rounds, while Holbert's 4.80 par-5 scoring average is tied with Kennesaw State's Clara Aveling for the tournament lead.

Team Standings (#GolfStat ranking as of April 16)
1. #37 Kennesaw State - 309-290---599 (+15)
2. #112 FGCU - 317-301---618 (+34)
3. #68 North Florida - 314-313---627 (+43)
4. #146 Stetson - 326-312---638 (+54)
5. #142 Jacksonville - 345-319---664 (+80)
6. #230 Lipscomb - 341-345---686 (+102)
7. n/a North Alabama - 368-345---713 (+129)

Individual Standings
4. Natalia Nassar - 81-71---152 (+6)
T-5. Laura Edmonds - 78-75---153 (+7)
T-7. Kelsy Holbert - 77-77---154 (+8)
T-13. Madeline Marck-Sherk - 81-78---159 (+13)
T-20. Ailsa Clark - 82-85---167 (+21)

FGCU's History in the ASUN Championship
2018 - T-4th of 7
2017 - 2nd of 7
2016 - 2nd of 7
2015 - 3rd of 8
2014 - 4th of 10
2013 - 3rd of 10
2012 - 7th of 9
2011 - T-3rd of 10
2010 - 5th of 10
2009 - T-5th of 10

FGCU's Top 10 Finishers in the ASUN Championship
Ailsa Clark - T-10th Place, 2018 (84-72---156)
Madeline Marck-Sherk - T-2nd Place, 2018 (77-70---147)
Kelsy Holbert - T-10th Place, 2017 (72-75-80---227)
Megan Blonien - T-1st Place, 2017 (74-74-71---219)
Madeline Marck-Sherk - 8th Place, 2016 (80-70-77---226)
Megan Blonien - 5th Place, 2016 (76-73-74---223)
Mei Khuan Yong - 8th Place, 2015 (74-72-79---225)
Georgia Price - T-7th Place, 2014 (73-79-73---225)
Briana Carlson - 9th Place, 2013 (76-70-73---219)
Kristin Swindell - T-4th Place, 2013 (73-72-71---216)
Briana Carlson - T-5th Place, 2011 (76-75-73---224)
Fabienne Haremza - 2nd Place, 2011 (75-72-74---221)
Briana Carlson - 3rd Place, 2010 (72-73-73---218)

COACH TREW
Since taking over the program in 2011, Sarah Trew has guided the Eagles to 36 top-five finishes, including six in each of the past three seasons. On top of that, she led the program to a pair of second-place finishes in the ASUN Championship in 2016 and 2017, which signifies the best finishes in program history.

Over the past three years, the 2015-16 ASUN Coach of the Year has led the Green and Blue to its three best seasons in program history in stroke average, birdies, par-3 scoring, par-4 scoring and par-5 scoring. Her 2017-18 team tied the program record for low round with a 290 (+2) in the FIU Pat Bradley Invitational and also tied the record for best 36-hole total in the same event (589, +13). Her 2012-13 team holds the 54-hole record of 887 (+23) in the ASUN Championship, but her 2017-18 team holds the third-best mark with an 895 (+31) in the FIU Pat Bradley Invitational.

Trew was instrumental in FGCU's six top-five finishes in 2017-18. The highlight of the season came when the team captured first-place in the MSU Citrus Classic, signifying the program's first outright tournament championship since March 2008. She previously led the team to a share of first-place in the FGCU Eagle Invitational on Sept. 16, 2013.

The 2018 season also witnessed Natalia Nassar capture the ASUN Conference's Freshman of the Year award, which represented the program's first-ever major athletic award recipient. Also, for the first time since 2011, the team claimed three ASUN golfer of the week recipients - Katie Williamson (March 22), Madeline Marck-Sherk (March 15) and Nassar (Feb. 8) in the same season. It was also just the second time in program history the team won the award in back-to-back weeks. Overall, last year's trio represents one-third of the program's nine weekly recipients since Trew took over.

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.

#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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 raise awareness.

ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 77 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best 6th-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the Spring, 2018 and had an ASUN Conference and State of Florida best five teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.

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Players Mentioned

Ailsa Clark: Junior

Kelsy Holbert: Senior

Madeline Marck-Sherk: Senior

Natalia Nassar: Sophomore

Laura Edmonds: 5' 6"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Ailsa Clark
: Junior

Kelsy Holbert
: Senior

Madeline Marck-Sherk
: Senior

Natalia Nassar
: Sophomore

Laura Edmonds
: 5' 6"; Freshman