Jansone sets school record with 67, powers Bucs to early round lead at A-Sun Championships

Monday, April 14, 2008

Giraldo

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (April 14, 2008) - Having finished second in the past two Atlantic Sun Conference Championships, the ETSU women's golf team has spent the last year focusing on this week's 2008 edition as a chance to finally break through with the program's first conference title.

During Monday's first round at the Ridges Golf and Country Club, sophomore Laura Jansone (Jurmala, Latvia) certainly did her part to make history by simply rewriting the record books on her own.

Battling treacherous conditions that included near freezing temperatures, gusting winds and occasional rain showers, Jansone broke the school record for individual round score by posting a 5-under-par round of 67, with an 18-hole run that included six birdies and just one bogey. The sophomore was joined by three other ETSU players in the Top 5, as the Buccaeneers posted a team score of 298 and currently lead by 17 strokes over defending champion Campbell. Jansone tops the individual leaderboard by nine strokes over senior teammate Natalia Giraldo (Cali, Colombia) and Campbell's Mary Mattson.

"Honestly, that was all we could have asked for," said ETSU head coach Stefanie Shelton. "It was wonderful to have someone shoot five under and to also be ahead by 17 on the team leaderboard, especially with the weather like it was today. First days have been a problem for us this year, but today the ladies showed they were ready to do it. We just have to stay focused now. There are two more days and anything can happen. Campbell has a good team and they will try to come after us strong."

For her part, Jansone was simply in the zone as she broke the single round record of 69, which she had shared with former ETSU great Ashley Barton (Seffner, Fla.), as well as teammates Maria Ringdahl (Farjestaden, Sweden) and Sinead O'Sullivan (Galway, Ireland). She began the day with back-to-back birdies on the first two holes and never looked back, even chipping in to birdie on No. 17.

"I felt really good all day," Jansone said. "I was hitting the ball very solid and close to the pin. I think I just had my whole game working. Even on the hole where I made bogey it was a great shot, but just the wrong club. Breaking my own record especially on our home golf course is special. Now we just want to focus on every single hole, and not worry about anything but the next shot."

Along with Jasone and Giraldo, Ringdahl is fourth following a round of 77, while O'Sullivan tied for fifth at 78 on the day. Junior Lucy Gould (Bargoed, Wales) is tied for 23^rd.

Second round play is scheduled for Tuesday beginning at 8 a.m. at the Ridges. Fans can get up-to-date results and live stats by clicking on Golfstat.com, or visiting ETSUBucs.com for a complete round recap following the day's action.