Anna Behnsen led the South Alabama Jaguars women’s golf team at the 28th Annual Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate, finishing tied for sixth with a three-under-par total of 210. The event took place at Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was hosted by the University of Tennessee.
Behnsen’s performance included rounds of 67, 73, and 70. Her opening round score of 67 marked a career low and was her sixth career round under 70. It also tied for the sixth-lowest single-round score in program history and was the first 67 by a Jaguar golfer since Catharina Lohoff achieved the same in 2022. With her third-round 70, Behnsen now has ten rounds under par during her time at South Alabama, tying her for fourth most in program history. She also recorded her third career top-10 finish and led the team with 11 birdies during the tournament, increasing her season total to 30.
South Alabama finished ninth as a team with a total score of 875 (287-294-294). Tournament host Tennessee won the event, finishing at 13-under-par (839), nine strokes ahead of second-place Oregon State. Oregon State’s Kyra Ly and Western Kentucky’s Sydney Hackett shared individual honors, each finishing at 11-under-par (202).
Head coach Marcelo Huarte commented on the team’s performance: “We got off to a solid start at this event, but struggled to build momentum over the next two rounds. With a week to prepare, we’ll focus on tightening up a few key areas before our final event of the fall. The goal is to finish strong and carry some positive energy into the offseason.”
On Behnsen’s play, Huarte said: “Anna had another strong showing this week. She continues to impress and is showing the kind of player that she’s growing into.”
Other notable performances for South Alabama included Daniela Palmeros tying for 40th with a score of 221, while Katharina Schroll and McKenna Murphy both tied for 57th at 227. Murphy, competing in her first collegiate tournament, recorded nine birdies.
The Jaguars will conclude their fall schedule at the Evie Odom Invitational from October 16-18 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
For more information on South Alabama women’s golf, visit usajaguars.com or follow their social media channels.
