Women's golf team prepared to host Region 8 Tournament this weekend

Women's golf team prepared to host Region 8 Tournament this weekend

In just its third season, the Eastern Florida State College women's golf team heads into the Region 8 Championship Tournament this weekend ranked sixth in the Golfstat top 10 rankings and ready to compete against the best teams in the nation.

The Titans will be home for the Region 8 Tournament, which will be Saturday and Sunday at Rockledge Country Club.

"The ladies team has done an awesome job this year. In my wildest dreams, I didn't think we would be in the top 10 rankings and I couldn't be more proud of them," Eastern Florida State College women's golf coach Jamie Howell said. "We are further along than I ever thought at this point and it is a testament to their hard work."

The women's golf team has just four players so all four scores count in every tournament and the team has embraced it, winning the Wallace State Spring Invitational this year and placing fifth in the Florida Tech Invitational.

This weekend they face the top two teams in the nation for a spot in the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament, which will be May 13-16 at LPGA International in Daytona Beach this year.

Seminole State College comes in as the No. 1 team in the Golfstat Top 10 and has finished in the top three in three of the four tournaments this spring including a second at the Florida Tech event. Daytona State College is No. 2 in the ranking and has competed in some big tournaments against NCAA Division I teams, including the Liz Murphy Collegiate Classic where they finished seventh ahead of Louisville and Ole Miss.

"We will have our hands full with Seminole and Daytona so it is just about going out and shooting the best we can and do the best we can," Howell said. "We have no effect on the other schools unless we put a score up that makes them look at the board."

Sophomore Gianna Piscitelli and freshmen Kacey Walker, Delia Timpy and Trinity Falzone have improved all season and are ready to compete against the top teams.

"They know Rockledge Country Club well and you hate to put a target score out there but if we can minimize mistakes, especially the self-imposed mistakes, than under 310 is actually doable," Howell said.

The teams will tee off at noon on Saturday and noon on Sunday.