Mississippi State, Jessica Peng take 36-hole UCF Women's Challenge Lead

ORLANDO, FL (February 6, 2017) -- On the strength of a 13 under day Mississippi State moved to 16 under and into the 36-hole lead a the UCF Women's Challenge being hosted by Eagle Creek Golf Club. The Bulldogs will carry a moderately comfortable seven stroke advantage into Tuesday's final round. Leading the way for Mississippi State thus far is individual leader Jessica Peng. Through two rounds of play Peng is 13 under and three shots in front of first round medalist pace setter Isabelle Johansson of Kentucky. Peng, a senior, who started the day two off the pace used a bogey free career best 7-under 65 to take over the lead. Monday marked the second consecutive day that Peng was bogey free and also the second consecutive day that she had turned in a career best score. Peng shot a 6-under 66 in Sunday's first round and bogey free for the tournament. Teeing of on the 4th hole, Peng started her day with six straight pars before catching fire beginning with the 10th hole. When Peng recorded her first birdie on No. 10 it was just the start of things as she went onto birdie six of the next nine holes and overall seven of her final 12 holes. That run has put Peng in position to win her first career collegiate event. Peng has been trying to break into the winners circle since she splashed onto the seen as a freshman and became just the second Bulldog to ever be named to the SEC All-Freshman team. Freshman Athena Yang has given Mississippi State a big lift as well, with tallies of 71-70 to post 3-under and sit in a tie for 11th. Behind Peng and Isabelle Johansson in the medalist standings is Jiwon Jeon of Daytona State College in third place at 9 under, Elena Hualde of Auburn is 6 under and in fourth while four others are sharing fifth at 5 under. In addition to Mississippi State taking the lead the rest of the team standings got shook up a bit too. Miami at 9 under moved into second place, first round leader and host UCF fell to third at 8 under, Clemson at 7 under is fourth and Daytona State College, a National Junior College Athletic Association program, is in fifth place at 5 under.