Blue Raiders finish third at Cincinnati Spring Invitational

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. - Middle Tennessee's bid to become the first women's golf team in program history to win three straight tournaments fell short here Saturday as the Blue Raiders shot a second-round 317 and fell from first to third at the Cincinnati Spring Invitational.

The Blue Raiders owned a slim one-stroke lead over Princeton entering the final round, but Florida Atlantic (620) passed both teams to win the tournament, and Princeton (622) was second. Middle Tennessee (626) settled for a third-place finish and was six shots off the lead. It is the fifth top 5 finish for the Blue Raiders this year.

"Shooting a 317 in the final round was disappointing," Middle Tennessee head coach Rachael Short said. "We struggled at times and left some shots out there and that was the difference in a six-shot finish, but we had some really good moments, too, and we need to carry that into this tournament Monday."

Leigh Wilkins followed her impressive first-round performance at the par-72 Plantation Inn Golf Course with a 79 in the second round and led Middle Tennessee with a 154, which was tied for fifth overall.

Clara Leathers bounced back after shooting an 80 in the opening round and improved by three shots to total a two-day 157 and tie for ninth overall. Taryn Durham shot an 82 Saturday and tied for 14th with a 158, along with teammate Maggie McGill. Mallory Bishop finished with a 163.

The Blue Raiders will play in the UALR/North Texas Classic at the Diamante Club in Hot Springs, Ark., Monday and Tuesday.

Cincinnati Spring Invitational
Crystal River, Fla. - Plantation Inn GC
Final Team Results
1 Florida Atlantic 311 309 620
2 Princeton 310 312 622
3 Middle Tennessee 309 317 626
4 Cincinnati 313 315 628
5 Illinois 320 312 632
6 Yale 326 324 650
UAB 326 324 650
8 Sienna 333 340 673
9 Rutgers 337 341 678

MT Individual Scores
3 Middle Tennessee 309 317 626
T5 Leigh Wilkins 75 79 154
T9 Clara Leathers 80 77 157
T14 Taryn Durham 76 82 158
T14 Maggie McGill 79 79 158
T25 Mallory Bishop 79 84 163

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