Morganton, N.C. – Boasting a trio inside the individual Top Five after 36 of the scheduled 54 holes, Western Carolina women's golf carries a one-stroke lead over Southern Conference foe Wofford into Tuesday's final round at the 2024 Mimosa Hills Intercollegiate at the par-72, 6,130-yard Mimosa Hills Golf Club. The Catamounts shared the top spot with the Terriers through the opening 18 holes before taking the one-stroke edge to the clubhouse overnight.
 
Catamount junior Elizabeth Lohbauer shares the tournament's top spot with Appalachian State individual competitor Makena Dubois with a two-round score of 5-over par 149. WCU sophomores Sadler Miller and Brie Mapanao sit in a three-way tie for third overall a stroke in arrears at 6-over par 150 heading into Tuesday's final round that opens at 8:30 a.m.
 
Lohbauer led the field through the opening 18 holes, countering a pair of bogeys with two birdies and 14 combined pars to shoot even-par 72. The Venice, Fla., product slipped to 3-over par through her first seven holes of Monday's second round before consecutive birdies on the par-4 10th and par-4 11th moved her back to 1-over for the round with nine holes to play. Lohbauer was poised to carry a 2-over par 74 into the clubhouse before a triple-bogey on the par-4 second relegated her to 5-over par 77 and back into a tie with Dubois for first place.
 
Mapanao and Miller took different routes to the podium on Monday, sitting tied for third after 36 holes with matching scores of 150.
 
Mapanao fought through an up-and-down opening round, countering five bogeys and one double-bogey with three birdies to shoot 4-over par 76 the first go-round. Her second round was much quieter as the Quakers Hill, New South Wales, Australia, product overcame a double-bogey on her first hole with a birdie on No. 3, posting 15 pars and one bogey on the back nine to knock two strokes off her score at 2-over par 74.
 
Miller opened the day with a 7-over par 79 on Monday, carding a pair of double-bogeys and four bogeys with just one birdie. Over the next 18 holes, though, she played 2-over par through the first 15 holes with 13 pars and a pair of bogeys. The Clayton, N.C., native finished strong with three consecutive birdies to close her day, rallying 14 positions into the three-way tie for third place.
 
Rounding out the Catamount scoring five are redshirt junior Kayleigh Baker in a four-way tie for 14th at 10-over par 154, and fifth-year senior Victoria Ladd up four positions into a tie for 22nd at 158. Baker posted consecutive rounds of 5-over par 77 on Monday, carding three total birdies on Monday. Ladd overcame an opening-round 81 with a second-round score of 77, posting two additional birdies on the second 18 holes to shoot four strokes better.
 
Statistically, Lohbauer carded a team-best 25 pars on Monday – second in the tournament field – with Mapano and Miller right behind with 24 pars over the opening 36 holes. Ladd charted a team-best five birdies on Monday. Ladd and Miller pace the field in par-3 scoring at even-par (3.00), with Mapanao tied for the best par-5 scoring at 2-under par (4.75).
 
Playing unattached as an individual, junior Kaitlyn Wingnean carded rounds of 79 and 78 to sit in a tie for 20th with a two-round score of 157. The Canadian-born striker countered 15 bogeys over the 36-hole day with a pair of birdies for the 13-over par outing.
 
Western Carolina leads the seven-team field by a stroke over second-place Wofford as the two SoCon squads have distanced themselves from the remainder of the field. The Catamounts shot 603 over the first two rounds with the Terriers in second at 604. Tournament host Appalachian State is third with a 36-hole score of 619, 16 strokes off the pace. Rounding out the Top Five are North Carolina A&T (624) and Gardner-Webb (628). Presbyterian (630) is sixth with The Citadel (682) rounding out the field.
 
Paired with golfers from second-place Wofford and third-place Appalachian State, WCU's scoring five hits the course with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. WCU's scoring five opens between holes No. 1 and No. 5. Live scoring through GolfStat is available online through a link at CatamountSports.com.
 
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1 – Western Carolina – 304 – 299 = 603 (+27)
T1 – Elizabeth Lohbauer – 72 – 77 = 149 (+5)
T3 – Brie Mapanao – 76 – 74 = 150 (+6)
T3 – Sadler Miller – 79 – 71 = 150 (+6)
T14 – Kayleigh Baker – 77 – 77 = 154 (+10)
T22 – Victoria Ladd – 81 – 77 = 158 (+14)
T20 – Kaitlyn Wingnean (ind.) – 79 – 78 = 157 (+13)