OLD HICKORY, Tenn. – The Fire held their own in a competitive field at the Music City Classic, where 14 of the 17 participating teams were nationally ranked. Senior Maria Stephens led Southeastern University with an impressive performance, finishing tied for 17th individually.
Stephens climbed seven spots on the leaderboard during Tuesday's final round, carding a 74 to go with her opening 70—the team's best score of the tournament—and a 78 in the second round. Her three-day total of 222 (+6) featured two of SEU's top three rounds and solidified her place among the tournament's elite.
As a team, SEU finished eighth out of 17, posting a three-round total of 904 (+40). The Fire opened and closed with matching scores of 305 and turned in their best round on Monday with a 294, the fourth-best team score of the day.
No. 2 Keiser University dominated the tournament, winning by 19 strokes with a team score of 859 (-5)—the only team to finish under par. No. 9 SCAD Atlanta took second with an 878 (+14). The field featured four Top 10 teams and 12 ranked programs overall.
Keiser also claimed the top two individual spots, with Carolin Alblas (-8, 208) and Luz Maria Ardila (-5, 211) finishing first and second, respectively.
Junior Alejandra Cuellar was SEU's next-best finisher, tying for 25th with rounds of 73, 74, and 77 for a total of 224 (+8).
Freshman Mariana Espinosa made the biggest move of the final day for the Fire, jumping 11 spots with a closing 74. She shot 77 and 78 in the first two rounds and finished tied for 43rd at 229 (+13).
Marlie Smit and Madelyn Campbell rounded out SEU's lineup, finishing one stroke apart. Smit opened with back-to-back 76s before closing with an 82 to finish T-53 at 234 (+18). Campbell rebounded from an opening-round 80 with scores of 78 and 77 to end at 235 (+19).
The Fire will now take a two-week break before returning to action at the Sun Conference Championship, set for April 26–29 at Jekyll Island, Georgia.
