February 15, 2008 --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

SMC Women’s Golf Teeing Off Season In Mars Hill’s “Bash at the Beach”
Team Goal Is To Win Regional Tournament, Go To NJCAA Nationals 

SPARTANBURG, SC – The SMC Lady Pioneers golf team opens its season as the only junior college participating in NCAA Division II Mars Hill College’s “Bash at the Beach” starting this Sunday, Feb. 17 in Ocean Isle, NC. 

“Our goal is to place in the Top 5 in this event,” says SMC women’s head golf coach Kyle Owings. 

Practice rounds for the tournament are on Sunday; the event itself will be held Monday, Feb. 18 and Tuesday, Feb. 19. 

Also participating in the tournament, all Division II schools, are Anderson University, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Belmont-Abbey College, Ohio Valley University, St. Andrews Presbyterian College, Pfeiffer University, Lenoir-Rhyne College, Lincoln Memorial University, host Mars Hill College, Mt. Olive College, Newberry College, and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Pfeiffer is ranked the highest of those schools, at No. 20th in the Division II pre-season poll. 

 “This will be a very competitive tournament, but will give our ladies the opportunity to play against some of the schools they may be looking at transferring to. It will also give the other coaches at first-hand chance to see how good each of them are,” Owings says. 

The SMC women team won two out of four tournaments in its Fall 2007 season and was ranked 9th in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s post-season rankings. This is the first year of women’s golf at SMC. 

“Our women played an excellent fall season against some very competitive teams. We have a little bit stronger of schedule, however, this spring. But we’re still expecting good things out of our team,” says Owings. 

The majority of opponents SMC played against in the fall were Division II as well. 

“If we were able to be ranked in NCAA Division II, we would have been in the middle of the pack,” says Owings.

Leading the team this season is Megan Bradley, a freshman from Mayesville, SC, followed by sisters Whitney and Brittany Barton, of Pelzer, SC.  

“Megan is our girl who can break 80. All of our players are very consistent and have been putting together strong qualifying scores. They all have the potential to do very well,” says Owings. 

Following the Bash at the Beach, the SMC team will compete in the Montreat College Invitational in March and the Tusculum College – Agnes McAmis Memorial Invitational in April, before going to the region tournament. 

Owings says Tusculum University and Anderson University will be the two teams that SMC will need to beat this season. 

“If we are able to beat those two teams, we should finish in at least the top two or three in every event this season,” Owings says. 

He adds that the goal for the spring is for the team to place first in at least one event, win the Region X title, and go on to nationals. 

 “I feel very good about our chances in our region event. I think we have a very realistic goal of going on to nationals and placing in the Top 5 there,” says Owings. 

SMC and Louisburg Community College, in Louisburg, NC, are the only two women’s golf programs in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. 

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia, and West Virginia.  

The College is in its 97th year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning. 

For more information, contact head coach Kyle Owings at (864)  205-4221. 

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