Coon Rapids, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus women’s golf team is in first place after shooting a 325 (+35) on the opening day of the 2012 MIAC Championships being held at Bunker Hills Golf Course over the weekend.
Rounding out the top three after day one is St. Olaf in second place with a 330 (+42) and Carleton in third place with a 338 (+50).
“We are off to a fast start because we benefited from the great scores of Sam, Kayleigh, and Liz today,” said Head Coach Scott Moe. “We played with consistency and stuck to our game plan. The expectation is to stay the course tomorrow and strive for another firm set of scores throughout our lineup.”
Gustavus’ big three – Sam Falk (So., Glenwood, Minn.), Kayleigh Dittes (Sr., Eden Prairie, Minn.), and Liz Strom (So., Fargo, N.D.) – all rank inside the top three after posting scores in the high 70s. Falk is alone in second place after shooting a team-best 78 (+6). Dittes and Strom round out the top three in a tie for third place after they both shot 79s (+7). The Gustavus trio will chase current leader Kelsey Moede of Carleton tomorrow. Moede ranks first after firing a 75 (+3) today.
Holly Karkela (So., Perham, Minn.) shot an 89 (+17) and Olivis Tusa (Fy., Hermantown, Minn.) rounded out Gustavus’ competitors with a 93 (+21). Karkela is in 24th, while Tusa sits in 37th.
“We came into today knowing that it was going to be a grind battling the weather conditions. I’m proud of how the ladies prepared mentally and we look forward to tomorrow’s challenge,” said Moe.
Olivia Tusa will start things off for Gustavus tomorrow afternoon with a 12:40 p.m. tee time. She will be followed by Karkela at 12:48, Strom and Dittes at 12:56, and Falk at 1:12 p.m.