PEORIA, Ill. -- The Bradley women's golf team will make its second trip to Florida this spring and third this year for Plantation Inn Intercollegiate Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Crystal River, Fla., as the Braves hit the halfway point of the 2014 spring schedule.
Bradley will return to the par-72 Plantation Inn Golf Resort for the second straight year, after finishing second at last year's Cincinnati Spring Invitational at the course last spring. The Braves led after shooting a 302 in the opening round of last year's event and followed up with a second-round 303 to finish one stroke behind team champion and tournament-host Cincinnati (604) at last March's rain-shortened tournament.
The 54-hole Plantation Inn Intercollegiate will tee off Friday morning at 7:30 a.m. (CDT) with a shotgun start and the teams will play one round each day. Both Saturday and Sunday's shotgun starts will also begin at 7:30 a.m. (CDT).
The top three teams in last year's event and four of the top five squads from 2013 Cincinnati Invite are back this year, headlined by defending champ Cincinnati, Bradley (2nd), Florida Southern (3rd) and fifth-place finisher Seton Hall. The 15-team field also includes Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville, Memphis, North Dakota State, Southern Miss, UAB, Texas-Pan American, Embry Riddle, Lynn, Seminole State and Tampa.
Sophomore Allison Walsh (Mt. Prospect, Ill./Mt. Prospect) was Bradley's top finisher last year in Crystal River, after carding a career-best 72 in the final round and finished fourth overall at 147. Walsh has carded seven of her last eight rounds in the 70's and owns a 78.38 stroke average during that stretch.
Fellow sophomore Danielle Lemek (Doniphan, Neb./Doniphan-Trumbull) joined Walsh in the top 10 last year at the Cincinnati Spring Invite, tying for 10th at 151. Lemek has earned MVC Golfer of the Week honors after each of the last three tournaments and owns a 74.33 stroke average this spring.
Sophomore Jenna Roadley (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Sturgeon Heights) is the only other Brave with experience at the Plantation Inn Golf Resort, tying for 36th last year with a two-round total of 157. Roadley owns a 78.70 career stroke average in 10 career rounds played in the state of Florida.
Junior Katarina Mangieri (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) has carded her two lowest rounds of the springs in the opening round of each of the last two outings and freshman Paige Jordan (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) picked up a win in match play against Ohio in Bradley's last trip to Florida.
After the trip to Florida the Braves will host the Bradley Invitational April 5 & 6 at WeaverRidge Golf Course.
