Zips Move to First, Nicholson Leads Field at Rio Verde

Saturday, February 24

Quail Run Golf Club | Rio Verde, AZ

All Day

University of Akron

Rio Verde Invitational

Zips Move to First, Nicholson Leads Field at Rio Verde

February 24 | Women's Golf

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GolfStat Live Scoring |Pairings: RD1 | RD2 | RD3 | Leaderboard: Team | Player | Team/Player

Rio Verde, Ariz. – The Akron Zips women's golf team cut 13 strokes from their first-round performance (306, 18) to move to the top of the team leaderboard as junior Danielle Nicholson (Geneva, Ohio) climbed 15 spots to emerge as the individual leader at the Rio Verde Invitational on Saturday.

The Zips posted a 293 ( 5) behind Nicolson's 4-under par 68 performance at the 6, 128-yard, par-72 Quail Run Course. Nicholson started the round strong by recording par on five straight holes. On hole No. 6, she carded her first birdie, and she followed with her second on the seventh hole. Nicholson finished the front-9 with par and birdie to move to 3-under at the turn.

On No. 10, Nicholson recorded her fourth birdie and followed with six consecutive pars. Nicholson lowered her score to 5-under par on seventeen but gave the stroke back on the final hole with her only bogey of the round. After 36 holes, Nicholson owns a one-stroke lead over the field with an even-par 144 total (76-68).

Senior Pader Her (Holt, Mich.) followed in scoring for Akron with a 73 ( 1) total. She recorded 14 pars, two birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey en route to moving up 20 spots on the leader with a 155 ( 11) tournament total.

Freshman Jacinta Pikunas (Youngstown, Ohio) is tied for fourth overall after a 75 ( 3) second-round performance. She finished third in team scoring with 15 pars and three bogeys. In first-round action, Pikunas fired a field-low 71 (-1) score for a 146 ( 2) tournament total.

Rounding out the team scoring was Sophomore Allyson Wentworth (Stewartsville, N.J.) and junior Makayla Dull (Fremont, Ohio) with 77 ( 5) and 86 ( 14) scores, respectively. Wentworth fired back-to-back 77's for a 154 ( 10) total, currently ranking 28^th on the leaderboard while Dull's total is 172 ( 28).

Playing as individuals are freshman Abbie Pearce (Green, Ohio) and while senior Mallory Etcheberry (Wesley Chapel, Fla.). Pearce is also tied at the 28^th overall position after climbing 13 spots on the leaderboard with a 75 ( 3) round for a 154 ( 10) total. Etcheberry improved her score by three strokes to finish with an 83 ( 11) tally and 169 ( 25) total.

The Zips (599, 23) enter the final round with a four-stroke advantage over current runner-up Seton Hall (603, 27) and five-strokes ahead of third place Arkansas State (604, 28).

Akron is scheduled to begin final round action at 10:30 a.m. ET. Fans can follow the action via GolfStat Live Scoring.

Top 5 Teams
1 Akron 306-293 - 599 ( 23)
2 Seton Hall 307-296 - 603 ( 27)
3 Arkansas State 311-293 - 604 ( 28)
4 Little Rock 305-303 - 608 ( 32)
5 Wichita State 313-298 - 611 ( 35)

Top 5 Players
1 Danielle Nicholson, Akron, 76-68 - 144 (E)
T2 Sarah Childers, Arkansas State, 75-70 - 145 ( 1)
T2 Taryn Torgerson, Wichita State, 73-72 - 145 ( 1)
T4 Mikayla Fitzpatrick, Xavier, 76-70 - 146 ( 2)
T4 Jacinta Pikunas, Akron, 71-75 - 146 ( 2)

1 Akron ( 23) 306-293 - 599
1 Danielle Nicholson (E) 76-68 - 144
T4 Jacinta Pikunas ( 2) 71-75 - 146
T28 Allyson Wentworth ( 10) 77-77 - 154
T37 Pader Her ( 11) 82-73 - 155
90 Makayla Dull ( 28) 86-86 – 172