MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - There's something about the Unlimited Potential Golf Tournament that seems to bring out the best in the Middle Tennessee women's golf team.

Middle shot a school-record 288 in the opening round of the Unlimited Potential Classic at the par-73 Shaftesbury Glen and is tied for the tournament lead after two rounds. The Blue Raiders bested the previous mark of 295, which was recorded at the 2004 Unlimited Potential at Baytree Classic.

"The girls were great and I was so proud of them," Middle Tennessee coach Rachel Short said. "I recalculated the score like four times to make sure it was actually right and it came up 288 every time. The fact that it was a par-73 course is even more impressive. They really established themselves and gave us some breathing room, which we ended up needing. We have put ourselves in position to win this tournament going into the final round so overall it was a very productive day."

Middle Tennessee came back with a 305 in the second round and is tied with host College of Charleston with a 593 entering Tuesday's final round. Southern Illinois is three strokes back at 596, followed by Coastal Carolina (598), and Jacksonville State (300).

Not only did Middle Tennessee establish a new team record for low round, but senior Maggie McGill also tied the individual low round mark with a 4-under 69 in the first round. She shares the low round record with Kristin Lynch and teammate Taryn Durham, who has hit the mark four times.

In all, four Blue Raiders are among the top 20 individuals entering final round action. McGill's 69 was the best score of the day in either round. She came back with a 79 in the second to finish with a 148, which is tied for 10th overall. Durham also is tied for 10th. She opened with a 1-under 72 and shot a 76 in the second round. Durham shot 4-under on par-4 scoring, which leads the field.

Leigh Wilkins was consistent throughout the day and finished with a 149. She is tied for 15th overall. Wilkins was even on par-3 scoring - tied for fifth overall in that category.

Newcomer Clara Leathers continued her fine work in the fall season with solid rounds of 1-under 72 and 5-over 78 to come in tied for 20th with a 150. Leathers' steady play featured shooting par on 28 of the 36 holes - the third best showing among individuals in the field.

Steady play proved paramount for the Blue Raiders, who canned a tournament-high 129 pars through the first two rounds. Middle Tennessee's four-over on par-4 scoring also is tops in the tournament by seven strokes.

Unlimited Potential Classic
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Thru 2 rounds
Team scores
1 College of Charleston 294-299 593
2 Middle Tennessee 288-305 593
3 Southern Illinois 297-299 596
4 Coastal Carolina 297-301 598
5 Jacksonville State 301-300 601
6 Central Arkansas 301-302 603
7 Methodist College 299-308 607
8 Lamar University 303-307 610
9 Old Dominion 311-308 619
10 UAB 310-319 629
T11 Texas-Pan American 323-309 632
T11 Charleston Southern 311-321 632
13 Tennessee Tech 317-326 643
T14 Savannah College of A&D 335-327 662
T14 Drake 332-330 662
16 The Citadel 375-364 739

Middle Tennessee Individual Scores
T10 Taryn Durham 72-76 148
T10 Maggie McGill 69-79 148
T15 Leigh Wilkins 75-74 149
T20 Clara Leathers 72-78 150
T44 Tasha Gough 81-77 158

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