Krissy Unger shoots school record 70 at Kiawah Classic

 By: Matt Hamilton, Sports Editor

This offseason, Towson welcomed a new indoor facility that allowed both the men and women to practice despite the conditions in the winter. The aim was to make sure both teams were ready for the beginning of the spring season.

“It really helps with keeping your feel and especially working with your mechanics over winter break, so when you get back it gives you a better opportunity to score,” sophomore Mackenzie Rice said last month of the new facility.

Towson had the chance to score at the Kiawah Island Classic in Kiawah Island, South Carolina from Sunday to Tuesday. The Tigers came out strong, putting together the lowest team round total since 2009 with a 302 on Tuesday to finish in 23rd place behind eventual winner College of Charleston.

“We had a great vibe,” junior Krissy Unger said of the team. “I could see pretty much everyone on the course and see that they were doing better. Everyone was holding their heads high, so that give me a little bit of an energy boost in a way and momentum that made me push forward as well.”

Unger was the highlight for Towson, shooting a 70 in the third round, the all-time lowest round in program history, to finish 17th overall. She broke Airielle Dawson’s record, which was set at the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship in 2011.

Unger said she found her grandfather immediately after finishing her record-breaking round.

“I just walked over to [my grandfather],” she said. “He was just, you know, from starting there with the game of golf, just being able to share that moment with him was really, really cool. Just having him there, especially, made it all that more special.”

According to Unger, the indoor facility gave a big boost to the team.

“Obviously there’s a lot of snow in Baltimore right now, so it’s been a little bit difficult for us to practice,” Unger said. “But we’ve had the beauty of the indoor facility to help us. … Still being able to swing instead of sitting around doing nothing is still something. Having that indoor facility has been a big plus for us.”

Following Unger was junior Larissa Spiess, who shot a 77 on Tuesday and finished with a 237 final score to finish in a tie for 87th. Rice came in third for Towson, shooting an 87-77-77 to take 114th place.

Freshman Alexis Hios had the fourth lowest score for Towson, with an 82-82-79 three-round total to finish two strokes behind Rice. Junior Emma Hjarne rounded out the Towson score with an 86-85-78.

The Tigers will be back in action March 15, when they travel to Carmel, California to compete in the Monterey Invitational.