LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. – Klara Kleinig carded a 3-over 75 and sits in the top 10 while the CSC team is fifth out of 13 programs after one day of competition at the SMSU Spring Invite.
Kleinig shot 1-under 35 on the front nine at the Wigwam Resort's Red Course and was led the tournament early in her round. The native of Germany is in a two-way tie for seventh place among a field of 73 golfers, only two strokes behind a group of three leaders at 1-over 73.
True freshman
Macy Kleve, who won medalist honors at her most recent tournament in Billings, Montana last October, sits just outside the top 10 in a seven-way tie for 11
th place at 5-over-par 77. Kleve shot even-par through the first nine holes.
CSC's other scoring golfers are
Lauren Knapp (T-18
th, 6-over-par 78) and
Allison Sanger (T-30
th, 9-over-par 81). Senior
Payton Wise carded a 10-over-par 82 and was the only Eagle to shoot better on the back nine (3-over 39) than the front nine (7-over 43).
Two more Eagles are competing as individuals.
Brooklyn Tychsen shot a 13-over 85 while
Aubree Heinsma, in her first competition since the RMAC Championships in spring 2025, carded a 15-over 87.
In the team race, Chadron accumulated a score of 23-over 311. The current leaders are Western New Mexico at 16-over 304 while Colorado Mesa is second at 19-over 307. MSU Denver is three strokes ahead of the Eagles in third while Concordia St. Paul is two strokes ahead of the Eagles in fourth.
The Eagles lead sixth-place Fort Lewis by four strokes and have a nine-stroke cushion over seventh-place Minnesota-Crookston and a 21-stroke lead over eighth-place hosts Southwest Minnesota State.
The second round of this tournament is Tuesday, with tee times beginning at 11 a.m. (MT) for the field while the first Chadron golfer tees off at 12:48 p.m. (MT).
