KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — For the second time in a three-tournament span, High Point University's Makayla Grubb was crowned medalist as she led the Panthers to a third-place finish at the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate on Tuesday afternoon.

Grubb carded a trio of under-par rounds (66-68-67) for a 12-under-par 54-hole 201, tying with Tennessee's Madison Messimer on her home course at Cherokee Country Club. As a team, the Panthers shot an 11-under-par 273 in the opening round to highlight a 4-under-par finish behind Tennessee (-21) and Baylor (-10), while being ahead of South Florida (-2) and East Carolina (-1) in the top-5.

Head Coach Lyndsey Hunnell: "Another impressive showing for this team! They worked on a lot from the last event and came out strong for the first round. Even with such a great finish behind some very strong teams, I know there's still more we can work on to get even better and more consistent. I can't wait for them to get a little bit of a break and work hard these next two weeks to finish the semester strong! Makayla was incredible this week. Even through fighting through an injury, she still made it work this week to collect another trophy for her case. She's unlocked a new type of mindset that is carrying her game to new heights. I couldn't be prouder of her fight and growth over her career here. If she continues this mental game, this won't be the last time you see her hoisting up another trophy."

Site: Knoxville, Tenn.
Course: Cherokee Country Club
Par/Yardage: 71/5,965
 
HPU Top Finisher: Makayla Grubb (T1) — 66, 68, 67 (201) -12                                                                          
HPU Team Finish: 3 of 15 teams — 273, 288, 287 (848) -4
 
Panther Placement:
T1 Makayla Grubb -12 (66, 68, 67) 201
T14 Rachel Joyce E (71, 71, 71) 213
T19 Anna Howerton +1 (68, 71, 75) 214
T51 Savannah Cherry +10 (71, 78, 74) 223
T53 Eva Lye +11 (68, 79, 77) 224
Individual: 55 Francesca Pencelli +12 (74, 78, 73) 225

After winning her first collegiate medalist at the Lady Paladin Invitational on September 20, Grubb proved she was just getting started. The sophomore was on fire from the first round as she carded a new collegiate low (66; -5) to set the standard for the event in Knoxville. Grubb sunk a tournament-high 18 birdies, making six in each round, including back-to-back third-round birdies on holes 16 and 17 to secure co-medalist honors.

She led the entire field of 81 players with an impressive 3.52 (-10) on Par 4 holes, while averaging 4.67 (-5) on Par 5 holes. It's the second tournament she has shot three under-par rounds (66-68-67) to finish atop the leaderboard.

"I'm beyond grateful to have won my second collegiate event," Grubb said. "Even more so, I'm grateful for the support system behind me and the preparation that has led to this moment. I couldn't be happier to represent High Point and hope to continue shining light on this program."

The Panthers had a pair of top-20 finishers as Rachel Joyce placed T14 (E) and Anna Howerton (+1) earned T19.

Joyce carded a new 54-hole collegiate low, shooting even across the tournament with three rounds of 71 and nine birdies. The freshman averaged 3.95 (-1) on Par 4 holes, which was sixth best in the tournament. Howerton carded a 3-under-par (68) first round, then shot an even round two and finished with a 75 on Tuesday.

Rounding out the starting lineup, Savannah Cherry and Eva Lye finished just outside the top-50. Cherry shot her best round of the season in the first round, carding an even-par 71 while a 78 and 74 followed. The junior tied Joyce for a team second-best nine birdies.

Lye had a bogey-free round one, shooting 3-under par 68 to highlight the event for the junior. In round two and three, Lye played into some tough scenarios, leading to a 79 and 77 and six birdies.

Pencelli competed as an individual and shot her best round to finish the tournament. The freshman's 2-over-par 73 moved her four spots up the leaderboard to T55 as she paired it with rounds of 74 and 78. Pencelli ended with five birdies.

Up Next: The Panthers compete in the final two tournaments of the fall on Oct. 19-20, traveling to the Edisto Island Invitational in Charleston, S.C., and down the road at the UNCG Fall Collegiate in Greensboro.