FORSYTH, Ga. – Samford sophomore Gabi Nicastro tied for first and the Bulldog women's golf team placed third at the Mercer Invitational, held Monday and Tuesday at River Forest Golf Club.
 
Nicastro, who is ranked 60^th in the nation by Scoreboard, tied for her third tournament win of the fall portion of the season. After shooting 74 in Monday's first round, she shot a career-best 66 in Monday's second round. She wrapped up the tournament with a 71 on Tuesday to finish with a three-round score of 211 (74-66-71) and tie for first in the 70-player field. She tied with T.K. Kongthong from Georgia State for the individual title.
 
"I'm proud of the team for playing well today and holding onto third," Samford head coach Joe Davidson said. "Gabi winning three out of four tournaments this fall is special. A lot of hard work went into that. This is a good, hard golf course and a great tournament hosted by Mercer. It is fun coming here and we'll be back next year."
 
Davidson made his return to the team after missing most of the fall due to health conditions. Assistant Coach Emily Johnson has been in charge of the team in Davidson's absence, and he praised her running of the team this fall.
 
"Emily has done a great job with the team this fall in my absence," Davidson said. "It was good to be back, and I really look forward to the spring season."
 
As a team, Samford shot a three-round score of 15-over-par 879 (296-293-290) to place third in the 12-team field. Jacksonville won the team title with a final score of 867 (287-288-192).
 
Behind Nicastro for Samford, Christian Williams tied for 13^th with a three-round score of 220 (74-73-73). Anika Richards tied for 20^th at 225 (76-77-72), while Ella Stoll tied for 22^nd with a score of 226 (75-77-74). Grace Engel rounded out the Playing Five for Samford, tying for 29^th with a score of 229 (73-81-75). Morgan Franklin played as an individual, tying for 27^th with a three-round score of 228 (78-76-74).
 
A full list of Samford's players' results is below. The Mercer Invitational wraps up the fall season for Samford. The Bulldogs will open the spring season with a dual match against UAB on Feb. 1.
 
SAMFORD PLAYING FIVE
T-1. Gabi Nicastro: 74-66-71—211 (-5)
T-13. Christian Williams: 74-73-73—220 (+4)
T-20. Anika Richards: 76-77-72—225 (+9)
T-22. Ella Stoll: 75-77-74—226 (+10)
T-29. Grace Engel: 73-81-75—229 (+13)
 
INDIVIDUALS FROM SAMFORD
T-27. Morgan Franklin: 78-76-74—228 (+12)
 
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