The University of Richmond women’s golf team sailed through the Chris Banister Golf Classic in Gadsden, Ala., March 9-11, securing first place for the first time this season.
The Spiders are on a roll, recording back-to-back top-five finishes after tying for fourth at the RiverTowne Invitational Feb. 17-18.
A solid first round put Richmond in second place behind Jacksonville State University. Led by junior Hannah Lydic, the Spiders collected a team score of 22-over-par. Lydic soared through the front nine two-under-par but picked up two double bogeys on the back for a 2-over 74. First-year Katie Magner closely followed Lydic with a score of 76. The course presented challenges for Richmond as the round progressed.
“This course has been kind of tricky all around, but pretty much just staying patient the entire time and we had to battle the wind a little bit,” sophomore Maya Beasley said in an interview after the tournament.
Richmond found its footing in the second round, pressuring Jacksonville State and tying the Jaguars for first. The two teams nearly flip-flopped their scores, with the Spiders improving from 22-over-par to 11-over, while Jacksonville State fell from 10-over-par to 23-over.
Beasley settled into the course, pacing the Spiders in the second round with an even-par 72, a jump from her nine-over score in round one.
“I was hitting my targets really well and my strikes were pretty good,” Beasley said.
Lydic and Beasley were tied for fifth after the round, trailing Magner, who was holding onto fourth.
The Spiders managed to maintain their position on top despite round three being their highest-scoring round of the tournament, 26-over-par. Jacksonville State fell to second with its highest score of the contest, 31-over-par. The final holes were vital for Richmond as the score remained close.
“When it came down to the last three holes, we knew we were gonna be in contention to win it, so we were trying to stay in the moment,” Beasley said.
Four Spiders placed in the top 10 individually. Beasley continued to pace the Spiders, tying for third with 14-over-par. Magner and Lydic maintained high positions, tying for sixth. Junior Olivia Wilkie followed, placing 10th overall.
“We’ve been working really hard these past couple of months in practice, and I’m just so proud of this team for how we were able to come out and win this,” Beasley said. “I know our best is yet to come, and we definitely still have a couple of things to work on, but we’re heading in the right direction.”
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Richmond has two more tournaments before the Atlantic 10 Championships April 17-19. Up next, the Spiders will head to Raleigh, N.C., for the NC State Stroke Play Event March 21-22.
Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu.
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