Solid first round lands Ephs 9th after Day 1 of NCAA Championships

Day 1 Results

WAVERLY, IA. -- It was a good time to play great — the Williams College women's golf team put together its best round of its season on Day One of the 2008 NCAA Div. III Championship, good enough to be ninth out of the 20 teams competing atht he Centennial Oaks Golf Club.

Second round action begins Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. The Ephs will tee off in the morning.

Sophomore Anne O'Leary finished her day tied for 11th overall with her score of 77, five over par for the day. That was despite some rain and cold conditions that nagged the teams teeing off in the afternoon.

"It was a good day, that 326 is a good score for us," Eph co-head coach Kris Herman said. "Everyone really battled out there, that was impressive. No one got down, when we hit a few tough holes, every one just kept marching on. Anne had a great day, a 77 is a solid score."

O'Leary shot four-over par on the front nine, then completed the back the back nine at just one-over. That included a closing birdie on the par-four 18th hole.

Williams junior Melissa Barton also had a strong finish and entered the clubhouse with a first round score of nine-over-par 81. She was a plus-five on the front nine and four-over for the back nine, including a birdie on the par-four 12th hole.

Junior Laura Koplik completed her round with a score of 83, 11 over par. After finishing plus-eight over the front nine, Koplik shot only three-over for the back, including a birdie on the par-three 17th hole.

Sophomore Kait O'Brien finished with an 85, but her day included two birdies, one on the par-five 3rd hole, and one on the par-three 17th. First-year Lauren Anstey fired a round of 90 on the day.

Ten-time defending national champion Methodist University of Fayetteville, N.C., found itself in a familiar spot at the conclusion of the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Division III women’s golf championships.

The Monarchs, spurred by the play of junior Susan Martin, held a two-stroke advantage over Southwestern University of Texas after 18 holes of play (307-309). Martin, who finished ninth a year ago, fired a 74 which was good for second in the individual national champion chase.