The women’s golf team left its third tournament feeling like it is ready to hit its stride.

“This team is so close to having a breakout tournament,” head coach Mike Morrow said. “Once the team gets going, it will show in the standings.”

There is an awful lot of golfing talent on this team.”

Led by junior Kira Meixner’s top 10 finish, the 25th-ranked Flashes finished ninth out of 16 teams at the SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.

“I’m happy about the top 10,” Meixner said, “I improved my standing every round.”

Meixner got off to a slow start with a bad drive and a few missed putts. She finished the first round shooting an 8-over-par.

“I started out with a tough round,” she said. “I didn’t make any birdies, but I came back well and played decent.”

Meixner recovered in round two, shooting even par. After starting round three tied for 15th, she shot 3-over-par in the third and final round to finish the tournament tied for 8th, 11-over-par.

Meixner said one of her goals is to improve her score every round.

The team reflects Meixner’s performance.

“We tended to be a bit rusty in the first round,” Morrow said.

The team shot 304 in round one and 307 in round two, but in the third round, the team shot 297, the third-lowest score of the day.

Aside from Meixner, junior Tara Delaney improved eight positions on the last day, moving from 32nd to a tie for 24th and was 16-over-par for the tournament. Sophomore Kirby Dreher finished 36th at 19-over-par.

Morrow said the team must become more consistent and keep its short game sharp.

The team is off this week and plays its next tournament March 23-25 at the Liz Murphy Classic in Athens, Ga.

“We’ve been going strong for three weeks,” Meixner said. “I will enjoy the week off and catch up on school.”

Contact Student Wellness and Rec Center reporter Jeff Russ at [email protected].