Blue Raiders are sixth at Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate after day one

AUGUSTA, Ga. - After two rounds of play, the Middle Tennessee women's golf team sits in sixth place (out of 14) at the Administaff Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate. The Blue Raiders shot a 316 in the opening round at Forest Hills Golf Club (5,678 yards) and carded a 306 in the second round.

"We started slow," said Coach Chris Adams. "The greens have played really tough for us, and I expect our putting to improve to help us move up the leaderboard tomorrow."

Karisa Akin is currently tied for 12th in the field of 74, having shot a 153 through two rounds. The sophomore from Elizabethtown, Ky. is playing in her first tournament of the spring.

Clara Leathers sits in 21st place with a 155, and Olivia Love is tied for 22nd place with a 156.

Morgan Hale, who won Sun Belt Conference Golfer of the Month last week, experienced a challenging first round with an 83, but responded with the best Blue Raider round of the day with a 75 in the second. The junior from Tullahoma, is tied for 28th place with a 158.

Stephanie Smith is in 65th place with a 167. Ashley Haggard is competing in the event as an individual, and is tied for 38th with a 160.

Middle Tennessee isn't the only member of the Sun Belt playing in the Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate. Troy is also competing, and after finishing ahead of the Blue Raiders through the first round, the Trojans are 11 strokes back from MT and sit in 9th place.

"Troy is a good team, and playing them down here is important," said Adams. "This is a good test for the Sun Belt Championships in April."

The third and final round of the Administaff Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate will tee off tomorrow. Live scoring for the tournament will be available www.golfstat.com.

TEAM SCORES
1. Coastal Carolina, 600 (+24)
2. Augusta State, 607 (+31)
3. Western Carolina, 614 (+38)
4. North Carolina-Greensboro, 615 (+39)
5. North Carolina-Wilmington, 618 (+42)
6. Middle Tennessee, 622 (+46)
7. Southern Mississippi, 623 (+47)
8. Wofford College, 626 (+50)
9. Troy, 633 (+57)
10. William & Mary, 636 (+60)
11. Lamar, 639 (+63)
12. Charleston Southern, 640 (+64)
13. Mercer, 660 (+84)
14. UAB, 661 (+85)

MT SCORES
T12. Karisa Akin, 153
21. Clara Leathers, 155
22. Olivia Love, 156
T28. Morgan Hale, 158
T38. Ashley Haggard*, 138
65. Stephanie Smith, 167

*Haggard is playing in the event as an individual.

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthletics for continued updates.