Cullowhee, N.C. – Opening this weekend with a special match-play tournament at the Old South Golf Links near Hilton Head, Western Carolina head women's golf coach Courtney Gunter released her squad's six-tournament spring schedule that culminates with the Southern Conference Women's Golf Championship on Kiawah Island, S.C., in late April.
 
Western Carolina competed once in the fall, placing ninth in the Mercer Invitational in Macon, Ga., back in mid-November. Junior Madison Isaacson, who led the team in scoring in the shortened season last year, paced the Catamount scoring five in an 11th-place tie.
 
"After a very strange fall season, having played in only one event, the team and I are eager and excited to get back into competition golf this spring," said WCU head coach Courtney Gunter. "We have a great schedule lined up, starting with a new event in January. This team has never competed so early in the spring season, but with a match play format and a great location I believe it will be the perfect way to tee off the spring."
 
Three of the six scheduled events will be played in coastal South Carolina with two in WCU's home state and one in nearby Sevierville, Tenn.
 
"Each of our events are close to home, a decision made with safety and health concerns in mind. However, we did not have to compromise in terms of competition or golf course to have this schedule. All events have a great line-up of schools competing on some truly fantastic golf courses," said Gunter.
 
WCU's spring schedule opens on Friday, Jan. 29 in the Battle at Old South. The three-round tournament opens with stroke play in the first round to seed the teams followed by three rounds of match-play over the next two days, Jan. 30-31, to determine a winner. The course features towering oak trees and rolling terrain with island greens and Intracoastal marshes along McKay's Creek.
 
Following the spring-opener, the Catamounts have nearly a full month before returning to action back in coastal South Carolina. WCU is scheduled to play in the Kiawah Island Classic (Feb. 28-March 2) hosted by the College of Charleston at the Cougar Point and Oak Point Golf Courses – the latter of which hosts the conference championship event. Regarded annually as the largest collegiate women's golf tournament in the country, WCU finished tied for 27th among the 53 team field a season ago.
 
The Catamounts then travel west into Sevier County, Tennessee for the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate March 14-16. The event is hosted by Tennessee Tech at the Sevierville Golf Club on the Highlands Course. Two weeks later, the Pinehurst Resort welcomes teams for the Pinehurst Women's Intercollegiate March 29-30 in the Sandhills of North Carolina.
 
WCU opens April with the ECU Easter Invitational at the Ironwood Country Club in Greenville, N.C., in the squad's final tune-up before the SoCon Championship, April 19-20 at the Oak Point Golf Course in Kiawah Island, S.C. Teams will play two rounds on the opening day with a final 18 holes on the second day in the two-day event as a part of the league's cost-cutting initiatives.
 
Isaacson returns after averaging 74.83 strokes per round in the abbreviated 2019-20 season, ranked 13th in the league in scoring. Seniors Maya White – who was third on the squad last season at 77.28 strokes per round – Harper Gilreath, and Cameron Wood also return to the lineup this spring. Also back for the spring is WCU's fourth senior, Hazel Martin of Brisbane, Australia, who opted out in the fall semester due to COVID. Those four are joined by junior Cassidy Chambers with sophomores Victoria Ladd and Bailee Twiford. Ladd was WCU's second-best finisher in the lone fall competition earlier this season.
 
Gunter and the Catamounts added a pair of freshmen to the roster in Kayleigh Baker (St. Augustine, Fla.) and Vanessa Campos (Rancho Viejo, Texas), with Campos making her collegiate debut at the Mercer Invitational in the fall semester.
 
"I can speak for the entire team when I say that we hope this spring season goes smoothly and that we can participate in all events on our schedule. However, we are prepared for anything and will take whatever is thrown at us as an opportunity to grow and get better."
 
WCU's six-golfer lineup enter the 2021 spring opener includes Maya White at No. 1, followed by Madison Isaacson and Victoria Ladd in the top three. Senior Cameron Wood is seeded fourth, followed by Vanessa Campos and senior Harper Gilreath.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount women's golf and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts) and Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountWGolf), as well as video updates on the department's YouTube channel (CatamountSports).
 
WCU Women's Golf – Spring 2021 Schedule: 
Jan. 29-31 – Battle at Old South – Old South Golf Links in Bluffton, S.C.
Feb. 28-March 2 – Kiawah Island Classic – Cougar Point / Oak Point Golf Courses in Kiawah Island, S.C.
March 14-16 – Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate – Sevierville Golf Club – Highland Course in Sevierville, Tenn.
March 29-30 – Pinehurst Women's Intercollegiate – Pinehurst No. 6 in Pinehurst, N.C.
April 3-4 – ECU Easter Invitational – Ironwood Country Club in Greenville, N.C.
April 19-20 – 2021 Southern Conference Women's Golf Championship – Oak Point Golf Course in Kiawah Island, S.C.