University of Tennessee Athletics
Tuesday, September 18
Knoxville, TN
All Day
University of Tennessee
vs
Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship
Bardwell, Whiston and Smith finish in top 20 at Mercedes-Benz
September 18, 2018 | Women's Golf
Led by two sophomores and a freshman, Lady Vols tie for fifth at Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship at Cherokee Country Club
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee women's golf team finished in a tie for fifth at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship Tuesday afternoon.
The Lady Vols were led by top 20 performances from freshman Mikayla Bardwell (+3) and sophomores Waverly Whiston (+7) and Mariah Smith (+8). Whiston was the big mover for Tennessee on the final day. The San Diego, Calif. native came into the third round tied for 33rd and she carded five birdies thru 13 holes to pace her to a 2-under round.
Whiston jumped up 19 spots into the top 15, tying for 14th overall with three other players.
Bardwell finished as a top the Tennessee individual leaderboard placing seventh in the tournament. The freshman entered the round even par and finished the tournament with a score of 3-over.
Joining them in the top 20 was Smith who posted a three round total of 221 (+8) bookending her week with a pair of 75 rounds. This comes as the first top-25 finish for the Clarksville, Tenn. native who played in four events as a freshman.
As a team, the Tennessee tied for fifth at the Mercedes-Benz matching the scores of Eastern Kentucky and UT-San Antonio at 884 over 54-holes.
Coach's Take
On Waverly Whiston's day:
"She started with some pars and got off to a solid start. On No. 8 she hit it to within six inches and made that and followed that up with a birdie on No. 9. She kept it going and got all the way to 5-under at No. 17. She didn't have a good iron shot on 18 and three putted which wasn't terrible but, then she bogied No. 1 and 2 right after that. I know she was disappointed with losing three of the shots but, 69 is still a really good round. Under par is always good and it ended up being a really good tournament for her." – Coach Judi Pavon
On the play of Mikayla Bardwell this weekend:
"She looks like she was just having fun when she's playing golf. She's really fun to be around. She really enjoys the challenge of having to hit a tough shot when she has to. She is excited to be there and a good player on top of it. She has been really fun to watch and coach."-- Coach Judi Pavon
Final Scores:
Team
Tennessee Individual
Individuals
The Lady Vols were led by top 20 performances from freshman Mikayla Bardwell (+3) and sophomores Waverly Whiston (+7) and Mariah Smith (+8). Whiston was the big mover for Tennessee on the final day. The San Diego, Calif. native came into the third round tied for 33rd and she carded five birdies thru 13 holes to pace her to a 2-under round.
Whiston jumped up 19 spots into the top 15, tying for 14th overall with three other players.
Bardwell finished as a top the Tennessee individual leaderboard placing seventh in the tournament. The freshman entered the round even par and finished the tournament with a score of 3-over.
Joining them in the top 20 was Smith who posted a three round total of 221 (+8) bookending her week with a pair of 75 rounds. This comes as the first top-25 finish for the Clarksville, Tenn. native who played in four events as a freshman.
As a team, the Tennessee tied for fifth at the Mercedes-Benz matching the scores of Eastern Kentucky and UT-San Antonio at 884 over 54-holes.
Coach's Take
On Waverly Whiston's day:
"She started with some pars and got off to a solid start. On No. 8 she hit it to within six inches and made that and followed that up with a birdie on No. 9. She kept it going and got all the way to 5-under at No. 17. She didn't have a good iron shot on 18 and three putted which wasn't terrible but, then she bogied No. 1 and 2 right after that. I know she was disappointed with losing three of the shots but, 69 is still a really good round. Under par is always good and it ended up being a really good tournament for her." – Coach Judi Pavon
On the play of Mikayla Bardwell this weekend:
"She looks like she was just having fun when she's playing golf. She's really fun to be around. She really enjoys the challenge of having to hit a tough shot when she has to. She is excited to be there and a good player on top of it. She has been really fun to watch and coach."-- Coach Judi Pavon
Final Scores:
Team
| 1 | Kent State | +18 (870) |
| 2 | Middle Tennessee | +23 (875) |
| T3 | Charlotte | +24 (876) |
| T3 | Illinois | +24 (876) |
| T5 | Tennessee | +32 (884) |
| T5 | UTSA | +32 (884) |
| T5 | Eastern Kentucky | +32 (884) |
| 8 | East Tennessee | +38 (890) |
| T9 | Maryland | +39 (891) |
| T9 | Ole Miss | +39 (891) |
| 11 | Kentucky | +44 (896) |
| 12 | UCF | +54 (906) |
| 13 | BYU | +57 (909) |
| 14 | Coastal Carolina | +59 (911) |
| 15 | Chattanooga | +61 (913) |
| 16 | South Dakota State | +81 (933) |
| 17 | Iowa | +87 (939) |
Tennessee Individual
| Mikayla Bardwell | 7 | 216 (+3) |
| Waverly Whiston | T14 | 220 (+7) |
| Mariah Smith | T18 | 221 (+8) |
| Malia Stovall | T46 | 227 (+14) |
| Micheala Williams | T68 | 234 (+21) |
Individuals
| Allison Herring | T41 | 226 (+13) |
| Haley Wagner | T68 | 234 (+21) |
| Ariana Macioce | T70 | 235 (+22) |
| Hadley Walts | 92 | 253 (+40) |
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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