Marian Women's Golf Holds Second Place After Opening Round of NAIA Championships
Ypsilanti, Mich. – The Marian women's golf team enjoyed a historic start in team history at the NAIA National Championship on Tuesday, as the Knights ended the opening day of the championship in second place in the field of 30. Marian's start is the best in program history at the national championship, with the team being led by Emma Weiler's top-five start.
The Knights began their day in the morning wave, and held a share of the lead throughout the morning tee times. As a team, Marian finished 12-over as a whole on the front nine, but closed the day strong, finishing one-over on the back nine. Marian ended the day with a total score of 301, finishing four-back on top-ranked British Columbia, who scored a 297 on the afternoon.
Individually, Emma Weiler led the Knights on day one, carding a dazzling 71, finishing one-under par to sit third overall on the individual leaderboard. Weiler finished the front-nine one-over, overcoming a difficult pin placement on hole five to take a 37 into the back nine. On the back, Weiler fired a birdie on the first hole to get back to even, bogeying once over the final half. The sophomore closed her day strong, scoring an eagle from 120 yards out to head to the clubhouse with a 71.
Maria Kennard and MacKendzie Dresbaugh both pieced together a 76 on the day, with the pair tied for 19th after 18 holes. Kennard finished the back with an even 36 to settle with her 76, while Dresbaugh shot a 38 on both halves of the course, pouring in seven pars on the back half.
Keara Eder finished the round in 37th overall, firing a 78 on the day. Eder ended the day strong, scoring a one-over back nine. Jordan Adam rounded out the lineup for the day, shooting an 80 to hold 57th place for the tournament.
Marian will look to defend their first round progress and make the cut for the second consecutive season, teeing off at 2:10 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon.