KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - The No. 14 Maryland women's golf team placed third in the Briar's Creek Invitational on Tuesday. This marks the third event in a row Maryland has placed in the top three teams. The Terps also tied their lowest 18 round score in program history (278), previously set in the first competition of the 2021 season.
The Terps competed against 17 other schools, including seven fellow conference institutions. After falling to the middle of the pack following the second round, Maryland battled back and jumped four spots to take the bronze after the third and final round of play. Maryland posted a final score of 886 (+22), and finished highest out of all Big Ten schools in attendance.
Laura Van Respaille placed highest in individuals for Maryland tying for fourth overall, notched nine birdies throughout three rounds, and was the third highest finisher amongst conference competitors with a final score of 217 (77, 71, 69), just one over par.
Virunpat Olankitkunchai tied for 13th overall, with her final score of 221 (76, 74, 71).
Charlotte Lafourcade finished tied for 34th posting five birdies of her own in round three to finish with a 226 (83, 75, 68).
Xiaolin Tian also tied with her fellow Terp for 34th overall, with her score of 226 (77, 79, 70). Newcomer
Patricie Mackova rounded out Maryland in individual play tied for 58th with a final score of 231 (85, 75, 73).
"Our team came back big today." head coach
Diana Cantu said. "Laura was solid throughout, and posting a 10 under par round tying the lowest 18 round of school history was what we needed to climb back up the leaderboard. Yesterday was a very tough day with strong winds. We had a slow start to the tournament, but we didn't give up after facing adversity. The team dug deep and showed true resilience and grit. I'm very proud of Charlotte's third round today. She is a great player and it was great to what her go low today. We have a week before we leave again to compete at Clemson's event. There's a few things to work on before we head out to next Wednesday. I am excited about this team and the success they are capable of. We are going to take it one round at a time."
Maryland women's golf will next compete in the Clemson Invitational, March 26-28 in Lake Keowee, South Carolina.
