VISTA, Calif. — Biola Women's Golf dipped under 300 for the second time this spring season to charge up the leaderboard a spot (or two) on the final day at the CSU San Marcos Fujikura Invitational in Vista.

The Eagles finished day one tied for fourth in the 19-team field, but combined to shoot a 299 on the second day of play to end the tournament in sole possession of third-place on the leaderboard. It is the second time this spring and the fifth time overall this season that Head Coach Jane Carr's team finished in the top-3 at a tournament. 

"I love their drive to see just how good they can be," said Carr. "We are proving ourselves to be a strong second round team which shows the mental fight and resilience of these players."

Biola continues to show its presence in the west and vye for the eyes of the national rankings group with its performances. BU has finished no lower than fifth place in any tournament this year while playing one of the more difficult schedules. 

The Eagles two-day tally of 613 placed Carr's contingent behind only the hosts No. 13 CSU San Marcos, which shot 594 on its home course, and the No. 1 team in all of NCAA Division II, Lynn University (Fla.). Lynn finished second by a stroke at last year's NCAA DIvision II Championship Finals. They've won three national titles and earned 15 of 16 first-place votes in the most recent WGCA poll.

Biola's golfers had the opportunity to be paired with Lynn on the final day, making for a meaningful championship experience. The Eagles were just six strokes back from Lynn on Tuesday and nine strokes back overall. The Fighting Knights placed second in this tournament and have won four tournaments and finished second twice this year, putting Biola's abilities clearly in the spotlight.

Lauren Lee was the top scorer at the tournament for Biola. She shot a 77 on day two to finish tied for seventh with an overall score of 150 (+6). Lee did a bunch of her heavy lifting on par-5 holes. She finished the tournament with the second-best scoring on par-5s at two-under, averaging 4.75 strokes-per-hole. Lee also had more birdies than any other Biola golfer, recording six over the two days.

"Our freshmen are gaining valuable experience this year and contributing greatly to the success we are experiencing," said Carr. "On hole 18 today freshman Lauren Lee sunk a 24 foot putt in front of a large group of spectators that had assembled around the green to watch the final group come in. Our freshmen are having opportunities to play and stepping up when they need to."

Brady Turnquist had the best round of the day for Biola and second-best among the entire field (72). She finished tied for 14th overall at 152 (+8). She had one stretch of 16-consecutive holes at par.

"Brady continues to be a strong anchor for this team," said Carr.

The Eagles showed tremendous consistency among their five scoring players at the tournament. Each of the five had at least one counting score on the two days and there was just a four-stroke spread between top finisher Lee and the No. 5 scorer, Mary Grace Davidson. 

Biola was the only team in the competition to have all five of its scorers inside the top-24. The next-best No. 5 scorer was Lynn's Adriana Iribarren who shot a 157 and finished 34th. Biola achieved its consistency by finding ways to keep pars coming. In a tournament where the average score hovered around an 81 both days, the Eagles managed to have three of their golfers among the top-8 in total pars recorded.

If college golf counted all five scores, things would have been much closer as Biola would've placed just two strokes back from both CSUSM and Lynn.

"We have come a long way as a team and I know we can compete at the highest level," said Carr.

Rachel Shaw was playing as an individual for the Eagles and also put up two rounds under 80 (79-79). She was the second-best indie at the event with her two-day tally of 158.

Up next for the Eagles is a little bit of home cooking. Biola hosts the Eagle Invitational at the Grand Golf Club beginning in just two days (March 10). Follow the home tournament live at https://results.golfstat.com//public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=24181.