Jupiter, Fla. – Fifth-year senior Madison Isaacson climbed 12 positions in Monday's second round by matching the school-record low round of 66 as Western Carolina vaulted to the top of the team leaderboard with 18 holes to play at the Jupiter Women's Invitational being contested at the par-70, 5,890-yard Jonathan's Landing Golf Club.
 
Isaacson matched the best 18-hole score in WCU history held by three other golfers and achieved four previous times, shot most recently by Sofie Kvarnstrom back in 2011. Ashley Hovda posted a pair of rounds at 66 in 2005 and Brandy Andersen also fired a 66 back in 2002.
 
Four of WCU's scoring five sit inside the individual Top 10 after 36 holes as the Catamounts eye their unprecedented third team championship of the year entering Tuesday's final round.
 
For the second time this fall, WCU carded a team score of 278 in the second round on Monday. The Catamounts pace the nine-team field, carrying a six-stroke edge over Florida Gulf Coast into Tuesday's final round. WCU fired rounds of 291 and the aforementioned 278 to shoot 569 with FGCU in second at 575. Troy and Jacksonville carded matching scores of 582 to sit tied for third, 13 strokes off the pace with Stetson (588) rounding out the top five, 19 strokes in arrears.
 
Paired with golfers from Troy and Florida Gulf Coast, the Catamount scoring five hits the course on the front nine beginning at 8:35 a.m. Live scoring through GolfStat is available online with a link at CatamountSports.com.
 
Three-over par and tied for 13th-place 18 holes into this week's tournament, Isaacson countered two bogeys with six birdies in the second round to jettison into the catbird seat on the 47-golfer field. The Greensboro, N.C., native is third in the field with eight total birdies and sits as the only golfer under-par through 36 holes with a score of 139.
 
Last week's medalist at the Aggie Invitational, Isaacson has a one-stroke lead over a two-way tie for second between ShaeBug Scarberry of Troy and Jacksonville's Susana Olivares at even-par 140.
 
Freshman Brie Mapanao was WCU's biggest mover on the day, rocketing 22 spots in the standings into a tie for fifth place after posting a career-low round of 67 in the second round. The Quakers Hill, New South Wales, Australia, product was mired in a tie for 27th after a 6-over par 76 in the first round, carding a pair of birdies against four bogeys and two double-bogeys. However, the Aussie flipped the script in her second round, posting seven birdies against four bogeys for a 3-under round of 67, finishing the opening day tied for the tourney lead with nine birdies and a score of 143.
 
Rounding out WCU's scoring five are senior Victoria Ladd and sophomore Elizabeth Lohbauer in a five-way tie for ninth-place at 144 and redshirt freshman Kayleigh Baker in a tie for 22nd in a return to her home state, shooting 150. Ladd jumped four spots in the second round, countering a 3-over par 73 with a 1-over par 71, carding five birdies – all coming on the front nine. Lohbauer was in a six-way tie for the runner-up spot after an even-par opening-round 70, sliding seven spots in the second round with a 4-over round of 74 but remains within the Top 10.
 
Baker carded consecutive rounds of 5-over par 75 on Monday with four total birdies. She was poised for a 2-over par opening round before a triple-bogey on the par-5, 515-yard hole No. 1 relegated her to 5-over par. She rebounded to par the final two holes of her first round. Baker opened the second round at 1-under par through six holes before seven bogeys and the fourth birdie of the day moved her back to 75.
 
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1 – Western Carolina – 291 – 278 = 569 (+9)
1 – Madison Isaacson – 73-66 = 139 (-1)
T5 – Brie Mapanao – 76-67 = 143 (+3)
T9 – Elizabeth Lohbauer – 70-74 = 144 (+4)
T9 – Victoria Ladd – 73-71 = 144 (+4)
T22 – Kayleigh Baker – 75-75 = 150 (+10)