The top-ranked University of Redlands women's golf team teed off at the 2021 NCAA Championships in East Lansing, Michigan, on Tuesday, taking on the best of NCAA Division III at the Forest Akers West Golf Course.  Amidst chilly temperatures and strong wind gusts, the Bulldogs earned a tie-for-sixth place through 18 holes with a score of 325.  They sit 13 strokes behind the leaders from Carnegie Mellon University (PA) with plenty of golf to be played. 

As a squad, Redlands posted an average score of 3.5 on the par threes to tie for fourth among the tournament field.  The Maroon and Gray registered 38 total pars on the day.

First-year Iris Liu (Diamond Bar, CA) led the Bulldogs by tallying a 78 on day one to tie for eighth on the individual leaderboard.  She hit 12 greens and dropped in 12 pars for a solid showing in her debut at nationals.  In terms of pars, only one competitor bettered her effort.  Liu also tied for second with a par-four average of 4.20. 

While finishing the day tied-for-20th, junior Kendall Nicholson (Bellevue, WA) signed her scorecard with an 80, which was highlighted by nine pars and one birdie.  First-year Andrea York (Oakdale, CA) and sophomore Hannah Jugar (Chula Vista, CA) closely followed with scores of 83 and 84, respectively.  York dropped in a 14-foot, right-to-left putt on hole #17 for birdie.  She also secured five pars, while Jugar tallied eight.  Finally, first-year Gabrielle Kiger (Hermosa Beach, CA) birdied hole #5 with a straight, 15-foot putt before coming off the course with an 87.

Redlands begins the second round of the NCAA Championships at 11:05 a.m. PDT on Wednesday, May 12.  The Bulldogs are paired with Centre College (KY) and Williams College (MA) in the final groups of teams.  Live stats are available at GolfStat.com.