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HomeSportsLady Govs golf tabbed fourth in OVC preseason poll

Lady Govs golf tabbed fourth in OVC preseason poll

APSU Women’s Golf

Austin Peay State University GovernorsClarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University women’s golf team has been picked fourth in a preseason poll of the Ohio Valley Conference coaches, the league office announced Wednesday.

Jacksonville State (44) edged out defending champion Murray State (42) as the league favorite, with Morehead State (41) in a close third. The Lady Govs (32), Eastern Kentucky (26), Tennessee Tech (18), Eastern Illinois (14) and Tennessee State (7) make up the rest of the poll.

Lady Gov's Golf. (Photo Courtesy: Austin Peay Sports Information)
Lady Gov's Golf. (Photo Courtesy: Austin Peay Sports Information)

Austin Peay senior Chelsea Harris, the 2010 OVC Medalist, will look to defend her individual title at Dickson’s GreyStone Golf Club, April 21st-23rd. The Lady Govs have played well at GreyStone in the past, but Murray State has won the last two OVC titles.

“Last year we were picked sixth and finished fourth,” head coach Sara Robson said. “I don’t know if the preseason poll is any indicator of how hard a team is going to work and how bad they want to win the championship. It’s still our goal to be in the last group on the last day. If we’re picked fourth, that’s just a little more motivation to work hard.”

Chelsea HarrisHarris led the Lady Govs with five top-five finishes and one tournament win at the SIUE Intercollegiate, through six fall events. Robson’s roster consisted of eight players participating in at least three tournaments with four players – Harris, senior Ashley Wathen, junior Ashley Averitt and freshman Rachel Deaton – playing in all six tournaments. Deaton has the team’s second-best scoring average (79.1), behind Harris’ 75.3.

Outside of the F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate, the Lady Govs did not see many of the OVC’s teams at other tournaments. That is in part due to Robson’s dedication to testing her team on the region’s toughest golf courses in order to prepare them for the OVC Championship.

Ashley Wathen“We didn’t see a lot of the league head-to-head in the fall,” Robson said. “Maybe we could have, but we played in some tough tournaments at some hard golf courses against some high-ranked teams. We did that to strengthen our schedule and our stroke average still went down.”

The Lady Govs will have a chance to see some of the league when they open the spring season in Murray, KY, at the NewWave Communications MSU Spring Invitational, February 28th.

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