Fresh off its March 20 win in Florida, the Northwestern women’s golf team returns to the Southeast today to begin competition in the three-day Liz Murphy Classic in Athens, Ga.

The Wildcats, who are 14th in the Mastercard Collegiate Rankings, head into the tournament on the heels of their Spring Break triumph at the Waterlefe Invitational in Bradenton, Fla. The win was NU’s second this season. The Cats also took first last November at the Central District Classic in Bradenton.

But the Liz Murphy Classic boasts more impressive competition. Three top 10 teams – No. 1 Duke, which won last year’s tournament, No. 4 Auburn and No. 8 Texas – present the toughest challenges for NU.

The Cats will look for strong performances from sophomore Elizabeth Burden, junior Emily Gilley and freshman Hana Kim, all of whom finished in the top 10 to guide NU to victory in Florida.

Gilley, who is ranked 48th nationally in the latest Golfweek.com poll, finished second overall in the tournament, shooting an impressive final-round 73 on the final day.

NU’s strong tournament showings thus far reflect the success the team enjoyed last season. The Cats took sixth in the Big Ten but stormed to a second-place finish at the NCAA East Regional and earned their first NCAA championship berth in team history.