Mercer Takes Runner-Up Finish at Reynolds Lake Oconee Invite

Saturday, February 16

Greensboro, Ga.

Mercer University

Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational

Mercer Takes Runner-Up Finish at Reynolds Lake Oconee Invite

2/17/2019 7:20:00 PM | Women's Golf

Team Results (PDF)Individual Results (PDF)

Payton Schanen earns share of individual runner-up finish

By: Gerrit Van Genderen

GREENSBORO, Ga. – The Mercer women's golf team finished as the runner-up behind nationally-ranked No. 6 Vanderbilt at the 2019 Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational on Sunday after carding a 54-hole 297-299-297 (893).

The Bears (+29) were led by redshirt junior Payton Schanen, who shot an even par 73-73-70 (216) and tied for second place individually. Schanen was joined by Lauren Lightfritz (+6), who tied for ninth place.

Mercer Scorecard

2	Mercer	297	299	297	+29	893
T-2	Payton Schanen	73	73	70	E	216
T-9	Lauren Lightfritz	74	73	75	+6	222
T-19	Laila Hrindova	75	74	78	+11	227
T-37	Karina Kukkonen	77	79	75	+15	231
T-42	Mary Janiga	75	80	77	+16	232
T-49	Carol Pyon (Individual)	78	77	78	+17	233
T-68	Tiffany Kim (Individual)	78	76	84	+22	238

2019 Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational Team Results (Top 10)

#6 Vanderbilt (+17)
Mercer (+29)
Texas Tech (+32)
Kentucky (+32)
Chattanooga (+43)
Missouri (+49)
Northern Illinois (+54)
UNCW (+55)
ETSU (+55)
Rutgers (+61)

Coach Drinkard's Take
"I'm so proud of this team for their efforts this weekend," said head coach Michele Drinkard. "We made a promise to focus on the process and not the final result; that mindset paid off and I couldn't be more proud of what we did."

Mercer on Team Leaderboard
Nationally ranked Vanderbilt was the only team in between Mercer and a team championship at the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational. The Commodores shot 292-299-290 to best Mercer by 12 strokes. Mercer not only placed ahead of a pair of Southern Conference foes (Chattanooga, ETSU), but also the likes of Texas Tech, Kentucky and Missouri, among others. The Bears climbed from a tie of fourth to a tie of third and then sole possession of second place.

Mercer on Individual Leaderboard
Three Bears placed inside the top 25 individually, including runner-up Payton Schanen and newcomer Laila Hrindova, who played in her first tournament with Mercer. Schanen shot a round-three 70 to jump one spot into a tie for second place. Her 70 was the best round by a Bear over the weekend.

Up Next
Mercer will head south to the Sunshine State for the UNF Collegiate on March 4-5.

Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Golf, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerWGolf (Twitter), /MercerWGolf (Facebook) and @MercerWGolf (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.