LAKELAND, Fla. – The home defense started with the Fire in front, and ended with the Fire on top. Successfully claiming first place in a loaded field at the SEU "Soucinek" Invite at the Grasslands Golf and Country Club to top off the Fall Season.
Southeastern held the top spot throughout the October 26–27 tournament, finishing at 46-over-par with rounds of 301, 305 and 304. The Fire secured the title by 10 strokes over No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan, with No. 10 Texas Wesleyan finishing third at 77-over.
The Fire placed four golfers inside the top 10, led by Sadaly Campbell, who climbed six positions on the final day to secure runner-up honors at nine-over-par. Campbell closed with an even-par 72, her best round of the tournament, and led the entire field with 11 birdies.
"I focused on trying to work with the wind, instead of fighting with it the whole time," Campbell said.
Campbell's success began early in the tournament, where she credited her putting for helping navigate challenging conditions on the course.
"My putting game was working well, I started with three birdies in round one, so I was glad to have the bogey insurance for the tougher holes," Campbell said.
Elisa Sembenini joined Campbell among the top three finishers, tying for third at 11-over-par. Her consistency throughout the event, producing 37 pars, the second-highest total in the field.
Abbey Peterson followed with a tie for fifth at 14-over, while Rivers Common secured seventh at 15-over. Common led the tournament in par-4 scoring, averaging 4.13 strokes across those holes. Ava Bustos completed Southeastern's scoring lineup with a tie for 10th at 19-over.
The Fire also had three individual competitors. Avery Glenn tied for 18th at 23-over, Emma Tobias tied for 21st at 24-over and Mariana Espinosa finished 25th at 27-over.
Southeastern's consistency proved decisive, as the Fire led all eight teams with 159 pars and topped the field in par-4 scoring. The team also recorded 31 birdies, the second-most in the tournament.
For head coach David Joyner, the championship reflected the progress his team has made throughout the fall and the expectations heading into the spring.
"The whole squad just seems to get better as we go, and as we work into the spring we will continue to challenge them and I strongly believe they will get better as we go," Joyner said. Adding, "I did want to shout out my brother and assistant coach, Mark Joyner, he did a great job out there, really helping the girls through some tough holes. Really thankful for all he did," Joyner said.
Texas Wesleyan's Makena Junkin, the NAIA's No. 1 golfer, earned individual medalist honors at two-over-par, but Southeastern's depth across the lineup secured the team championship.
With the fall schedule complete, the Fire carry a tournament victory and momentum into the spring portion of their season.
