VALDOSTA, Ga. — The No. 3 Dalton State women's golf team battled through three demanding rounds at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, surging to a second-place team finish behind #5 SCAD Atlanta in the NAIA field. Using steady contributions from Reese Day, Tyjah James, Ella Ahlqvist, Sara Burger, and Tara Phipps, the Lady Roadrunners trimmed their scoring each day after a slow start and held off a late charge from the pack to secure the silver spot.
 
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS

• 1st – #5 SCAD-Atlanta (Ga.): 905 (+41)
• 2nd – #3 Dalton State (Ga.): 916 (+52)
• 3rd – #6 SCAD-Savannah (Ga.): 920 (+56)

ROUND 1
TEAM RECAP
Dalton State opened on the demanding Kinderlou setup with a +20 team total. Reese Day set an early tone with composed ball-striking, while Tyjah James and Ella Ahlqvist steadied the middle of the lineup with long runs of pars. Sara Burger and Tara Phipps rounded out the counting scores, keeping DS in the hunt despite tricky winds and firm greens.
 
INDIVIDUALS:

• Susana Calvar settled in quickly on the front nine, keeping the card under control with disciplined tee-shots and stress-free lag putting.
• Elin Gullbrandsson found momentum coming home, stringing together a late stretch of pars to close her opening loop on a positive note.

ROUND 2
TEAM RECAP
The Roadrunners answered with a four-shot improvement (team +16). DS handled Kinderlou's long par-3s far better, and the lineup leaned on patience and placement. Ahlqvist and James stacked pars to anchor the middle, Day cleaned up key up-and-downs, and Burger added timely red numbers to provide a spark. The round solidified second place and created daylight from the chasers.
 
INDIVIDUALS

• Calvar produced her most confident ball-striking of the week, playing the middle holes with poise and keeping big numbers off the card.
• Gullbrandsson battled well in the afternoon conditions, using smart course management to post a steady second-round card and build momentum for the finale.

ROUND 3
TEAM RECAP
Dalton State matched its second-round total at +16 to secure the runner-up finish while SCAD Atlanta pulled away late. Burger delivered the day's spark with multiple front-nine birdies, Ahlqvist and James piled up pars to keep the count clean, and Day's composed finish shut the door on the teams behind. Phipps' late par-saves provided the cushion DS needed to lock up second.
 
INDIVIDUALS

• Calvar capped her week with a composed closing nine, converting key up-and-downs to finish strong.
• Gullbrandsson turned in her most confident swings of the tournament down the stretch, navigating Kinderlou's demanding closing stretch with conviction.

UP NEXT
A new event graces the schedule for the #3 Lady Roadrunners when they head to Toccoa and Currahee Club for the Currahee Club Invitational hosted by Indiana Wesleyan on March 2-3.
 
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