Friday, September 9, 2005

 

TUSCULUM WOMEN'S GOLF OPENS SEASON AT ANDERSON INVITATIONAL

 

2005-06 Tusculum Women's Golf Team                GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- With eight returning letterwinners and four incoming freshmen, the Tusculum College women's golf team will begin the 2005-06 season next week as the Pioneers compete at the Anderson College Invitational in South Carolina.

 

                Tusculum brings back its four top scorers, including All-South Atlantic Conference standouts Shannon Palenkas and Amanda Bowen.

                Palenkas, a junior from Maryville, Tenn., earned All-SAC First Team honors last year where she posted an 83.73 scoring average and three top 10 finishes.  Her best showing came at the SAC Championship where she finished third, earning a slot on the SAC All-Tournament team.  Palenkas' seasonal stroke average was the third best in school history.  She also enters her third Tusculum campaign with the second best career scoring average (85.80).

                Bowen is a two-time All-Conference standout from Millington, Tenn.  Bowen posted an 86.15 stroke average and recorded three top 20 performances.  She is just percentage points behind Palenkas in career scoring average with 85.93, which is third in Pioneer history.

 

                Sophomore Rachel Quinlan-Waters returns following a successful rookie campaign.  The Cincinnati, Ohio product finished third on the team averaging 90.09 strokes per round.  Quinlan-Waters finished in the top 30 on four occasions and accounted for a pair of top 20 showings.

 

                Mandy Hartsock also returns for her sophomore season.  Hartsock, a native of Kingsport, Tenn., finished in the top 20 on three occasions, including an 11th place showing at the Hargett Memorial Tournament.  Hartsock finished fourth on the team with a 91.36 scoring average.

 

                Junior Becca Friddle was one of most improved golfers on the team last season.  The Honea Path, S.C. native knocked off seven strokes per round from her rookie year.  Friddle posted a 93.20 scoring average last season while playing in nine tournaments.  She posted top 30 finishes in four events, including two of her last three outings.

 

                Also back from last season's squad are senior Jennifer Kiesling (Canal Winchester, Ohio), junior Liz Ennen (Wheaton, Ill.) and sophomore Casey Stansberry (Alcoa, Tenn.).

 

                Jen Boling, a freshman from Sandusky, Ohio will be looking to contribute to the team.  Boling earned First Team All-Sandusky Bay Conference honors and was selected as her team's most valuable player twice for Perkins High School.

 

                Maryville, Tenn. freshman Amber Ladner will be competing in her first Tusculum season this year.  Ladner was a four-time All-County selection and led her Maryville High School squad to four District and Region titles.

 

                A familiar name to Tusculum women's golf is newcomer Mary Beth McFarland.  McFarland, a native of nearby Jonesborough, Tenn., is the younger sister of former Pioneer great Rachel McFarland Verble.  Mary Beth earned All-Conference honors at David Crockett High School and posted the lowest nine-hole career scoring average in school history.  Her career bests include 35 for nine holes and 79 for 18 holes.

 

                Rounding out the freshmen corps is Fairfield, Ohio rookie Susanne Sisco.  Sisco lettered three years at Fairfield High School where she was the recipient of the 2003 Most Improved Award and the 2004 Lady Indian Award.

 

                The Pioneers will play in nine tournaments, including four this fall.  TC will host two events in the spring including the Tusculum/Kiawah Island Intercollegiate in February at Kiawah Island, S.C.  The Pioneers will also host the Agnes McAmis Memorial Invitational in April at Link Hills Country Club.

 

- TC -