DULUTH, Ga. – Reese Wilson carded a final round one over-par 73 on Thursday afternoon helping Bethune-Cookman Women's Golf to a fifth place finish in the Bridgestone HBCU Invitational held September 3-4 at TPC at Sugarloaf course in Duluth, Georgia.
 
Bethune-Cookman (326-325-322) lowered its team score every round across the 54-hole tournament, including a final day 322 – cutting four strokes off Wednesday's opening 18 holes. Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Harry Stokes, several individual performances provided encouraging signs for the young Wildcats.
 
Reese Wilson, a senior transfer from Butler, emerged as the Wildcats top performer, carding rounds of 76-79-73 to finish tied for seventh overall at 228 (+12). Wilson's steady play throughout the tournament, highlighted by her strong closing round of 73 – one of the best final-round scores among Wildcats competitors – showcased the veteran leadership the team will rely upon this season.
 
"Reese really stepped up when we needed her most," commented Stokes. "Her ability to bounce back with that 73 in the final round shows the kind of mental toughness I've seen through practices and qualifying leading into the tournament."
 
Wilson's performance was particularly impressive considering she was competing against some of the strongest golfers in HBCU competition, including individual champion Ekaterina Prokhorova of North Carolina A&T, who dominated the field with a 14-under-par total of 202.
 
Also competing in her first event for the Maroon and Gold was junior transfer Lathika Krishna. The former LIU student-athlete shaved strokes off her rounds by at least two each time out, firing rounds of 80-76-74 to finish tied for 10th at 230 (+14). Krishna's steady improvement over the two days – culminating in her best round on the final day – provided valuable scoring for the team total.
 
"Lathika really found her rhythm as the tournament progressed," noted Stokes. "That kind of improvement over the course of a tournament is going to be valuable in so many ways as we progress throughout the fall and into the spring portion of the schedule."
 
The Wildcats' scoring was followed up by senior captain Skylar Kew posting rounds of 83-87-86 for a 256 total (+40).
 
Lana Bowen, one of two freshmen taking part in the tournament for B-CU, contributed rounds of 87-83-89 for a 259 total (+43), while classmate Mia Bernier closed out the Wildcats scoring with rounds of 89-87-91, totaling 267 (+51).
 
The TPC at Sugarloaf proved to be a stern test as only N.C. A&T's Prokhorova managed to finish under par. Howard's Marley Franklin was the tournament's individual runner-up behind Prokhorova, turning in scores of 75-72-73 (220, +4).
 
North Carolina A&T claimed the team championship at 894 (+30), followed by Howard at 904 (+40) in second place. Defending SWAC Champion Alabama State finished third at 929 (+65), with Texas Southern taking fourth place at 934 (+70), just ahead of the Wildcats.
 
"We're taking a lot of positives from this tournament," said Stokes afterwards. "The experience our younger players gained here is invaluable, and we saw real improvement from everyone on Thursday. This is exactly the kind of foundation we can build on as we move forward this season."
 
The Wildcats next travel to the PCT Autumn Harvest scheduled for 54 holes across September 29-30, in Lopatcong, New Jersey.
 
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