Following an impressive first day at the NCAA Division III Championships, the No. 9 University of Redlands women's golf team sits atop the team leaderboard with a score of 306 on Tuesday at the Bay Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas. The Bulldogs currently hold a one-stroke lead over tied-for-second-place Methodist University (NC) and DePauw University (IN).
Individually, senior Keilee Bessho (La Cañada, CA) and sophomore Annie Hay (University Place, WA) co-lead the Bulldogs with rounds of 75 to land in a tight, 10-way battle for sixth place. Bessho enjoyed a solid, back nine with seven pars to go along with a birdie on the 16th hole. Hay did the same but on the front nine, with her birdie coming on the sixth hole.
First-year Kendall Nicholson (Bellevue, WA) and sophomore Mariah Moon (La Quinta, CA) matched each other's tally of 78 to end round one in an 11-way tie for 31st. Moon sank a birdie on the third hole, while Nicholson drained one on the fourth.
In addition, first-year Dana Condon (Palm Desert, CA) signed her scorecard with an 81 to tie with eight others in 60th place. One of her strongest performances came on the par-five fifth hole, where she tapped in for birdie.
Redlands looks forward to teeing off in round two of the NCAA Championships on Wednesday, May 15, at 12:30 p.m. CDT.