Monday, April 10, 2006

DEBARY, Fla. (April 10, 2006) - Senior Ashley Barton (Seffner, Fla.) carded a first round 3-over 75 to finish second on the individual leaderboard and help lead the ETSU women's golf team to a fifth-place standing after first round play Monday in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships at the DeBary Golf and Country Club.

Barton and the rest of the field will be chasing Campbell's Alejandra Shaw, who fired an impressive 3-under 69 and holds a five-stroke advantage over Barton. Shaw, whose 69 was just one stroke away from the A-Sun Championships' single-round record of 68, powered her team to the top of the team leaderboard, as the Fighting Camels netted a score of 312. Gardner-Webb and Mercer are tied in second place at 316, while the Lady Bucs are at 322.

Along with Barton, sophomore Natalia Giraldo (Cali, Colombia) is tied for 13^th after firing an 80. Meanwhile, freshman Lucy Gould (Bargoed, Wales) is tied for 26^th, senior Laura Diaz (Aguadilla, P.R.) is tied for 29^th, and sophomore Maria Ringdahl (Oland, Sweden) is tied for 39^th.

Second round play in the A-Sun Championships will continue on Tuesday, with third and final round action scheduled for Wednesday. The tournament winner will earn an automatic trip to the NCAA Regionals. For more on the ETSU women's golf team and its play in the championship, visit ETSUBucs.com or AtlanticSun.org.