Pearl River Women’s Golf Makes History With First-Ever Team Trophy

The Pearl River Community College women’s golf team is making history in just its third season.

The Lady Wildcats returned from Jacksonville, Texas, with a second-place finish at Cherokee Ranch Golf Club, earning the program’s first-ever team trophy in women’s golf.

Competing in their first intercollegiate tournament, Pearl River faced a field featuring NCAA Division II, Division III and NJCAA Division I programs.

The Wildcats sat in fourth place after the opening 18 holes, trailing second place by 14 strokes as Blinn College built a commanding lead over the field.

Carissa Hester of Stone and Kelsey Mason of Vancleave led Pearl River in the first round, each carding an 85.

But the Lady Wildcats surged up the leaderboard in the final round, shooting 28 strokes better as a team than they did on the opening day.

Mason led the charge with a final-round 79, highlighted by a chip-in birdie on her 13th hole. Hester and Natalie Mason of Vancleave also delivered strong performances, each shooting an 80 to help Pearl River secure second place.

Hester and Kelsey Mason both finished in the individual top 10, while Mason earned All-Tournament Team honors.

Mason’s final-round 79 also marked the first time a Lady Wildcat had recorded a round under 80 in tournament play. She additionally became the first female golfer at Pearl River to win an individual trophy.

The historic performance featured five personal-best tournament rounds across the team’s two days of competition, including a final-round 89 from Marlee Saucier of St. Martin.

The Lady Wildcats will look to build on their momentum next week when they travel to Columbus for the East Mississippi Invitational at Lion Hills.