GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Sophomore Allison Sanger and freshman Lauren Knapp each have a share of a top-five spot while Payton Wise buried an eagle as Chadron State women's golf finished the first round of the Maverick Challenge just three strokes off the lead.
Hosts Colorado Mesa have a one-stroke advantage in the small-field event, with the Mavericks at 36-over 324 through 18 holes while Westminster is at 37-over 325. Chadron State is in third place at 40-over 328, and the Eagles have a substantial cushion over fourth-place Adams State at 118-over.
Individually, Sanger and Knapp each shot 8-over rounds of 80 and are two of three golfers tied for fifth place in the 28-golfer field. Westminster teammates Ashley Lam and Madalyn Hadley are tied for the lead at 3-over 75, but Hadley is competing as an individual, so her round did not count toward Westminster's team score.
Sophomore Klara Kleinig and freshman Macy Kleve are tied for 13th at 12-over 84 to round out CSC's four scoring golfers. Kleve and Knapp tied for the team lead with two birdies apiece on Saturday.
Senior Payton Wise carded a 20-over 92, but hit perhaps the shot of the day when she holed out the par-4 sixth in two strokes for an eagle, the only one of the tournament so far. The eagle happened right in the middle of Wise's best stretch of the day, as the Kimball, Nebraska native shot 1-over on holes 4-8 combined.
Aubree Heinsma, CSC's other senior alongside Wise, shot a 93.
The second round of the Maverick Challenge is Sunday, with everyone off and running at once with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.
