Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Women's Golf announces challenging 2018-19 schedule
8/14/2018 3:20:00 PM | Women's Golf
Raiders to compete in four SEC events this fall
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – With the Blue Raiders wrapping up their individual summer golf appearances and ready to return to campus, Head Women's Golf Coach Chris Adams has officially released Middle Tennessee's 2018-19 tournament schedule.
Heralded as one of the toughest women's golf schedules ever put together at Middle Tennessee, Adams' squad will take on a number of tough fields in a season the features five fall competitions hosted by Power 5 schools.
"Top to bottom, I think our fall season is as tough as it has ever been since I've been here," Adams said. "With the invite to the tournament at Minnesota and then four straight SEC events, I think it's going to really test our veteran leadership and experience early on. It's a challenging schedule but I like our chances with the squad that I have and I hope that it will really get our ranking up going into the spring.
"All in all these fall and spring schedules should get us very prepared for our conference championship which will be a great challenge as well since the league is deeper than it's ever been with probably five or six teams that could win it. Returning two of the best players in the league along with a deeper and more competitive lineup behind them should give us a great chance."
The Blue Raiders have high hopes for the season despite being challenged at every turn, boasting four returners from last season's squad as well as a host of talented newcomers.
Seniors Jenna Burris and Hanley Long are likely to lead the way once again in Murfreesboro, bringing back the two lowest scoring averages from last season's team. Long, who turned in the second lowest single season scoring average (73.55) in school history, was named First Team All-Conference USA and was voted as the league's Most Improved Golfer while Burris (74.59) earned Second Team All-C-USA honors.
The senior duo also enter their final campaign with two of the Top 4 career stroke averages in Middle Tennessee history.
"Jenna and Hanley's leadership and experience with everything they've played in and their competitiveness will make them two really great leaders," Adams stated. "This team is eerily similar to a team we had in 2014-15 with Avery George, Allie Knight and Emily Miller as our leaders at that time and I think this team will really blossom like that team in 2014-15 with Jenna and Hanley being the leaders that they are."
Joining them as returners are sophomores Sophie Burks (76.81), Caroline Caudill (76.19) and Savannah Quick (79.11), a trio that combined to compete in 57 rounds for MT in their rookie campaigns.
"I love the depth of our team with our three returning sophomores and the experience they gained last season," Adams added. "Playing as much as they did as freshmen will really bode well for us in their second year. They couldn't be freshmen very long with the amount we asked them to play in year one and that gave them really invaluable experience.
"That being said, the newcomers we have coming in have also played a ton of competitive golf prior to coming to Middle Tennessee and that's going to make this a really competitive and deep team. They will bring a lot to the table and I really like our team dynamic."
Middle Tennessee replaces their two departures from last season with three additions to the 2018-19 roster. Incoming freshmen Catherine Caudill, the younger sister of sophomore Caroline, and Madison Smith will look to push the rising sophomores for their own time in competitive action while graduate transfer Kailey Collier, a product of the American Athletic Conference Champions and Top 30 program Houston, will add ample experience, leadership and talent to the squad.
FALL SCHEDULE
The Blue Raiders open up Sep. 10-11 with a new tournament on the docket, traveling to the Minnesota Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota at Prestwick Golf Club.
MT then reels off four straight trips to SEC turf, starting with more familiar tournaments hosted by Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
The Raiders will take on the field at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship for the second time in three seasons when they travel to Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville on Sep. 17-18. MT then returns to the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin for their fourth consecutive appearance in the Mason Rudolph Championship on Sep. 21-23.
After traveling to Lexington, Ky., for the University of Kentucky's Bettie Lou Evans Invitational on Oct. 5-7, Middle Tennessee closes out the fall slate on Oct. 14-16 at the Magnolia Invitational, co-hosted by Mississippi State and Ole Miss at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss.
SPRING SCHEDULE
With help from a former Cougar in Collier, the Blue Raiders return to the course in the spring with a trip to University of Houston's Icon Invitational at the Woodlands Country Club on Feb. 25-26.
Adams and her squad make back-to-back trips to the Carolinas in March, first taking part in UNC Wilmington's River Landing Classic on March 4-5 before moving on to the Briar's Creek Invitational at the Golf Club at Briar's Creek on March 18-19.
Middle Tennessee will stay in-state to complete the regular season, competing in Memphis for the first time since 2014 when they travel to the Memphis Women's Intercollegiate at ridgeway Country Club on April 1-2.
POSTSEASON
The Blue Raiders will be looking for a return to the top in 2018-19 as they travel to Fort Myers, Fla., on April 15-17 for the Conference USA Championships.
Fort Myers' Verandah Club will be hosting the championship for the fifth straight year, with Middle Tennessee taking home a team trophy in three of its first four appearances there. The Raiders wore the Conference USA crown in 2015 and again in 2016 before taking a runner-up finish in 2017.
A strong showing in the regular season or another C-USA title in April could lead the Blue Raiders back to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2016. This season's four NCAA Women's Golf Regionals take place at Auburn University Club (Auburn, Ala.), Tumble Creek Golf Club (Cle Elum, Wash.), Forest Akers Golf Course (East Lansing, Mich.) and Jimmie Austin Golf Club (Norman, Okla.) on May 6-8.
Should the Blue Raiders play their way into their first ever team appearance in the NCAA Championships they would make a fairly short trip to neighboring state Arkansas on May 17-22 to compete at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville.
Heralded as one of the toughest women's golf schedules ever put together at Middle Tennessee, Adams' squad will take on a number of tough fields in a season the features five fall competitions hosted by Power 5 schools.
"Top to bottom, I think our fall season is as tough as it has ever been since I've been here," Adams said. "With the invite to the tournament at Minnesota and then four straight SEC events, I think it's going to really test our veteran leadership and experience early on. It's a challenging schedule but I like our chances with the squad that I have and I hope that it will really get our ranking up going into the spring.
"All in all these fall and spring schedules should get us very prepared for our conference championship which will be a great challenge as well since the league is deeper than it's ever been with probably five or six teams that could win it. Returning two of the best players in the league along with a deeper and more competitive lineup behind them should give us a great chance."
The Blue Raiders have high hopes for the season despite being challenged at every turn, boasting four returners from last season's squad as well as a host of talented newcomers.
Seniors Jenna Burris and Hanley Long are likely to lead the way once again in Murfreesboro, bringing back the two lowest scoring averages from last season's team. Long, who turned in the second lowest single season scoring average (73.55) in school history, was named First Team All-Conference USA and was voted as the league's Most Improved Golfer while Burris (74.59) earned Second Team All-C-USA honors.
The senior duo also enter their final campaign with two of the Top 4 career stroke averages in Middle Tennessee history.
"Jenna and Hanley's leadership and experience with everything they've played in and their competitiveness will make them two really great leaders," Adams stated. "This team is eerily similar to a team we had in 2014-15 with Avery George, Allie Knight and Emily Miller as our leaders at that time and I think this team will really blossom like that team in 2014-15 with Jenna and Hanley being the leaders that they are."
Joining them as returners are sophomores Sophie Burks (76.81), Caroline Caudill (76.19) and Savannah Quick (79.11), a trio that combined to compete in 57 rounds for MT in their rookie campaigns.
"I love the depth of our team with our three returning sophomores and the experience they gained last season," Adams added. "Playing as much as they did as freshmen will really bode well for us in their second year. They couldn't be freshmen very long with the amount we asked them to play in year one and that gave them really invaluable experience.
"That being said, the newcomers we have coming in have also played a ton of competitive golf prior to coming to Middle Tennessee and that's going to make this a really competitive and deep team. They will bring a lot to the table and I really like our team dynamic."
Middle Tennessee replaces their two departures from last season with three additions to the 2018-19 roster. Incoming freshmen Catherine Caudill, the younger sister of sophomore Caroline, and Madison Smith will look to push the rising sophomores for their own time in competitive action while graduate transfer Kailey Collier, a product of the American Athletic Conference Champions and Top 30 program Houston, will add ample experience, leadership and talent to the squad.
FALL SCHEDULE
The Blue Raiders open up Sep. 10-11 with a new tournament on the docket, traveling to the Minnesota Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota at Prestwick Golf Club.
MT then reels off four straight trips to SEC turf, starting with more familiar tournaments hosted by Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
The Raiders will take on the field at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship for the second time in three seasons when they travel to Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville on Sep. 17-18. MT then returns to the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin for their fourth consecutive appearance in the Mason Rudolph Championship on Sep. 21-23.
After traveling to Lexington, Ky., for the University of Kentucky's Bettie Lou Evans Invitational on Oct. 5-7, Middle Tennessee closes out the fall slate on Oct. 14-16 at the Magnolia Invitational, co-hosted by Mississippi State and Ole Miss at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss.
SPRING SCHEDULE
With help from a former Cougar in Collier, the Blue Raiders return to the course in the spring with a trip to University of Houston's Icon Invitational at the Woodlands Country Club on Feb. 25-26.
Adams and her squad make back-to-back trips to the Carolinas in March, first taking part in UNC Wilmington's River Landing Classic on March 4-5 before moving on to the Briar's Creek Invitational at the Golf Club at Briar's Creek on March 18-19.
Middle Tennessee will stay in-state to complete the regular season, competing in Memphis for the first time since 2014 when they travel to the Memphis Women's Intercollegiate at ridgeway Country Club on April 1-2.
POSTSEASON
The Blue Raiders will be looking for a return to the top in 2018-19 as they travel to Fort Myers, Fla., on April 15-17 for the Conference USA Championships.
Fort Myers' Verandah Club will be hosting the championship for the fifth straight year, with Middle Tennessee taking home a team trophy in three of its first four appearances there. The Raiders wore the Conference USA crown in 2015 and again in 2016 before taking a runner-up finish in 2017.
A strong showing in the regular season or another C-USA title in April could lead the Blue Raiders back to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2016. This season's four NCAA Women's Golf Regionals take place at Auburn University Club (Auburn, Ala.), Tumble Creek Golf Club (Cle Elum, Wash.), Forest Akers Golf Course (East Lansing, Mich.) and Jimmie Austin Golf Club (Norman, Okla.) on May 6-8.
Should the Blue Raiders play their way into their first ever team appearance in the NCAA Championships they would make a fairly short trip to neighboring state Arkansas on May 17-22 to compete at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
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