Lady Bucs finish 16th at Palmetto Intercollegiate

Freshman Casey MacNeil had her best career finish, taking 18th at the Palmetto Collegiate

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. – Charleston Southern freshman Casey MacNeil turned in the best finish of her young career taking 18^th overall for the Lady Bucs at the 2012 Palmetto Collegiate, which wrapped up Monday at Oak Pointe Golf Club.

CSU finished 16^th as a team with a three-round 934.  

MacNeil had a final round (+4) to record a Top 20 finish for the first time. Her wild round included an eagle on the par-4 fourth and two birdies. She was 1-under through 12 holes on the day, but gave back three shots on the 14^th hole with a triple bogey.

MacNeil was CSU’s most consistent player in tough conditions, which included winds consistently pushing 20 miles per hours.  

“We fought hard this whole tournament,” CSU head coach Matthew Cram-Smith said on Monday. “Playing conditions were pretty tough. We just needed some luck on the greens and the result would've been a lot better for us. I'm really proud of our girls.”

Big South foe Campbell won the event by 21 strokes with a team 2-over, topping East Tennessee State (+23). Coastal Carolina (+27) took third in the field, while Michigan, Elon, and Maryland tied for fourth.

Campbell’s Maria Jose Benavides won the event with a 3-under 213.  

Junior Torey Johnson had four birdies during an up-and-down 78, by far her best round of the tournament. She played the last five holes 1-under.

Senior Amanda D’Ostroph finished 68^th after an 80 (+8) on Tuesday, while fellow-senior Katelyn Bensch shot an 81.

Junior Vanessa Jay was 78^th after an 82 on Tuesday. She put together back-to-back birdies on the front nine to highlight her round.

The event wraps up CSU’s fall schedule. The Bucs return to action at the Kiawah Spring Invitational on March 2-4 at Cougar Point Golf Club and Oak Point Golf Club.

-CSU-