Staudt, Pantellas lead Seton Hall to team title in Low Country Intercollegiate

   With sophomore Sammie Staudt, a former Coatesville standout, coming up big, Seton Hall claimed its second team title of the spring, cruising to an eight-shot victory over Albany Sunday in the Low Country Intercollegiate at Golf at Moss Creek’s Devil’s Elbow North Course in Hilton Head, S.C.

   Staudt carded a steady 4-over-par 76 over a 5,922-yard, par-72 Devil’s Elbow North layout that proved to be quite a challenge to finish in the group tied for sixth in the individual chase as the Pirates posted a 310 in the second round for a 33-over 609 total.

   Seton Hall had opened with a 299 Saturday, the only sub-300 round of the tournament, to grab an eight-shot lead over Albany and was able to maintain that advantage when Albany was unable to do any better Sunday than match the Pirates’ 310 total.

   Seton Hall, No. 119 in the latest Golfstat rankings, captured the team title in last month’s Rio Verde Invitational at Quail Run Golf Course in Rio Verde, Ariz. That made Sunday’s win in the Low Country Intercollegiate the Pirates’ second of the spring and third of the season.

   Albany opened with a 307 and its second-round 310 gave it a 41-over 617 total. Appalachian State and Quinnipiac shared third place at 44-over 620 after respective final rounds of 310 and 311. South Carolina Upstate was another shot behind Appalachian State and Quinnipiac in fifth at 621 after a final round of 308. Host Wofford finished sixth in the 14-team field at 626 after a final-round 316.

   Seton Hall’s overall top finisher was Cassie Pantellas, a senior from Canton, Ohio who was one of three players who finished tied for third at 7-over 151. Pantellas opened with an even-par 72 Saturday that was the lowest individual round of the tournament and helped send Seton Hall to the top of the team leaderboard. She cooled off in the second round with a 79, although the round was still a counter for the Pirates.

   Staudt’s second-round 76 matched her opening-round 76 and her 152 total that left her in the group tied for sixth.

   Also for Seton Hall, Lizzie Winn, a sophomore from Sylvania, Ohio, and freshman Mia Kness, the 2016 PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Peters Township, were in the group tied for ninth at 9-over 153. Winn opened with a 75 and added a 78 in the second round while Kness opened with a 76 and added a 77 in Sunday’s final round.

   Sophomore Maddie Sager, the 2015 PIAA Class AAA runnerup as a senior at Owen J. Roberts, struggled over the tough Devil’s Elbow North layout with rounds of 81 and 82 for a 163 total that left her tied for 42^nd.

   Senior Macky Fouse, the 2013 PIAA Class AA champion as a senior at Central Valley, competed as an individual and finished in a group tied for 36^th at 161 after adding a 78 to her opening-round 83.

   Appalachian State’s Melany Chong, a sophomore from Canada, claimed the individual title, adding a 74 Sunday to her opening-round 73 for a 3-over 147 total. South Carolina Upstate’s Pan Paksanont, a sophomore from Thailand, was the runnerup as she added a 74 to her opening-round 75 to finish two shots behind Chong at 5-over 149.

   Joining Seton Hall’s Pantellas in the trio tied for third at 7-over 151 were Quinnipiac’s Queenie Lai, a freshman from China, and Presbyterian College’s Ann Elizabeth Gore, a senior from Lexington, S.C. Lai added a 75 to her opening-round 76 while Gore opened with a 2-over 74 before finishing up with a 77.