UTC senior Cristina Perez shot even-par 72 over her second 18 holes at the Palmetto Intercollegiate. She was one of just nine to play par or better on the Turtle Point Course at the Kiawah Island Resort on day two.
The Mocs shot 297 for a 601 total over 36. That’s one behind Old Dominion in fourth and two ahead of No. 48 Campbell in sixth. The 297 tied Campbell for the third-best round of the day.
Perez’s 72 was supported by Maddy McDanel with 74, Holly Morgan with 75 and Monica San Juan’s 76.
Megan Woods had the drop tally of 81.
Perez’s effort moved her into a tie for 10th overall with a 4-over total of 148. She’s three ahead of McDanel and Morgan who are tied for 19th at 151.
Kennesaw State moved into the lead at 590. First round leader Ole Miss is second at 591 with Marshall (592) another stroke back in third. Old Dominion and Chattanooga complete the top 5.
UTC began its day on holes 7-9 in a shotgun start. The quintet was under par over the first third of the round. It tailed a bit as they moved back to the front nine. The par 5 fifth hole was the turning point.
All five student-athletes marked birdies cutting the team score by four. The Mocs were 10 over on the counting cards heading into the fifth. It propelled them into the top 5 most notably with McDanel’s final hole, the par 4 eighth.
McDanel’s birdie there not only gave a final push to the team score, but also moving into the top 20 individually. It also marked a stronger finish than the day prior when the ladies stumbled a bit playing their final three holes (7, 8 & 9) 8 over.