Oct. 10, 2003

TAMPA, Fla. - The Ole Miss women's golf team found itself in sixth place after the first round of play at the Beacon Woods Invitational on Friday, thanks in large part to a first round score of 74 from sophomore Laura Evans.

Ole Miss fired a 306 as a team on the first day of play.

Evans, who led the team on the day, is tied for 11th in the overall standings after the first round of action. The tournament is being played at the par-72, 6,015-yard Beacon Woods Country Club and will feature two more rounds, which will be played on Saturday and Sunday.

"We had a good first day of golf after three weeks away from competition," said head coach Meghan Bolger. "We played good golf, but certainly not our best golf today. We can make up a lot of ground in the next two rounds, and I expect the team to come out focused and make a move toward that top spot."

Evans led the way for Ole Miss in the first round with her 2-over par score of 74.

Nikki Hadd, a junior on the squad, was the only other Lady Rebel to hold a spot in the top-20 after the first round of play. Hadd tied for the No. 20 spot with a score of 76 in the first round.

Adrienne White and Sarah Kate Cousart both tied for the 27th-place spot in the individual standings, as both players fired a score of 78 in first-round action.

Jade Polonich rounded out the scoring for the Lady Rebels as she carded a first-round score of 80 to tie for 36th overall.

Lisha Beyer and Katie Davidson are both competing as individuals in the event. Davidson finished the first round tied for 47th, firing a score of 84, while Beyer held down the 51st-place position with a score of 87.

The second round of play will be held on Saturday, with the final round of action coming on Sunday.

TEAM SCORES
1.	USF                     293
2.	UCF                     296
3.	Southern Miss           299
	Florida International   299
5.	Miami                   300
6.	OLE MISS                306
7.	UAB                     309
8.	Memphis                 318
9.	Georgia State           327

INDIVIDUAL SCORES
T11.	Laura Evans             74
T20.	Nikki Hadd              76
T27.	Sarah Kate Cousart      78
T27.	Adrienne White          78
T36.	Jade Polonich           80
T47.	Katie Davidson          84
51.	Lisha Beyer             87