Marie Caraballo
COLUMBIA, Ky. – The Bryan College women’s golf team faced its first competition of the fall 2019 season on Monday and Tuesday under first-year head coach, Jake Goins, as the Lions competed in the Blue Raider Fall Kick Off at the 5,864-yard Pines Golf Club hosted by Mid-South Conference foe Lindsey Wilson College.
Freshman Alisa Marie Caraballo impressed in her collegiate debut, as she produced a 77 on day one and 78 on day two for a 155 total, which sealed 3rd-place individually in a field of 29 talented golfers.
Caraballo’s effort paced the Lions in the opening round, but it was junior Taylor Williams who shot the low score on day two carding a 77. The dynamic duo of Caraballo and Williams led Bryan to an 11-stroke improvement on the latter round to move from 6
thto 4
th-place on the team leaderboard.
The squad had a slow start with a 340 showing on day one, but they teed off with determination on the final day en route to a 330 for a 670 two-day score in the tournament. The 330 mark matched the Lion’s best team score recorded last year. Williams posted a top-10 finish in 8thwith an 81 and 77 for 158. Freshman Mya Blevins trailed with an 89 and 85 for 174, good for 21st-place. Senior Emily Hutson and freshman Makenzie Cox rounded out the group with a 183 and 212, respectively.
Host school Lindsey Wilson captured the team victory with a 317 and 302 for a 619 total. While Union College (Ky.) came in 3rdas a team, Bulldog Whitney Messer individually won the event with a 72 and 76 for a 148.
The strong performance by the Lions to open their campaign is a promising sign for the young team. “I am proud of how Alisa Marie played in her first collegiate competition,” said Coach Goins. “It is quite an achievement to finish 3rdin a player’s first tournament amongst a field of highly skilled competitors. It was also great to see Taylor turn in a solid performance. Our 330 score is a good start and gives us some momentum going into our first home event next weekend at Cumberland Bear Trace, Sept. 23-24. When we add senior Daniella Banda back in the lineup, she will only bolster our already very strong team, and I look forward to seeing how we do.”
To view the complete results from the Blue Raider Fall Kick Off, click here.