KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. -- The Tusculum College women's golf team will open the spring portion of its 2009-10 schedule this weekend when they host the eighth annual Tusculum/Kiawah Island Intercollegiate. The first round will begin Saturday morning at Cougar Point Golf Club in Kiawah Island, S.C.

Entering its eighth year, the Tusculum/Kiawah Island Intercollegiate has evolved into one of the premier NCAA Division II women's golf tournaments in the nation. The 17-team tournament field includes six colleges and universities that are currently nationally ranked in the National Golf Coaches Association's Division II Top 25.

The No. 3 team in the country, Florida Southern College, returns to Kiawah for a fourth straight year. The Moccasins won last year's Intercollegiate for a second consecutive season with a tournament record team score of 586, paced by last year's opening 292, establishing a new tournament record. Florida Southern has tallied four NCAA national titles, with its most recent coming in 2007.

Fourth-ranked Rollins College is back, led by 2009 Kiawah Island medalist Joanna Coe. Coe won last year's event with a tournament record 138 (-6), including an opening round 68. Coe was also the 2008 NCAA II individual national champion as she led the Tars to a fifth national title that season. The Tars won the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate in 2007.

Barry University makes its second Kiawah Intercollegiate appearance this weekend as the Buccaneers bring a No. 6 national ranking with them.

South Atlantic Conference member Newberry College is ranked seventh in the nation, following a sensational fall where the Scarlet & Gray posted four top 4 finishes, including wins at the Lenoir-Rhyne/Myrtle Beach Intercollegiate and the Patsy Rendleman Invitational.

No. 10-ranked and No. 19-ranked Saint Leo University are also entered.

In addition to Tusculum and Newberry, other SAC teams in the field are LMU and Wingate. Armstrong Atlantic State University, Belmont Abbey College, Columbus State University, Daytona State College, University of Montevallo, Mount Olive College and UNC Pembroke are other teams entered.

Tusculum posted four top-five performances in the fall, including a win at the Women's Independent Collegiate. Freshman Jillian Corum is leading the Pioneers with an 80.56 scoring average. Corum won the Women's Independent Collegiate in only her third tournament of her young career.

Sophomore Katie Doane is second on the team with her 80.89 stroke average, while two-time All-South Atlantic Conference First Team honoree Mary Ann Vizcarrondo is third at 81.00.